Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Ok, after hearing all kinds of stuff.....I went online and had a look. I was hoping that someone here would have bought one and could give me real-life feedback.

This is interesting
UPDATED: Should I Buy A Used Nissan Leaf (Or Another Electric Car)? (Page 3)

Basically $10k or less will get me a 4/5 yr old car. That price might well go lower as the Nissan extra guarantee runs out at 5 years for the battery. New battery is $5.5k and will be guaranteed by Nissan for another 5 years..... so buying a new battery as well as the car - $15k max gets a commuting car that is practically free to run.

and considering that there are hundreds of free charging stations in Austin, that my electricity company will pay 50% of the installation costs of a fast charging connection at home, I think it's looking like not a bad option. OH's colleague told me that so many people have electric cars at work now that they can no longer leave their cars charging all day, the cars only need 3/4 hours to charge and so they are asked to swap over the parking/charging places at lunchtime with the other electric cars.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Be careful about overpaying for "free". You could buy a five year old Honda Civic for about the same price ($10k), and the cost of new batteries for the Leaf would pay for 7.5 years of 10,000 mile per year commuting at 30mpg and $2/gal gas.

Of course the price of gas could go up, but then mileage taxes are coming for electric vehicles, and don't expect to be able to charge for free at work forever either. ..... [ETA] But after just five years you face having to replace the Leaf's batteries again!

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Well that is a pain, 5 years til new battery. When I buy a new or like new car, I wan't 10 years out of it hopefully before a major issue, and generally the new gas cars can make it a decade without major issue.

Having to spend 5k in 5 years for a new battery, I'll pass.

Does extreme temps wear the batteries down quicker? We can be anywhere from -15C to +35C throughout the year and we are in a mild region of Canada.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Hubby bought a second hand Volt a couple of months ago, wish we'd done it years ago. He commutes 20 miles each way on the 101, before he got the car he'd leave home at 9.30am and get home around 8pm, so to avoid the HOV times. Now he can use those lanes so works more normal times, as his commute time is around 30 minutes each way even in peak times.

He's getting 150 miles to the gallon, and has used around $35 in gas since the middle of October, covering around 2,100 miles. We changed our electricity plan to the electric car plan they have, and it's costing us around $20 per month in electricity, the car is set to begin charging at 9pm and is complete by 7am.

It's a really nice car, with just about every extra you could ask for. We would never have gone for a purely electric car, but the hybrid is brilliant and the use of HOV lanes and half price tolls are a great benefit in our area of CA.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

I didn't say it needed a battery every 5 years. The battery is guaranteed to run at least 5 years without noticeable loss of power.....Nissan haven't had to change many batteries, it was PR exercise designed to alleviate buyer worries......

Volt?? hmmmm

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

A little wander round the interweb suggests that Leaf batteries' performance drops off quickly after 5yrs/ 60,000 miles, and sooner if the car has been driven hard/ the battery not looked after, or if the ambient temperature is high (sounds like Texas to me ;)).

And the $5,499 price for a new battery pack requires a $225 installation kit for 2011-2012 models, and then three hours of labour. All-in, including sales tax and labour, you're looking at $6,500, not $5,500.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Well it's not exactly free. You still have brakes to worry about. Changing pads, rotors, calipers etc. Also apparently it's recommended to change the brake fluid every 15k on Leafs following their severe schedule due to moisture absorbsion. That runs about $300 according to this report.

Nissan Leaf Maintenance Review - Consumer Reports

Didn't you own a Honda Fit a about a year ago? That would have been pretty cheap to run too.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Yes, we had a honda fit which we traded in for a bigger car for family trips - a toyota 4runner which has been fab.

OH got a ford fiesta through IAS when we arrived 2.5 yrs ago and so we're looking at a replacement car for him and his daily commute now.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

I raise you a Scion xB

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Nah, it's cutsy and looks like a kids drawing, but it isn't "ugly".

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Sheesh, those are high costs of ownership compared with something like a vw polo tdi 1.2, nissan note 1.2 or im sure several other similar cars. Why would you want such an environmental disaster wagon, and pay extra for it? NB is there an environmental levy in returning those lithium filled batteries? If not there probably will be soon...

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Nissan mandates that you return the spent Leaf batteries for a $1,000 credit. The price of $5,499 for a new battery pack is net of the $1,000 credit. (Not sure if that answers your question? :unsure:)

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

Even in London, the most polluted and slow city, the only hybrids you see are taxi's, the few true electrics are never purchased except at huge government subsidy, and most people just dont want them. Think of how battery tech moves foreward, maybe one day, but right now, what you buy is next years iphone 4, and we know what they are worth.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

The problem is that battery technology doesn't/hasn't moved forward since the battery was first invented, all that has happened is a little tinkering with the recipe. Batteries still have an inevitable fixed life whether you use them a lot or a little (both using, and not using batteries is detrimental to their life :rolleyes:) and the process of mining and purifying the chemicals to make batteries would rightly be outlawed if environmental issues were important.

The leap forward in eco-friendly motoring will come when renewable petrol/diesel or petrol/diesel substitute developed, and then all the fancy electric and hybrid vehicles will instantly become obsolete.

Re: Nissan Leaf
 

They were giving that incentive around here last year but now they charge for electric