Why I Love My Leaf...

[AmpUpCO]

Hopefully, I'll be taking delivery of my 2012 Leaf SL in mid-December, and I'd really like to hear from the Owner Members on this Forum on the joys of driving a 100% electric Leaf!

When was the first time you said, "Wow!" behind the wheel?

I've read countless posts on ways to squeeze every yard of range out of the battery pack - under every terrain and environmental condition imaginable. And for many members, pushing the car's limits truly does give them joy. We're better educated consumers because of their efforts - and we owe them our gratitude.

But for now, please share your finest Leaf driving moments with me. I don't feel they are told as often as they should on this forum.

I recall one account of a member saying something to the effect that we owe it to ourselves - and the EV community - to occasionally drive fast. I don't believe the OP was advocating speeding or reckless driving - but (s)he was truly having fun driving the Leaf!

I am very much looking forward to the day when I know my Leaf like an old friend - with range anxiety a distant memory - because I'm confident and comfortable with the cars capabilities.

Most of you are true driving enthusiasts, please share your best Leaf trip/moment with me.

Thank you, and...

Enjoy the ride!

 

[91040]

Here is a previous thread:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2864" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Google search on the search page is your friend.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

There have been many, but I think one of the most exhilarating moments for me was driving to the open house of Zhomes in Isaquah http://z-home.org/blog/2011/09/zhome-grand-opening-and-tours-september-17-october-30-2/. I had asked previously on their blog if they had thought about adding charging stations for the homes but had not heard back, so we decided to drive our Leaf anyway. When we arrived we were surprised to find that they had already been installed and we plugged right in! It was a lot of fun seeing how integrative all this amazing green technology is getting!

 

[Stanton]

Every day I push "start"...and there's nothing but silence!

 

[smkettner]

The smooth not shifting transmission is my favorite part.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

There have been many, but I think one of the most exhilarating moments for me was driving to the open house of Zhomes in Isaquah http://z-home.org/blog/2011/09/zhome-grand-opening-and-tours-september-17-october-30-2/. I had asked previously on their blog if they had thought about adding charging stations for the homes but had not heard back, so we decided to drive our Leaf anyway. When we arrived we were surprised to find that they had already been installed and we plugged right in! It was a lot of fun seeing how integrative all this amazing green technology is getting!

thanks for the Z home link. have never heard it and am quite frankly completely wowed by the project, progress and the results. simply amazing!

 

[abasile]

Climbing small, twisty mountain roads in relative silence is pretty cool, especially on warmer days with the windows open. Normally, in a gas banger, we'd be making a bunch of noise. Likewise, when descending mountains, there's quiet regenerative braking rather than the racket of engine braking.

From time to time, I also enjoy silently zipping away from traffic lights, leaving the fume-emitters behind.

 

[Deleted member 3147]

Accelerating up a 25% grade freeway on-ramp and merging at freeway speeds, effortlessly.

 

[LEAFfan]

When was the first time you said, "Wow!" behind the wheel?

It was when I did my test drive at the Drive Tour and noticed its quietness, smoothness, and its awesome acceleration!

 

[Boomer23]

When was the first time you said, "Wow!" behind the wheel?

-snip-

But for now, please share your finest Leaf driving moments with me. I don't feel they are told as often as they should on this forum.

-snip-

I recall one account of a member saying something to the effect that we owe it to ourselves - and the EV community - to occasionally drive fast. I don't believe the OP was advocating speeding or reckless driving - but (s)he was truly having fun driving the Leaf!

The first time I said "Wow" was when I drove fellow MNLer Omkar's red LEAF on roads near my house around New Year's Day this year. I had done several LEAF drive events, but those were limited to short courses around the block in crowded conditions. When I was finally able to get a LEAF on the road and do what I wanted with it, I realized how solid, smooth and competent the car is on the road. The car felt "planted" to the road, probably because of the weight of the batteries, placed low in the chassis. The steering was light but the effortless feel of the steering blended well with the quiet and smoothness of the car. I was impressed and this was the first time that I knew that the LEAF would be a satisfying car for me. I was driving a BMW 3 series coupe with Sport and a 6 speed manual at the time, so I knew that the LEAF would have a tough time satisfying me, but amazingly, it does. I'm not saying that the LEAF is comparable to a BMW by any stretch, but it does have satisfying acceleration in many situations, and because of its new technology, it is fascinating to own and to drive in ways that the BMW never was. The LEAF really has become my main hobby because of the way that it integrates into my interests in cars, and in home energy use and the cost savings that come from our home's solar PV system and the ways we have chosen to use power.

I'm one of those LEAF drivers who enjoys driving fast at times. On days when I have no responsibilities, I take off on my own and drive to some local beach areas not far from my home. I can enjoy getting some performance out of the LEAF without feeling like I'm polluting or wasting much energy as I would in an ICE car. A good proportion of my charging energy comes from excess power that my solar PV system generates, and that is reassuring. And I enjoy the smooth feeling of acceleration that I can get at any time in the LEAF. I do like demonstrating to fellow motorists that electric cars can be fast and I enjoy beating them off the line when a light changes. I'm not being unsafe, just using the performance of the car. I did take the LEAF to my favorite twisty road in the local hills. I had fun driving this perfect "sports car road", but it wasn't as grin-inducing as the same stretch was in my BMW. I could feel the effects of the LEAF's taller profile, the front wheel instead of rear wheel drive, and the less competent tires and suspension. So I won't go back there often with the LEAF. But I do enjoy the local roadways near my home just as much in the LEAF as I did in the BMW.

I also love being approached in parking lots by people who are genuinely interested in learning about the car. This most often happens when I'm at a charging station, which happened last week at a local IKEA. Two different couples came over and asked a lot of intelligent questions about the car, charging, costs, etc. They both went away impressed, I think.

Enjoy your new LEAF. You sound like someone that will get a full measure of satisfaction from the experience.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

There have been many, but I think one of the most exhilarating moments for me was driving to the open house of Zhomes in Isaquah http://z-home.org/blog/2011/09/zhome-grand-opening-and-tours-september-17-october-30-2/. I had asked previously on their blog if they had thought about adding charging stations for the homes but had not heard back, so we decided to drive our Leaf anyway. When we arrived we were surprised to find that they had already been installed and we plugged right in! It was a lot of fun seeing how integrative all this amazing green technology is getting!

thanks for the Z home link. have never heard it and am quite frankly completely wowed by the project, progress and the results. simply amazing!

If you call, you can still get a walk through, it's as amazing as it sounds on the web site and you can probably make it from Olympia!

 

[KJWL]

Plz look at this video my son put together. We got tired of waiting in a "3rd tier market". Want a leaf in Utah? Here's one way to get it done. Favorite moment so far is my wife throwing her arms in the air w a big "whoo-hooo!" as it rolls safely off the trailer onto our snowy driveway. (it was a long haul).oh yeah, that, and the way it throws your head back when the light turns green, silently, w NO GAS, leaving the rest back there going huh? what was that?! We loooove it.
Plz share, pass it on. ML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du5km6AJ2Y8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[abasile]

Plz look at this video my son put together. We got tired of waiting in a "3rd tier market". Want a leaf in Utah? Here's one way to get it done. Favorite moment so far is my wife throwing her arms in the air w a big "whoo-hooo!" as it rolls safely off the trailer onto our snowy driveway. (it was a long haul).oh yeah, that, and the way it throws your head back when the light turns green, silently, w NO GAS, leaving the rest back there going huh? what was that?! We loooove it.
Plz share, pass it on. ML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du5km6AJ2Y8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the video, and congratulations on the new LEAF! You live in a very scenic area, and I'm sure that like me, you will appreciate cruising beautiful mountain roads in near silence.

 

[Nubo]

My favorite moment so far was sitting in a double-line of stopped cars waiting for a turn signal. It was a chilly morning, which made the exhaust of most of the cars visible. I sat there watching all of those rising plumes, thinking "Yes! It's starting to change!"