Should I Buy a Used 2013 Leaf in this Scenario?

[jpw2001]

So, here is my dilemma. I really want a Nissan Leaf as our second car. We only have one car right now, live close to work, and I carpool to work. However, we are about to move 40 miles from work for one year while we save up for a down payment on a house. Starting at that point we'll need to have a second car for me to commute in. After that year we'll have enough for a down payment in our neighborhood of choice that is 10-15 miles from work. Once in our home a Leaf will be absolutely ideal, especially since charging at work is free and fast.

Now for the question. Will 40 miles each way in Utah's seasonal climate be stretching the range too much? I didn't think so until I start reading "real work range" posts. Keep in mind I will have charging an both ends (so I only have to do 40 mile between charges) and will only use it for commuting. I really don't want to buy into an ICE car just for this one year. Also keep in mind that if my schedule gets thrown off I could get caught in traffic in 95-100 degree or 5-15 degree weather. Something else to note, I would have the option of using public transportation on really bad weather days or if I would get caught in horrible traffic due to a schedule change. however, it would double my commute time to use public transportation so it's not ideal.

Leaf(s) I'm looking at:
I have found several 2013 Nissan Leaf S/SV, 10-25k miles, for around $10-12k.

Some Important Info:
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Weather: Summer are in the 90s for much of July and August and winter are snowy but stay above 0 degrees)

• 
  Month Low High
  Jan 21.3°F 37.0°F
  Jul 63.4°F 90.6°F

First Year Commute, Charging, and Parking Situation:
Home Parking: I should have access to an attached 2 car garage if necessary to protect battery life of Leaf
Home Charge: Will be standard outlet
Work Parking: Under building and temperature controlled
Work Charging: Level 2 charger
One-Way Commute Distance and time: 39.9 Miles (43 mins)
Commute Makeup:

• 
  30 mins of highway driving and ~15 mins of city driving
  On a normal day I go in before traffic and leave before traffic (so no congestion)
  Willing to drive slower, hypermile, sacrifice AC/heat etc

(please don't make this thread about the merits and non-merits of our choice to move home and save for a down payment)

 

[LeftieBiker]

You'd want a heatpump-equipped SV, not a resistance-only heated S, because of the difference in normal Winter power consumption by the heaters. (Both use a lot of power in frigid temps. Both are easy to cool in hot weather, using minimal power.) Look for one with all 12 capacity bars, preferably* and if at all possible verify with the LeafSpy app that the State of Health (SOH) is above 90%. Avoid any Leaf built before April of 2013, as these may lose capacity faster.


* Given that you will absolutely have to charge at work, fewer than 12 bars will probably work. Still, the less capacity you have, the more charging you'll have to do. I wouldn't go below 11 bars showing.

 

[Roostre]

It should work ok. Sounds like you have thought some alternatives through.

We are in the opposite boat; we bought the 2012 Leaf with just a 16 mile each way commute and recently bought a home that will extend the wife's commute to 33 miles each way. She also has charging at work, but she doesn't want to hassle with moving her car twice a day (employer's rules) or paying 75 cents per hour on a 3.3KW car. Getting a '13 is a smart move on your part.

If you are in the SLC area there are several Chademos to fall back on. The only problem is that the ones at the Leonardo museum are always full with no drivers in sight. (Seems kinda against ettiquite; Chademo should be like a 30 minute max parking) The Nissan dealer Chademos are also very busy at peak times.

Ours has 33K miles or so now and we have lost one battery bar. For around town it's never an issue, but freeway trips really suck down the juice. As you know if your going under 70 around here you will get run over, cussed out and possibly killed! With an EV I'm actually OK with slow-downs that used to irritate me. I'm using less energy, traveling in comfort and it's less stressful.

Also, you are going to want a Level 2 at home; it just makes the car sooo much more useful for running errands after work.

 

[powersurge]

Sounds like you have a good option here...

On a Leaf with 12 (or maybe ever 11 bars?) Going 40 miles per charge is very doable. Even if you have a/c or heater use, you would arrive at 40-50% charge, which is perfect.

I am sure that the car battery would last you for that one year of 80 miles per day. The only unknown is in a couple of years, I am not sure that you could confidently travel 40 miles.

Another issue would be elevation. Do you have hills and mountains?