Apologies to Leaf owners but...

[bonnie]

Sold it to a friend FOR HIS WIFE? Wow. Not sure if he made out or you did. Is she good looking?

Maybe he just couldn't put a dollar amount on his Leaf... And his friend REALLY wanted that car! :biggrin:

Moderator note: Guys, I'm sure this is just meant as a joke - but this isn't your typical car forum. We have lots and lots of women here, too.

 

[ww73]

Similar story here.

We got our Leaf as our first EV back in October 2012, 2 year lease. Originally I was planning to get a "fun" car for me, like a 3 series convertible. Then it occurred to us that the lease payments ($0 down, $250/mo) is less than taxes + gas on the BMW. No tax for EVs in WA state.

Being an early adopter meant we got a free Blink L2 charger installed in the garage (actual out of pocket was $70). And it got me thinking about solar power and other EVs, which lead me to SCTY and TSLA. Since early 2013, I've been accumulating both stocks.

We returned the Leaf late 2014, and ended up selling some TSLA to pick up an inventory S85. This journey would not have been possible w/o the Leaf, and we're still using that L2 charger for our S.

So even though the Leaf doesn't hold a candle to the S, I feel I owe a lot to that little car. It worked great for those 2 years as a commuter and around town vehicle.

I wish Nissan would make a longer range one, as more folks will then enter the EV market, and eventually they will be Tesla owners. There's plenty of room for all manufacturers.

 

[Great Dane]

Here is my EV journey.
My ice was in the shop .I needed to rent a car
So I went to enterprise rent a car
The guy at the counter said we have a pickup truck or
A Nissan Leaf electric car.
Wow, I was so exited, to try my first electric car
I took serious notes, and loved the car.
This is the perfect car for around town
And a great entrée level EV.
So I say thank you Nissan, for building a great EV
I just needed more range to visit neighboring counties.
Then Tesla builds my long range EV dream car.

 

[muleferg]

Very good looking and loves her Leaf and husband, He is the EV Instructor at West Wilkes High School. At the last EV Event, I let him drive my Tesla and people ask, is that Elon? The Miata has Leaf Batteries
All the work is done by the Students.

http://www.journalpatriot.com/news/schools/article_15f5a804-fd8c-11df-9457-00127992bc8b.html

 

[Joel]

Very good looking and loves her Leaf and husband, He is the EV Instructor at West Wilkes High School. At the last EV Event, I let him drive my Tesla and people ask, is that Elon? The Miata has Leaf Batteries
All the work is done by the Students.View attachment 73608
http://www.journalpatriot.com/news/schools/article_15f5a804-fd8c-11df-9457-00127992bc8b.html

View attachment 73603View attachment 73604View attachment 73605View attachment 73606

That's awesome that West Wilkes High School (or any high school) has an EV team. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Here is my EV journey.
My ice was in the shop .I needed to rent a car
So I went to enterprise rent a car
The guy at the counter said we have a pickup truck or
A Nissan Leaf electric car.
Wow, I was so exited, to try my first electric car
I took serious notes, and loved the car.
This is the perfect car for around town
And a great entrée level EV.
So I say thank you Nissan, for building a great EV
I just needed more range to visit neighboring counties.
Then Tesla builds my long range EV dream car.

But with the way you drive it, you could probably have gotten 200 miles in a Leaf!

 

[bluenation]

As I drive my LEAF daily, I have to think of the little things... It is more narrow than Model S so parking is a little easier. If someone door-dinged me I wouldn't be as devastated as I would if they had done it to a Model S. Registration and insurance are less expensive, ... Less likely to get a speeding ticket.... Yeah, trying not to dwell on what I am missing.

to be fair, you are doing a kind of rationalization that i think is healthy. i see you feel ashamed or inadequate, but no need to be. As someone else said, you are paying a fraction of the price, and there are other benefits like, as you mentioned, a fraction of the insurance and easier parking.

that said,

a leaf is babby's first EV, and christ, id rather drive something else and then go straight to tesla hehe

 

[luvnMyTS]

I followed a pretty similar path to my Tesla as the OP

Many, many, many sports cars early on.

Last 12 years.....

03 Ford Expedition - 12 MPG
05 Chevy Trailblazer - 16 MPH
07 Ford Taurus SHO ecoboost - 21 MPG
08 Nissan Altima Hybrid - 35 MPG
10 Honda Insight - 46 MPG
12 Chevy Volt - 468 MPG (34,000 miles, 72.6 gallons gas burned =
13 Toyota Rav4 EV - Infinity MPG (80-90 avg. range)
15 Tesla EV - Infinity MPG (210-225 avg. range)

 

[bonnie]

to be fair, you are doing a kind of rationalization that i think is healthy. i see you feel ashamed or inadequate, but no need to be.

TEG feel ashamed or inadequate? Oh my god, that's funny. TEG's a legend here (and rightfully so).

.

 

[SherSlick]

As a Leaf owner and Tesla owner I would put it like this: The Leaf is a car, the Tesla is a driving machine. Much like a Toyota Camry is a car, while a BMW is a driving machine.

Little Leaf is still a workhorse in my house.

 

[tezco]

As a Leaf owner and Tesla owner I would put it like this: The Leaf is a car, the Tesla is a driving machine. Much like a Toyota Camry is a car, while a BMW is a driving machine.

Little Leaf is still a workhorse in my house.

+1 My Leaf is still the daily commuter, so I'm actually putting more miles on it each year compared to the S, even though the S does the long hauls and any trips that need to be made in style. (Work trips need to be made in something less flashy, so the Leaf or my ancient A8 take on that duty.) Like TEG says, I don't obsess about the inevitable dings with the Leaf, but the S was a stretch financially, so it is pampered and continues to look like it just rolled out of the factory. No way I'm parking the S at the rec center when the boy's high school swim team is sharing the parking lot! (In fact, I have to park the Leaf out on the street over there to keep it from turning into a beater....and then there are the dogs vs the ultra white leather in the S....nope nope nope, that is, unless they're in their zip-up kennel...)

 

[SmartElectric]

a leaf is babby's first EV

No, really, no. My Smart ED is the definition of "putting a toe in first" when it comes to EV ownership. At $150/mo taxes in. (I didn't lease actually, I bought for $19K all-in).

My wife loves the Smart ED, and I'm using it as a first step along the path to trade the Mercedes SUV in for a Tesla. All it will take is time... (unfortunately)

 

[eco5280]

For no reason at all we just drove 70 miles roundtrip to dinner. To a chain restaurant we eat at often that's got a location 5 miles from our house. But we want to get out in the new car. Pulling into the garage tonight and seeing 100+ miles of range left, I'm reminded that although we were able to make the car work for us for 99% of our driving, there were plenty of almost-didn't-make-it moments where we pulled onto our driveway with 0-5 miles of range left. I'm so glad to have the Tesla. The stress is gone.

Side note, I just read in Consumer Reports that the Leaf was pulled from their recommended list because it ranked POOR in a crash test. I've been thinking about getting a used one for a local runabout but that is giving me pause. Maybe we'll see about a Kia Soul EV next year.

 

[Beryl]

Questions to Leaf/Tesla owners:

- Did/Do you take advantage of Nissan charging locations?

- If so, will you continue to do so with your Tesla, if there are no available SCs? Cost? Time to complete?

Asking these questions because there are no SCs along a 340 mile route that I will frequent but there are several Nissan charging locations. More SCs are anticipated but they are not there now.

 

[Zythryn]

Questions to Leaf/Tesla owners:

- Did/Do you take advantage of Nissan charging locations?

- If so, will you continue to do so with your Tesla, if there are no available SCs? Cost? Time to complete?

Asking these questions because there are no SCs along a 340 mile route that I will frequent but there are several Nissan charging locations. More SCs are anticipated but they are not there now.

I've used a couple.
The ones I've used worked well, although it is more like hooking up a firehose
Scope out where the ones are you may be using. Some CHAdeMO chargers have been unreliable.
The ones at Nissan dealerships may not be available at all hours, and some dealerships limit their use to Leafs, or even Leafs that were bought at that dealership. Others are accommodating to any EVs.
Also make sure you have the necessary activation card or app.

And no, I doubt that I would ever use one unless there were no other option for the Tesla. The SC network is much more expansive than the CHAdeMO network in my area.

 

[cantdecide]

My basic rule for public j1772 and chademo is that you can't rely on them.
Typically only one or two in a spot.
Frequently out of order for days or weeks.
Often full.
Sometimes placed badly such as wholefoods ones being blocked by each delivery truck.
Sometimes closed out of hours
Sometimes only available to people with legitimate business at that location e.g. university.
Often no restaurants nearby.

If I had a trip planned that had to use these then I would still do it provided there were maybe 3 options on Plugshare where the reviews didn't have these issues so I would have decent backup plans in case of full or failure.

 

[eco5280]

I agree - even Nissan dealers' chargers are often full or not working. Or slower than you think for some reason.

 

[Beryl]

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful.

If I had a trip planned that had to use these then I would still do it provided there were maybe 3 options on Plugshare where the reviews didn't have these issues so I would have decent backup plans in case of full or failure.

Good plan. I did see a few Plugshare listings -- mostly RV parks that I might be able to use.

In any case, I plan to call each location ahead.

 

[AB4EJ]

More LEAF

I also have a LEAF which I plan to return at end of lease and order a Model X. I like the LEAF, but it doesn't have the DC charging port, so anything over a 30 mile round trip is kind of a no-go. There are few public charging stations in my area.

 

[eco5280]

I also have a LEAF which I plan to return at end of lease and order a Model X. I like the LEAF, but it doesn't have the DC charging port, so anything over a 30 mile round trip is kind of a no-go. There are few public charging stations in my area.

Huh? The range is 85 miles and I've gotten over 100. I think you meant 30 miles away from your house? 40 miles is reasonable. You've got a CHAdeMO charger in Birmingham, which may help with your trip planning. But you're right, the Leaf is not a traveler's EV for the most part. It's for most daily use of less than 80 miles which covers most people's needs.