Need help getting a Leaf in Central Ohio Area

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vicdeng

Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Messages
13
Hi, i have been visiting this forum for some time now, i have always wanted a leaf, but my (63 miles) commute makes me alil range anxiety of getting one. Now, i think i will give one a try. My annual commute to work is around 15.5k. Is it possible to lease a leaf with 18k miles annually? I heard people on this forum have done it.

Second, i need help with a good nissan dealer in Central OHio area. if you can share your experience with different dealers and technique of dealing with dealership, i will appreciate it.

How's the battery holding up? i am afraid the range will reduce over the years that I cannot make it round trip to work.

thanks in advance.
 
Do you have a way to charge it at work? That would get rid of any range anxiety pretty quick. We have only had out Leaf since June, but apparently there is a drop in range over time. If you are leasing it shouldn't really be an issue for you, though. We bought ours, but the daily commute for our car is much less than yours, so even with a dramatic drop in range we should be able to handle it.
 
how much of a drop are we talking about? i can charge it at work. i think

Anyone from Columbus area?
 
As far as the degradation, in the Nissan Leaf wiki (link upper center of the page) there is a chart of predicted degradation depending on city: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Battery_Capacity_Loss" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For Columbus OH, "end of life" which Nissan considers to be 70% battery capacity is not predicted to happen until the car is 11 years old. So if you keep the car this long, you will not make it even one way. The same model predicts capacity loss down to 86.6% after 3 years, and that will be right at the edge of your commute if you go by the EPA's observed range.

To be honest, 63 miles one way is pushing it for even a brand new Leaf. In winter, increased heater usage (especially with the base model Leaf S), reduced capacity from cold batteries, and increased rolling resistance due to standing water/snow/slush will reduce range quite a bit.
 
RonDawg said:
As far as the degradation, in the Nissan Leaf wiki (link upper center of the page) there is a chart of predicted degradation depending on city: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Battery_Capacity_Loss" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For Columbus OH, "end of life" which Nissan considers to be 70% battery capacity is not predicted to happen until the car is 11 years old. So if you keep the car this long, you will not make it even one way. The same model predicts capacity loss down to 86.6% after 3 years, and that will be right at the edge of your commute if you go by the EPA's observed range.

To be honest, 63 miles one way is pushing it for even a brand new Leaf. In winter, increased heater usage (especially with the base model Leaf S), reduced capacity from cold batteries, and increased rolling resistance due to standing water/snow/slush will reduce range quite a bit.


Thanks for your reply. I can charge it if i have to at work. So i guess range won't be an issue now, it all depends the price i can lease it. because right now, i am paying around $200 for gas each month. So if i can get a lease around that price, i will do it. Do you know if dealer will allow you to lease the car with annual 18,000 miles?
 
I'm sure that you can, but the point I'm making here is that given your range needs, a Leaf may not work for you. A brand new Leaf during the warmer months may work, but once the battery degrades (again by year 3 your remaining battery capacity may cut you down to just barely your one-way commuting distance per the Wiki) and especially when cold weather comes in, you will have trouble just making it to work on a single 100% charge. You will also need 240 volt charging at both home AND at work; as you will be draining the battery very low, there won't be enough time to replenish it on just 120 volt power.

A Volt may work better for your needs. If you truly want 100% electric, you really should be looking at a Tesla, or a Toyota RAV4 EV, and the latter has had recent price incentives cut for non-CA buyers, so your $200/month gas will be easily surpassed by the payments on either of these.

$200/month payments on a 18k/year lease is going to be tough without a very hefty down payment, which is discouraged with leases especially NMAC. If the car becomes an insurance write-off for any reason, any drive-off money you paid is gone forever.
 
really? the battery degrade that fast. i am either leasing at 24 months or 36 months. By then i think i should still have enough range to cover most of my daily commute. I am talking about 63 miles both ways, not one way.

How fast does your Leaf's battery holding up? so the point is try to put at little money down when you are leasing?
 
63 round trip is certainly better. If you can charge at work that will definitely help. But I don't know if you will want to rely on 120 volt as that takes a long time to charge the car. A 240v charger is very helpful, but not exactly cheap, either.
 
vicdeng said:
really? the battery degrade that fast. i am either leasing at 24 months or 36 months. By then i think i should still have enough range to cover most of my daily commute. I am talking about 63 miles both ways, not one way.

Oh...I thought you meant 63 miles one way...never mind /EmilyLitella :lol:

OK in that case the Leaf is doable for you. In the summer with a new Leaf, you should be able to do this on a single 100% charge. Wintertime may need workplace charging to get you back home again, even if it is just 120 volt. 240 volt charging at home is recommended though.

I do recommend checking out the Wiki and going to the Battery Capacity Loss section. You should also read through the rest of it, it will make you much better informed as to what you're getting into. EV ownership does take some adjustment and there are things you simply cannot take for granted like you can with an ICEV.

How fast does your Leaf's battery holding up? so the point is try to put at little money down when you are leasing?

I haven't measured mine but the model predicts that where I live, my Leaf will hit 70% in just under 5-1/2 years and 50% in just under 10 years. I am leasing mine for 3 years so unless I buy the car at lease end it's not a concern for me, but with my commute even a 50% degraded battery will still be useful.

Yes, with leases try to put as little down as possible. At the very least try to roll the taxes, reg, and other government fees into the lease payments.

BTW 63 miles/day x 5 days a week comes up to just a bit over 15k/year. You may want to consider saving up for the 15 cents/mile excess mileage charge rather than negotiating an 18k/year lease.
 
Yea, I calculated 15K miles per year means 63 mile round trip commute. I do a 60 mile round trip from just northeast of Kings Island southbound down I-71 to Cincinnati and back. I have done it without ECO mode and driven 70 mph with climate control on. You won't need to charge at work. It is helpful though if you have some errands to run.

I recommend a 15,000 mile lease. If you go over, the penalty works out to be a same as the higher lease payments. Plus, Nissan usually has some deals for you when turning in your Nissan lease... like turning it in a few months early and waiving up to $500 EWT charges. Why pay up front when you're not sure that you are going to use the extra miles.
 
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