Potential New Leaf

I'm thinking of getting a used 2011 Nissan Leaf (possibly a 2012) and I'm not sure if I'll make it back and forth to work. I'll be working about 52 miles away, each trip. I've been looking into portable chargers and at-home charging stations. I'll be in Ohio, with snow and rain and bad weather sometimes. So I know the mileage will go down during the bad weather. I'm just trying to save money with just a car payment, vs. a car payment and gas! Is there any portable charger that I can use at work? I haven't been there yet so I'm not sure how the outlets work or the setup of the building. Is it better to just get a fuel efficient vehicle so I don't have the scare of not making it home?
Any input or additional information is welcomed! I've been informed that the dealership salesmen don't really know much about all of this, so I need help from someone who does!

You won't manage it even in a newer Leaf. Look for a used Volt or Prius (regular or PHEV,if you can find one).

I agree, at 52 miles(104 RT) you'll be lucky to make it 1 way with anything other than a new battery in rain/slush/snow running the heater/defroster. Now if you had said 52 miles RT and you'd be able to recharge at work I might have said a older Leaf could have worked for you but as LB said a used Prius or even Volt(with the Volt being lucky to make it 1/2 of one way in the cold/snow, I really think a Prius would be a better fit. Unless your really lucky, most work place outlets are generally only 120v and at 120v for even 8 hrs your not going to be able to charge a Leaf very much(1/2 to 1/3rd of a full charge).

That does not sound like a commute that would work with a used Leaf. Even with a newer Leaf, you would need level 2 charging at your work place. With a 4-5 year old Leaf, if the commute involves any freeway speeds, you may not even make it one way. If you go test drive a Leaf, and see that the gauge says 60 or 70 miles range, remember, that it is not at all accurate, and you will likely not get as far as the gauge indicates. A used Prius or Volt would be a great option.

Forget it. You don't sound like a candidate for this. I'm assuming that you're only looking at used Leafs for the price. In winter 50+ mi will be difficult in a 2011 Leaf NOW, and will be impossible in the future without a new battery. Furthermore, it might require running without heat or defrost which is challenging or potentially dangerous. Get a used Prius or Volt while the gas prices are low and save for the future.

jjeff said:

I agree, at 52 miles(104 RT) you'll be lucky to make it 1 way with anything other than a new battery in rain/slush/snow running the heater/defroster. Now if you had said 52 miles RT and you'd be able to recharge at work I might have said a older Leaf could have worked for you but as LB said a used Prius or even Volt(with the Volt being lucky to make it 1/2 of one way in the cold/snow, I really think a Prius would be a better fit. Unless your really lucky, most work place outlets are generally only 120v and at 120v for even 8 hrs your not going to be able to charge a Leaf very much(1/2 to 1/3rd of a full charge).

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I agree with all of this except your conclusion that a Prius would be a better fit. If you can charge at work, you would make 1/2 of each way electrically in a Volt. If you can only charge at home, you can still make 1/4 of the round trip electrically in a Volt. Even so, the Volt will burn much less gas than a Prius overall. Plus it is more fun to drive. And your weekend errands may end up being mostly or completely electric. I think the best solution is a used Volt.

^^^ Good points, especially your weekend errands point using no gas. I guess when I said I thought a Prius may be a better fit I was thinking if the Prius could average say 45-50MPG and the Volt was 35MPG?? the Prius may end up being cheaper for longer runs than the Volt can manage on battery alone. I'm pretty sure that would be the case without workplace charging but maybe with it, the ball would swing towards the Volt. I also agree that the Volt may be funner to drive, although I've personally never drove one. I know the Prius(my wife owns a '07) isn't exactly what I'd call a spirited car to drive and coming from a Leaf I'm always put off by all the racket the Prius makes when accelerating. Not that I don't like the Prius, I mean very few cars could have achieved the 50MPG average we got driving to FL last year, and that was on the interstate through TN where they drove like maniacs :shock: 70MPH and we were being literately blown off the road! bumper to bumper at 8 o'clock in the evening!
A point against the Volt, at least for me is the cramped cabin and storage compared to the Prius. My Leaf has nice cabin room(front seats anyway) not so much for storage but the Prius has decent front seat room and very good storage room. The Volts I've seen lack space everywhere, of course if this is OK for the OP thats all that matters in this case

After reading all these, I decided against a Leaf. I've been looking into a Prius and I've found a few that are decent. I don't know if the Volt is newer, but I can only find used back to 2012 and they're much more expensive.

As much as I love my Leaf, I am glad you decided against one. It would probably turn you off to EVs in general and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. It's not a good fit for many people. Here's to hoping that the next generation has a greatly improved range!

The Volt was introduced in December 2010 as a 2011 model. I believe the 2012 sold in much greater numbers, plus there are probably more of them off lease that are still hanging around. The used ones hold their value pretty well, so I'm not surprised you are finding them more expensive. The Prius is by no means a bad choice.

What about a BMW i3? They have the ones with the range extender gasoline engine. (Obviously assuming I had a much larger budget)

reetz0116 said:

What about a BMW i3? They have the ones with the range extender gasoline engine. (Obviously assuming I had a much larger budget)

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With a much larger budget, a new EV with larger battery would be a potential, as well. Older Leafs have a 24kWh battery, newer Leafs have a 30kWh battery and more efficient heating, so would enough energy to be close to a 52 mile one way commute with charging at both ends, home and destination. The new BMW i3 is rumored to have a 34kWh battery, so would work with or without the REX (range extender), again assuming charging at both ends at least for bad weather, and/or use of the REX in bad weather. Next year, there are likely to be several 60kWh EVs, these should be close to handling a 100 mile trip in all but the worst weather with an older battery, and with destination charging would be no problem.

Prices are likely to be fairly stable for new EVs, and prices of older ones are likely to plummet (unless gasoline prices spike up). So with a smaller budget, wait until the 90kWh EV are out (2020?), then pick up a used 60kWh car.

I too while am a fan of the Leaf don't see how a used Leaf is going to work given your commute.

A new Leaf with 30kwh battery or an i3 would work I think especially if you have charging available at work.. But then you are talking about a very different price point vs. what you could get a 2011 or 2013 Leaf which was your original proposition.

For the i3, I'm guessing those owners have their own site and could speak more knowledgeably on that question. From what I've read on the i3 here, it sounds like the range extender should be treated as more of an emergency backup as the driving performance supposedly drops quite a bit after the battery is used. Some referred to it being dangerous uphill on generator due to the difference in speed versus the rest of traffic. I personally like the i3 now that I have test driven one, but don't have one so can't speak too much about it.

As for the question of a portable generator, I don't think there is anything on the market that would be viable to recharge the Leaf and small enough/light enough to carry in the Leaf. There is a portable generator manufacturer who has a model that could be left at work and it could charge overnight and be ready to charge your Leaf when you get there. But browsing their website, they had no info posted on pricing and it looked/sounded expensive - it was trailer sized. Or if you are talking about a gas/diesel generator, you're probably better off getting an ICE for your car.