A few questions about purchasing a Nissan Leaf

[themomma39]

Hi there, i live in New Zealand and am thinking of getting a Nissan Leaf for my 120km (75 mile) round trip daily commute which is a combo of motorway and open road driving - a few winding hills included. I will buy a Japanese import with low mileage on the clock and high bars on the battery. Hopefully there are some New Zealanders out there that can help with my nz questions:
1. Could i do this on a full charge with a Generation 1?
If not, a generation 2 with 24kw?
2. How many years would my battery last?
3. How much does it cost for a new battery?
4. What is the story with road user tax in nz?
5. do all Leafs have Bluetooth ?
6 can i charge it with a normal plug in my garage?
7. Do you have to pay to use a charge station in nz?
8. Do you think Generation 2 prices will drop in nz if i wait awhile?
Some answers would be much appreciated thanks!

 

[cwerdna]

Hi there, i live in New Zealand and am thinking of getting a Nissan Leaf for my 120km (75 mile) round trip daily commute which is a combo of motorway and open road driving - a few winding hills included. I will buy a Japanese import with low mileage on the clock and high bars on the battery. Hopefully there are some New Zealanders out there that can help with my nz questions:
1. Could i do this on a full charge with a Generation 1?
If not, a generation 2 with 24kw?
2. How many years would my battery last?
3. How much does it cost for a new battery?

We in the US still generally consider all Leafs to be Gen 1. I suppose the mid-cycle refresh in model year 2013 (http://sfbayleafs.org/news/2013/01/2013-nissan-leaf-product-highlights/) could be a gen 1.5 and maybe 2016 Leafs w/30 kWh battery ("S 30", SV and SL) could be gen 1.75 or something.

The interior and exterior at least in appearance and general design has been mostly unchanged.

If you cannot charge at your work or destinations, I would NOT recommend even a new Leaf w/24 kWh battery, let alone one that has degraded some. You should either charge some at work/destinations some or get a 30 kWh Leaf. If you drive fast on a highway on a new 24 kWh Leaf, you will be near the edge of its range. If it rains and is cold in the winter, you will be even closer to the edge and will have to slow down or charge somewhere.

As the battery degrades, it will get tougher and tougher to make it (w/o charging at destinations/along the way) and you'll just have to slow down (to increase efficiency) until you can no longer tolerate it.

Battery capacity is measured in kWh not kw.

I can't speak for pricing in your country, but replacement battery price (for a 24 kWh pack) is http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=17168.

In hot climates, the battery can degrade VERY quickly, esp. if they were the crap batteries in the '11 and '12 model years. (e.g. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=10040 1 Phoenix Leaf was down 4 capacity bars even though the Leaf had only been out under 21 months. Thus it lost somewhere over 30% of its capacity.)

In the US, it seems like 4/2013 and later build '13 Leafs have better batteries. '15 marked beginning of "lizard" batteries.

 

[Aussie]

Hi there, i live in New Zealand and am thinking of getting a Nissan Leaf for my 120km (75 mile) round trip daily commute which is a combo of motorway and open road driving - a few winding hills included. I will buy a Japanese import with low mileage on the clock and high bars on the battery. Hopefully there are some New Zealanders out there that can help with my nz questions:
1. Could i do this on a full charge with a Generation 1?
If not, a generation 2 with 24kw?
2. How many years would my battery last?
3. How much does it cost for a new battery?
4. What is the story with road user tax in nz?
5. do all Leafs have Bluetooth ?
6 can i charge it with a normal plug in my garage?
7. Do you have to pay to use a charge station in nz?
8. Do you think Generation 2 prices will drop in nz if i wait awhile?
Some answers would be much appreciated thanks!

First question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to own a car that has little to no manufacturer support in your country. Leaf's are known to be reliable, but when something inevitably goes wrong where will you turn?

Where in NZ are you? If you're not up north, you're going to have heavy heater usage.

To answer your questions:
1. If you stick to the speed limit (presumably 100km/h or lower), don't use the heater and never have to drive into a headwind, then you could theoretically make it on a battery with no degredation. See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=4295
2. Battery life is heavily dependent on climate. Hot climates cause degradation. If you're not up the top of the North Island, you could expect good longevity out of the battery. 'Battery Life' is also dependent on how much capacity you need - with your commute if the battery lost 10% you would be stuck on the side of the road. Whereas most people can loose 20-30% and still meet their commute.
3. Does Nissan have any support for the leaf in NZ? You'd have to ask them. In the USA it's US$6k.
4. A google search for NZ EV road tax would be a good start. Did this give you anything?
5. Your 10A plug will give you 2.3-2.4kW (NZ is 230V nominal, 240V is common). NZ doesn't have the 80% rules that apply in the US. To get full charging (3.3kW for 2011-2012 or 6.6kW for 2013+) you will need a 15A or 30A circuit and an EVSE.
6. I believe so. Definitely all SV and SL have it.
7. What did google tell you?
8. Is the leaf actually available in NZ?

 

[RonDawg]

1. 75 miles is going to be tough on even a new 24 kWH Leaf, particularly with New Zealand's hilly terrain (I was just there in September). If you can source a 30 kWH model that would be better.

2. If you live on the South Island, it should last a long time. North Island may be less, but nothing like Las Vegas or Phoenix. Note that the cooler temps (particularly in winter) of the South Island means reduced range, as the battery won't hold as much of a charge when it's cold.

3. For the US, it's $5500. Not sure about outside the US or even if it is available. Note that some New Zealanders have reported absolutely NO cooperation from Nissan NZ in regards to parts and service support for ex-JDM cars.

4. Can't answer this one.

5. They should, but with a Japanese grey-market import it might be different. One thing you may want to know about is that many people who have imported ex-JDM Leafs found that the menus are only in Japanese and cannot be changed to a different language. So you will need to know some Japanese or find someone to be able to translate it.

6. Japan is a 100 volt country so if the OEM EVSE is still with the car, you CANNOT use that unless it has been modified to accept 200+ voltage. You will need to source an EVSE that will work for your household voltage.

7. Can't answer that.

8. Can't answer that.

 

[Nagorak]

Are there any EVs officially sold in your country, because those would probably be a better choice. Is Hyundai going to sell the Ioniq EV there, for example? Or maybe the Chevy Bolt? Both of those also have more range, although in the case of the Ioniq the difference is small.

Your stated use case looks like a bad one for a Leaf. Even with a 30 kWH battery, in hilly terrain you're going to be pushing the limits, and after a couple of years of degradation you might not be able to make it anymore.

If you said you only drove 20-30 miles per day it would be a different story.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Is Hyundai going to sell the IONIQ EV there, for example? Or maybe the Chevy Bolt? Both of those also have more range, although in the case of the IONIQ the difference is small.

The Ioniq will have about 50% more range than the 24kwh Leaf has when new. That is not a small difference.