Anyone here own a model S and a volt or leaf in the mid-Atlantic?

[andrewket]

I'm hoping to chat (phone or email) with someone who has a model S and either a volt or a leaf. I'm in the market for a second EV and am trying to decide between the two. At the moment I'm leaning towards the volt because the leaf appears to have poor thermal management and as a result poor performance below 35F and above 90F. I'd love to hear from someone first-hand who can compare it to the model S. I know in the case of the volt it's not an apples to apples comparison. If money were no object I'd pick up a second S.

Thanks
A

 

[Bonlaw]

We have had, and still have the Volt for 1.5 years before the Tesla. My husband and I thought it was fabulous .....until we got the S. The Volt is a 4 seater. We generally get 38+ miles on a charge. Since our round trip commute was only 20 miles it was perfect for 90% of our daily driving needs. It drives like an American car- kind of cushy, which can be nice. The transition to gas is absolutely seamless. However when going up the steep hill to our home, in gas mode there was some engine noise. We have had no problem with the car and everyone we "sold" on the Volt have been thrilled with the car too. It is a good fit if your daily driving is limited. Even in the gasoline mode we got 35 MPG. Right now the price is pretty low so I would certainly recommend it. We had installed the J 1772 charger for the Volt and also used it for the Tesla early on getting about 22 mi/ hr of charge.

Hope this helps.

 

[Hengist]

2011 Volt, 2013 Tesla.

Volt drives much like a Model S if you use the L setting of the shift and the Sport mode. That gives full regen and one foot driving. Definitely the best choice if you don't buy another Model S, unless you absolutely need to seat 5. I have 40 K miles on mine with no repairs or issues at all.

 

[NigelM]

I saw ClearwaterBchSteve yesterday (in Florida) and he was telling us how he recently got a Leaf as his second car. They love it and sounded like it complements Model S perfectly for them. You can PM him for contact details.

We also have our resident TEG (in California) who I think started with one of the very first Leafs, he knows everything there is to know about that car as well as about Teslas.

 

[montgom626]

2012 Volt is the best engineered car

My 2012 Volt is the best engineered car I have ever owned. Other than the Volt is slower than my MS P85, the driving experience is the same. In summer I can get 45 miles electric, in winter, 30 miles electric (using the heater). Great car. You will not regret getting a Volt.

 

[Treker56]

My 2012 Volt is the best engineered car I have ever owned. Other than the Volt is slower than my MS P85, the driving experience is the same. In summer I can get 45 miles electric, in winter, 30 miles electric (using the heater). Great car. You will not regret getting a Volt.

Andrew in Fairfax, VA and in the same boat as you. Not considering the Volt since it is not 100% EV. Have you explored Ford Focus EV? I am not sure if there are even any available yet or not in NoVa.

There are some excellent LEAF lease deals available. Is the thermal issue you mention more to do with battery degradation or actual performance/range? I've been hanging out at the Nissal Lead forums and owners can consistently get 75 miles (which would be ok for our 2nd "runabout" car - grociers/pick-up kids from school etc)

 

[andrewket]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a volt. While I'd prefer a pure EV, this car will not be driven by me, and I won't always be able to confirm that it's properly being charged. The car will have a daily commute of 32 miles r/t twice a day, which means it will have to be charged overnight and midday.

Regarding the thermal management issue, my research has me concluding that the leaf's air cooling is insufficient in extreme heat situations. The volt uses liquid cooling, like the model S. the leaf's range seems to be severely reduced in the cold as well.

I wish the volt had a larger battery as well as faster charger. It maxes out at 3.3kW. 4 hours at 240V/16A to fully charge.

Andrew

 

[fengshui]

For anyone reading this thread in CA or OR, the Spark EV feels like a smaller BEV version of the Volt. Much less range, but all of the benefits of a BEV.

 

[andrewket]

Andrew in Fairfax, VA and in the same boat as you. Not considering the Volt since it is not 100% EV. Have you explored Ford Focus EV? I am not sure if there are even any available yet or not in NoVa.

There are some excellent LEAF lease deals available. Is the thermal issue you mention more to do with battery degradation or actual performance/range? I've been hanging out at the Nissal Lead forums and owners can consistently get 75 miles (which would be ok for our 2nd "runabout" car - grociers/pick-up kids from school etc)

Trekker - The thermal issue results in premature cell failure and accelerated degradation. In the winter, most people are reporting 50 mile range on a full charge. Our round trip is 32 miles, which on the surface would seem to be ok. The problem is we frequently drive early to pick up our kids and sit in the pick-up line which can form an hour early. With the heat running for an hour, plus the risk of a traffic jam on the beltway, the 18 miles of spare rated capacity could disappear quickly. If the battery was larger it would make me more comfortable. With the volt we'll likely be pure EV during the summer, 2/3 EV in the winter, and in an emergency situation my kids won't get stuck on the beltway with a Volt. If I was driving I could manage it - keep track of power usage, etc., but with the person who will be doing most of the driving, I need it to be fairly error proof.

 

[shrink]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a volt. While I'd prefer a pure EV, this car will not be driven by me, and I won't always be able to confirm that it's properly being charged. The car will have a daily commute of 32 miles r/t twice a day, which means it will have to be charged overnight and midday.

Regarding the thermal management issue, my research has me concluding that the leaf's air cooling is insufficient in extreme heat situations. The volt uses liquid cooling, like the model S. the leaf's range seems to be severely reduced in the cold as well.

I wish the volt had a larger battery as well as faster charger. It maxes out at 3.3kW. 4 hours at 240V/16A to fully charge.

Andrew

I have a LEAF, Volt, and now a Roadster. I cannot recommend the LEAF, but I live in Phoenix. The heat has absolutely killed the battery. The LEAF's thermal management is passive. The battery heat is supposed to dissipate in the chassis and then air flow from driving, so you'll never get below ambient. This is horrible for long-term capacity in many climates, especially hot ones. I lost 15% battery capacity in 10 months. The LEAF has performed well in more temperate climates and the quick charger can add quite a bit EV range if your area has the infrastructure.

The Volt is a fine car. I get about 38 miles of EV range in the hot Phoenix summer and can get close to 50 in the Fall and Spring. I used 8.6 gallons of gas in 14 months; then had to do a fuel maintenance burn because the gas got stale. However, I do wish the EV range was greater and will likely replace it with a full BEV with active thermal management.

 

[mnx]

For anyone reading this thread in CA or OR, the Spark EV feels like a smaller BEV version of the Volt. Much less range, but all of the benefits of a BEV.

Couldn't anyone buy one of these and have it shipped, or go pick it up if you live in a nearby state?

 

[shrink]

Couldn't anyone buy one of these and have it shipped, or go pick it up if you live in a nearby state?

I was actually working on buying a RAV4 EV from CA and was going to have it shipped to Phoenix. Instead I bought the Roadster, but the RAV is something to consider. It is a Tesla battery and people are getting about 100 mile range. Search the RAV4 Forum. I think the dealer's name is Dianne Whitmire (for something like that) from a Toyota dealer in the Los Angeles area. With the aggressive Toyota discount, I think the price is right in the LEAF and Volt range.