The official "I got my Leaf" thread

[Cornellio]

Portrait in the new 2016 Leaf SV that I got on Dec 3rd.

After 1 month

Average energy usage: 3.6 miles/kWh
Miles: 513
Eco Trees: 85
C02 Savings: 331 lbs

It's working great for getting around the SF peninsula and to/from work. My work commute is short so I get through days at a time without needing a charge, which is helpful as I can't charge at work nor at home at my condo. Our HOA won't allow charging.

I will never go back to a gas car again.

 

[mihird]

Congrats on your 2016 SV! I commute from east bay (Dublin) to San Bruno - 90 miles round trip..My 2016 SV acquired on Dec 21 is handling this long commute like a champ even in this cold winter days without needing a recharge through the day. My previous 2013 SV needed a 1-2 hour L2 recharge minimum.

Of course with the standard QC port on the 2016 SV and 4-6 Quick Chargers now on the route, there is ZERO range anxiety, and those days of additional lunch hour errand running are not a problem either. Just stop by for 10 minutes and load up the extra 20-30 miles at a QC. Back in 2013, there were no QC on the route.

In spring, I intend to take it up to Sacramento...the entire route is now QC enabled with a QC almost every 30-50 miles..

This EV is now ready for 200-250 mile radius drives.

Things are only going to get better for EVs going forward! The days of ZERO emissions vehicles are now clearly in sight.

 

[johnlocke]

Bought a 2016 Leaf SV Dec 15, 2015. I've already put 1200 miles on it (60 mi commute - round trip). Has anyone noticed that the 2016 charges faster? Leaf Spy indicates that I'm gaining 8 KWH/hr from a L2 charger (JuiceBox) until I get to about 90% charge. I drop to a 3 KWH charge rate once I hit 90%. My commute includes a 2000 ft. elevation change so going downhill in the morning is easy but climbing back up sucks the battery down really fast. That said, I'm still averaging 3.5 m/KWH. With a 60 mi commute I end up with about 35-40% indicated charge left which leaves me with enough reserve to handle a couple of errands if necessary. Could do it with a 24 KWH battery but the range anxiety would be tremendous. It's not as nice as my Maxima but I don't have to fill that 20 gal tank any more.

 

[Cornellio]

@mihird

I just returned from a 300 mile trip, from San Mateo to Esalen Institute south of Big Sur. With at least 3 quick chargers along my route it was easy. The southernmost QC in Monterey enabled reaching my destination 50 miles beyond, and back again.

@johnlocke

I notice the car charges faster than it's estimate. I've tracked my charge times on my L1 plug at home at I am gaining an average of 4 miles per hour of charge. This is based on the difference in range estimate shown in the car.

 

[LeftieBiker]

L-1 charging is limited to 12 amps, so pretty much all Leafs, of all years, will add about 5% charge per hour, or roughly 4 miles, on 120 volts. I've noticed my 2013 SV adding just a bit more than that sometimes, which I suspect is from slightly higher line voltage at my location than average.

 

[mihird]

@mihird

I just returned from a 300 mile trip, from San Mateo to Esalen Institute south of Big Sur. With at least 3 quick chargers along my route it was easy. The southernmost QC in Monterey enabled reaching my destination 50 miles beyond, and back again.

Congrats! You did the Proof of Concept on the 200-300 mile drive before me I am planning to wait till spring to hit Sacramento. The QC network is expanded all the way to Roseville-Auburn & Loomis. Only the Tesla supercharger network goes beyond that on I-80 for now...

The longer range from the 30Kwh/expanding QC network certainly does away with most of the range anxiety...

I still think, this one french company who has built a gas powered generator on a little 2 wheel trailer to haul behind the Leaf had the most practical solution for range extension...only haul the gas engine generator when needed...

With longer 200 mile range EVs now getting ready to hit the market, I wonder if it will slow down the build out of the QC charging stations...

 

[rcm4453]

L-1 charging is limited to 12 amps, so pretty much all Leafs, of all years, will add about 5% charge per hour, or roughly 4 miles, on 120 volts. I've noticed my 2013 SV adding just a bit more than that sometimes, which I suspect is from slightly higher line voltage at my location than average.

Not true, you can send your L-1 EVSE to EVSE upgrades and they can enable 16 amp charging on 120V (if you have a 20A outlet). The on-board charger supports this with 2013 - 2016 Leafs, the 12 amp limit is only with the L-1 EVSE.

 

[4CASTER]

Purchased a 2016 SL (Blizzard Pearl) a week and a half ago in southern California. So far this is definitely the best car I've ever owned, and that is saying a lot given I've had many new cars over the years. Love not having to deal with gas stations, and recharging at home on L2 overnight is a breeze. I have a fairly long commute when I do drive into the office (82 miles round trip), which is why I was waiting for an extended range Leaf. Looking forward to engaging with you all on the forum here!

4CASTER

 

[KSarge]

Well, after thinking about getting a Leaf for about a year and half, my wife and I finally replaced her Kia with a nice blue 2016 SL this week, and received the car today. Very exciting, and drives like a dream.

We had a very nice sales guy, zero pressure, who never chased us, and even recommended we wait until January for possible new incentives in January... Working in sales myself, I thought this was a strange sales decision, but I wasn't going to complain. ;-)

Delivery was ok, except for one significant and annoying oversight we realized when we got home. We didn't spend a lot of time at the dealer going through all the buttons and feature (since I knew more about the car than they did), and only set a radio station and paired her phone to the car before leaving. Once we got home and started the car again, the radio station preset was gone, and her phone was no longer paired. Map button didn't work either, and most of the app buttons were greyed out. After a few minutes I figured out there was no SD card in the unit! :x

I called our sales guy to report this, and he was shocked to hear it, and he is working on tracking it down for us. He was trying to get it this afternoon, but it didn't happen, so looks like we have to wait until Monday. :?

It's rather surprising how much of the computers rely on that SD card to work.

Aside from that hiccup, the car is great, and is a great addition to the family beside my Prius.

Cheers!

Kevin
Milton, Ontario

 

[mihird]

Purchased a 2016 SL (Blizzard Pearl) a week and a half ago in southern California. So far this is definitely the best car I've ever owned, and that is saying a lot given I've had many new cars over the years. Love not having to deal with gas stations, and recharging at home on L2 overnight is a breeze. I have a fairly long commute when I do drive into the office (82 miles round trip), which is why I was waiting for an extended range Leaf. Looking forward to engaging with you all on the forum here!

4CASTER

I lived with a 2013 leaf SV for 3 years trying to fit an 86 mile commute in it with only a L2 public charger 0.5 mile away from work.
You can imagine how much different it feels with the 2016 SV's 107 mile EPA on that same commute. Of course compared to back in 2013 when there were no fast chargers on my route, I now have 4 CHAdeMO public chargers between home & work.
With this setup I can never think of going back to a gas car commuter ever.

Depending on how well the range holds up after 3 years, I might decide to keep this car after end of lease.

 

[LeftieBiker]

L-1 charging is limited to 12 amps, so pretty much all Leafs, of all years, will add about 5% charge per hour, or roughly 4 miles, on 120 volts. I've noticed my 2013 SV adding just a bit more than that sometimes, which I suspect is from slightly higher line voltage at my location than average.

Not true, you can send your L-1 EVSE to EVSE upgrades and they can enable 16 amp charging on 120V (if you have a 20A outlet). The on-board charger supports this with 2013 - 2016 Leafs, the 12 amp limit is only with the L-1 EVSE.

You're correct. I should have written "L-1 charging with the OEM EVSE is limited to 12 amps on all Leafs." This is because no more than that can be drawn continuously from the most-common household circuits, which are rated to provide provide 15 amps maximum, or 12 amps continuous.

 

[rcm4453]

Purchased a 2016 SL (Blizzard Pearl) a week and a half ago in southern California. So far this is definitely the best car I've ever owned, and that is saying a lot given I've had many new cars over the years. Love not having to deal with gas stations, and recharging at home on L2 overnight is a breeze. I have a fairly long commute when I do drive into the office (82 miles round trip), which is why I was waiting for an extended range Leaf. Looking forward to engaging with you all on the forum here!

4CASTER

I lived with a 2013 leaf SV for 3 years trying to fit an 86 mile commute in it with only a L2 public charger 0.5 mile away from work.
You can imagine how much different it feels with the 2016 SV's 107 mile EPA on that same commute. Of course compared to back in 2013 when there were no fast chargers on my route, I now have 4 CHAdeMO public chargers between home & work.
With this setup I can never think of going back to a gas car commuter ever.

Depending on how well the range holds up after 3 years, I might decide to keep this car after end of lease.

I just picked up my 2016 Leaf SV yesterday. I've been trying to do most of my daily driving within the 38 mile range of a Chevy Volt for the past three years. Having over 100 miles of range now is so incredibly awesome! There are things I will miss about my Volt, I thought it handled better, had a bit more power, and had a smoother ride. I really disliked it when driving with the range extender running, totally killed the whole driving experience for me. I'm addicted to electric drive so I couldn't help but get something all EV and with plenty of range. I don't ever see myself going back to an ICE car as my daily driver!

 

[xan]

I just picked up my 2016 Leaf SV yesterday. I've been trying to do most of my daily driving within the 38 mile range of a Chevy Volt for the past three years. Having over 100 miles of range now is so incredibly awesome! There are things I will miss about my Volt, I thought it handled better, had a bit more power, and had a smoother ride. I really disliked it when driving with the range extender running, totally killed the whole driving experience for me. I'm addicted to electric drive so I couldn't help but get something all EV and with plenty of range. I don't ever see myself going back to an ICE car as my daily driver!

Glad to hear you like it. I am thinking of trading in my 2013 S for a new 2016 SV for the added range and quick charge port. But I'm on the fence about it since rumors say the 2017 has more range.

 

[rcm4453]

I just picked up my 2016 Leaf SV yesterday. I've been trying to do most of my daily driving within the 38 mile range of a Chevy Volt for the past three years. Having over 100 miles of range now is so incredibly awesome! There are things I will miss about my Volt, I thought it handled better, had a bit more power, and had a smoother ride. I really disliked it when driving with the range extender running, totally killed the whole driving experience for me. I'm addicted to electric drive so I couldn't help but get something all EV and with plenty of range. I don't ever see myself going back to an ICE car as my daily driver!

Glad to hear you like it. I am thinking of trading in my 2013 S for a new 2016 SV for the added range and quick charge port. But I'm on the fence about it since rumors say the 2017 has more range.

Yeah I thought about waiting but how long will it actually be before you can go to a dealer and buy one? Plus they will be more expensive too! They have nice discounts now on the '16s and they will even discount them more later in the year. I got mine for $288/month with only $500 down including TTL.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I'll almost certainly be leasing a 2016 SV at the end of this year, when they are on clearance. I'm so glad my current low lease was extended one last time.

 

[xan]

I'll almost certainly be leasing a 2016 SV at the end of this year, when they are on clearance. I'm so glad my current low lease was extended one last time.

This is really the best idea. I should hang onto my 2013 until then and just wait. Although, if a deal comes along sooner, I'll snag it. :lol:

 

[kiwisimmo]

Hi
Greetings from the wilds of the South Island of New Zealand. Took delivery of our 2011 Leaf imported from Japan last week. 12 bars and 83% SOH which doesn't make much sense, so the dealer gave me a discount. In any case we're getting 6.8 km per kWh and 100km from an 80% charge so more than happy. Towns here tend to be 50-100kms apart so looking to use this car until 250km range becomes viable. The charging network is being rolled out at last and looking forward to going further afield, but already the ICE car is getting lonely. Have talked myself hoarse extolling the virtues of this marvel. Haven't made too much mention of the Japanese navigation system, but there are few roads here to get lost on and the steps in the English manual take you through the Japanese menus.

 

[DaveH001]

Dec 19th, I bought a silver '12 SL Leaf with about 13K on the odometer and 12 capacity bars.
I'm a bit chagrined as clearly I spent a couple k$ more than market.
I do wish I'd found mynissanleaf beforehand as I was much more ignorant then than I am now.
It isn't bothersome.
The way I look at it, the market depreciated my Leaf 60% from new while only giving up 10-15% of service life, maybe less. I think the market is scared of new EV technology and made a mistake. That's rare in the modern automobile market where miles are a fungible commodity. To me, the additional couple thousand dollars is not significant. Even if I need a battery replacement at some point, it'll still be economical over ICE.
I've got a $13000 car with 13000 miles on it and expect it to last for many thousands more. I hope information found here helps assure that.
I read some of the threads on capacity loss and its prevention. With short trips and north central plains weather, I hope to keep degradation at bay. There looks to be no hope of cashing in on the capacity warranty that expires in a year and a half for me. I did one 100% charge and the GOM topped out at 93 mi. I'm having fun titrating my charge routine to keep an average SOC of around 50% centered around 45mi on the GOM. I've got till July to figure out how to keep the garage cool under the Leaf.

The purchase of a BEV inspired me to investigate time-of-use pricing from our power company. As it happens, we would have benefited by going TOU without the car. Even though our off peak price is about 9 cents/kWh, if I credit the TOU savings on our running load to the Leaf, then I can plausibly claim 6.5 cents/kWh for the car charging or about 1.5 cents per mile fuel costs. As nobody but me cares about this calculation, I've chosen to do so. This a quarter of our ICE Altima which gets about 30mpg on $1.80/gal gas or 6 cents per mile (not even mentioning maintenance costs or oil leaks on the driveway.)

I'm retired and don't have a commute as such. Closest I have is a fairly constant daily 11 mi round trip trek to the gym.
We've only got 120V L1 charging. This hasn't been an issue with so few miles driven per day.
I might get 240 run to the garage. But that's more to power a compressor than for L2 charging.

I was surprised as to my rapid adaptation to EV travel. After a couple of trips it was no longer remarkable that the Leaf was comfortable and quiet, but the Altima got so much louder with many irritating whirs, clatters and bangs.
The Altima gets used in bad weather and for trips longer than are comfortable in the Leaf which may never see rain or snow again.

So far, real happy.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Good for you. It sounds like you are an ideal Leaf driver.

 

[arnis]

It's weird to see that in US drivers expect their ICE vehicles to last for many more thousands of miles.
Even though Europe uses kilometers mostly (1,6x miles) we assume our vehicle to last longer,
in order of magnitude. I mean we expect our vehicles to last for hundreds of thousands
of kilometers. It is very normal for German vehicles to last somewhere between 300 Mm to 600Mm.*

*Megameter, 1000 kilometer, 621 miles.

I do understand that it is a "little bit too much" to expect Leaf's battery last 500 Mm and have more than 70%
capacity left (even in cold climate). It is reasonable to expect that out of Tesla Model S battery though.