@cfunk I also live in Vancouver and we have a 2013 SV. Although we still have an old Hyundai Santa Fe, almost all of our family trips are in the LEAF. About the only exceptions are trips to the Okanagan. It's now possible to get to Kelowna with a 24 kWh LEAF during the summer, but you'd have to DCQC charge in Chilliwack, Hope, Britton Creek rest area (near old toll booth), Merritt, Loon Lake rest area, and again in Kelowna. Via Hwy 3, you can charge at Hope, Hope Slide (not open yet, but soon), Manning Park, Princeton, Keremeos, and Penticton. With only L2 charging, those longer trips will take forever.
Look for the yellow/orange stations here: https://www.plugshare.com/
I would highly recommend you purchase an SV with the quick charge package, as Vancouver has quite a lot of free DCQC stations now. For instance, when I go from Port Moody up to Whistler the charging options include:
- DCQC at the PNE (this one is not free though)
- DCQC on 1st Ave in NV (lower Lonsdale area, this one is free, provided by BC Hydro)
- DCQC at Horseshoe Bay (this one is free, provided by BC Hydro)
- DCQC in downtown Squamish, near the police station (this one is free, provided by BC Hydro)
- DCQC in Whistler, near the convention center (this one is free, provided by BC Hydro)
In summer, I think it's possible to make it to Squamish on a single charge from where I live in Port Moody. However, I stop at either the Lonsdale or Horseshoe Bay DCQC stations to be on the safe side and charge for 15 - 20 mins. I then drive to Squamish and charge while grabbing lunch. From Squamish, it's pretty easy to make it to Whistler. Then, I charge in Whistler while we're exploring the village. On the way back, you don't really need to charge in Squamish as Horseshoe Bay is reachable. I haven't tried that trip in winter, not my idea of fun as range in winter can get really poor when conditions are bad.
As much as you think you'll be able to plan for L2 charging, unexpected things often arise and that's when being able to pickup a DCQC charge in less than 1/2 an hour is so valuable.
Consider purchasing a LEAF in Seattle and import it yourself - that's what I did. I purchased my LEAF from this dealership, which specializes in EVs:
https://www.paramountmotorsnw.com
Here's an example of a 2015 SV:
https://www.paramountmotorsnw.com/inventory/details/46481271
So, about $17K Canadian - a similar LEAF from a Canadian dealer would be about $20K. So, you basically get a "free" upgrade from an S to an SV by importing a LEAF yourself. You will definitely appreciate the heat pump during the winter.
My costs for import fees (no duties apply, as the LEAF is US made EV), paperwork, WA temp registration, ICBC temp insurance, adding DRLs, etc was less than $1000. So, you'll save about $2000. When I purchased in January of 2017, I saved more than $4K, but unfortunately those days are gone.