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evenvy

New member
Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
4
Location
Walnut Creek, Ca.
Hello fellow electric vehicle enthusiasts,

I am new to the movement and without a vehicle completely for the first time since I was 15 years old. After reading about and watching endless youtube videos on , the Nissan leaf, I feel this is the most 'efficient' car for me economically as well as size wise.

Can anyone advise if there is a third party to help me shop for the leaf without being at the mercy of the dealer?
I need a lot of help understanding the in's and outs of buying /leasing a new leaf. I'm especially interested in :
Carpool sticker? Battery options? Charging stations availability for this car? apps that help you find a charge in emergencies?
Does nissan offer support (other than the warranty) when out of a charge? (or is it all Triple A?) Are those really tiny little baby tires ? or can I get real R16's like my old honda accord? Would greatly appreciate any advice and support through this mid life change.
Save the planet, save you money. Fossil fuels are so 90's lol :D
 
evenvy said:
I need a lot of help understanding the in's and outs of buying /leasing a new leaf.

Where do you live?

Edit your profile to set a location, at least generally.

Some of your questions are very local, such as carpool stickers.
 
evenvy said:
Can anyone advise if there is a third party to help me shop for the leaf without being at the mercy of the dealer?

There are many car broker services that act as a middleman and do the shopping for you. All you need to do is tell them exactly what you want (or are willing to settle for), and once they find the car you just write the check.

I need a lot of help understanding the in's and outs of buying /leasing a new leaf. I'm especially interested in :
Carpool sticker?

That depends on your state. California has the HOV sticker program: https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm I don't know about other states.

Battery options?

For 2017 the only battery that is available is the 30 kWH. Prior to 2015 all Leafs came with the 24 kWH battery. 2015/2016 a 30 kWH battery came with the SV and SL but I think sometime during 2016 it was also included with the S. The redesigned 2018 Leaf will have a much larger battery pack but I don't know what that will be.

Charging stations availability for this car? apps that help you find a charge in emergencies?

PlugShare.com Note that many charging stations require you set up an account with them first; PlugShare will tell you if a particular charging station is part of a network. And no you can't use the ones from Tesla.

Does nissan offer support (other than the warranty) when out of a charge? (or is it all Triple A?)

There is 3 years' roadside assistance but all they will do is tow you to the nearest Nissan dealer with a charging station. Some AAA affiliates do have mobile charging trucks.

Are those really tiny little baby tires ? or can I get real R16's like my old honda accord?

Baby tires? The Leaf comes with either 205/55/16 or 215/50/17 depending on year and trim level. The car weighs 3400 lbs so you can't put puny tires on it.

Would greatly appreciate any advice and support through this mid life change.

Do a search, much of what you asked can be found through Google. Also watch YouTube videos about the Leaf.
 
There are MANY, many topics here on what you seek, but as of now no Leaf buying topic, oddly enough. Do a Google search, with this site as the first part.
 
Sounds like you want many services done for you. All you need to do is buy the trim level you want, and then plan ahead with your charging. The Leaf is a car that has the least amount of servicing and repairs of any car on the road... Take the plunge and take care of the car yourself...
 
This thread might help if you're looking for pricing info: http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1114

Refer to the last few pages, as they're the most recent and give you a better idea of what others have paid for theirs.
 
I would like to help but I am in LA. if you want to come down I will walk you though all the things that you need to know. If I was you in the bay area I would rent a leaf for a few days or find a dealer that would loan you a car. You can call the Nissan EV- help line and ask for a loaner car I am sure they would help. good luck enjoy your new car.
 
Here are a few questions to consider before buying an electric car:
1. How many miles do you drive in a typical day?
2. How will you charge at home?
3. Is there a possibility of charging at work or other frequent destination, if necessary?

If you drive more than 20 miles per day, you will need L2 (240-volt) charging at home. If your daily driving needs are much over 60 miles per day, a longer-range electric vehicle than the LEAF might be a better choice. Nissan's 3-year road service will tow your dead LEAF to the nearest charging station (home or dealer). Public charging stations are great to have available, but depending upon them for daily charging needs could be expensive (depending upon network and charging membership). The LEAF's navigation system (SV and SL models only) and the Plug Share app (computer, tablet, or smart phone) provide maps showing public charging stations. Charging network apps are also useful.
 
If you drive more than 20 miles per day, you will need L2 (240-volt) charging at home.

Not true. 40 miles a day would be a good, safe number. L-1 charging adds 5-6% an hour, or roughly 4 miles of range. Most people can charge for quite a bit longer than 5 hours a day. I've been doing it for 4+ years.
 
GerryAZ's questions are SUPER critical for anyone considering a Leaf.
GerryAZ said:
If you drive more than 20 miles per day, you will need L2 (240-volt) charging at home.
I drive over 20 miles/day in my Leaf but have no L2 charging at home. However, I have free L2 charging at work and can do L1 in a far away building.

I almost never L1 charge at home. Majority of my EV juice comes from work. A bit comes from free public L2 charging on Fridays and/or weekends.
 
L1 charging adds about 1 kWh to the battery for each full hour of charging. With freeway driving and climate control use, 3 miles per kWh is a reasonable energy consumption value. Therefore, 8 hours of charging is good for about 24 miles of driving. I prefer to round down when offering recommendations to make sure potential EV drivers understand the limitations of L1 charging.
 
I prefer to round down when offering recommendations to make sure potential EV drivers understand the limitations of L1 charging.

There's 'rounding down' and there's 'being an alarmist.' You wrote that anyone driving more than 20 miles a day needs L-2 charging. That just isn't true. If you want to tell people who want or need to drive at 70+ MPH that they need L-2 for that driving, feel free.
 
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