Consumer Reports - EV Haters?

[Train]

2) "Leaf's main drawbacks are... long recharge times."
I do not know whether the got the CHAdeMO quick charge port, but they never made mention of that capability anywhere that I saw. Plus, if they understood how EVs are typically used, by far most of the charging is done overnight so taking 6 or 8 hours is no big deal.

6-8 hours is a long recharge time regardless if this is overnight or not. They're objectively evaluating the car.

 

[SanDust]

6-8 hours is a long recharge time regardless if this is overnight or not. They're objectively evaluating the car.

I didn't find it objective. I found it simple minded or downright stupid. For example, here is a classic:

We rented a device that allowed us to tap into the car’s diagnostics port and showed us exact consumption. We also correlated what the car consumed on-board to what it took to charge and established that charging efficiency is 85 percent. In other words, 15 percent of the electricity you charge goes to waste.

You're "wasting" electricity when you charge a battery? Don't you "waste" electricity when you use it to refine gasoline? Don't you "waste" gasoline when you use it to transport gasoline to the pump from the refinery? Don't you "waste" gasoline when only 28% of the energy released reaches the wheels? And don't you "waste" electricity if you use it for hill climbing or acceleration and don't reclaim it through regen? Moreover, if it costs you three cents per kWh because you charge at night, does it matter if you're "wasting" 15% of that? I mean that would be maybe a dollar a month. They seem to think they're being clever and scientific (renting a diagnostic device and all) when they're just sophomoric and terminally unsophisticated in their analysis.

Like someone who has spent their life judging hammers and, when confronted with a screwdriver, concludes that its not a very good hammer because its criteria says so, so CR, when confronted with a BEV, concludes that it's not a very good ICE. No doubt. But the fact is that a BEV isn't an ICE. It's a different animal that is vastly superior in some ways and vastly inferior in others, making it impossible to be judged by the same criteria. In essence, CR is simply saying that the Leaf isn't a good ICE. That's true if trite. But to go on and say that the Leaf isn't a good car because it's not an ICE is something entirely different. And that's more or less what it's done. And that's not being objective. It's being dumb.

 

[GerryAZ]

I will say that whenever I know a great deal about a product the CR reviews appear ridiculous so maybe this is just par for the course.

My experience has been the opposite from CR. If CR rates something high, I have problems. If they rank something low, I have long, trouble-free service from it. I was afraid they they would rank the LEAF really high, but since they gave it a medium ranking I am looking forward to continued enjoyment of my PRIMARY car for a long time.

Gerry

 

[Aeolus]

While Consumer Reports was once the model for reviews because of their impartiality and independence,
they have gradually become increasingly irrelevant, and they are completely unreliable when it comes to anything new.

It's like they are trapped in a bubble of time, where car makers release new models every several years, appliances rarely change, and technology moves at a steady, glacial pace.

Once useful features, like their frequency of repair records over time, have proven to have little value as manufacturers close established facilities to build Chinacrap to compete on price with the rest of the Chinacrap.

 

[thankyouOB]

I thought it was a good review, but limited in concept.
that is most true in terms of missing the chad&moe and not making clear that long charging time is not relevant for many uses. but it is factually accurate.
it is wrong in saying it is not a primary car as I, and most EVers I know, do use it as a primary car, and the ICE comes out for longer drives but sits because it is so much more costly to operate.
I dont have a problem with the car on curvy freeway ramps, as the extra low center of gravity gives it grip.

my biggest gripe IS the non-telescoping steering wheel.
I like to put my left hand on the wheel and rest my arm on the sill as the armrests are always too low for me. I cant do that in this car with comfort because the wheel wont come out far enough. I cant move the seat in, because my legs are long.
A telescoping wheel or a lower window sill would cure this.

By the way, I was working a film yesterday and two of the producers had to ride in the car with me. they loved it and were completely excited about the Leaf. they live in Utah and so were not familiar with it.

 

[kovalb]

I thought it was a good review, but limited in concept.
that is most true in terms of missing the chad&moe and not making clear that long charging time is not relevant for many uses. but it is factually accurate.
it is wrong in saying it is not a primary car as I, and most EVers I know, do use it as a primary car, and the ICE comes out for longer drives but sits because it is so much more costly to operate.
I dont have a problem with the car on curvy freeway ramps, as the extra low center of gravity gives it grip.

my biggest gripe IS the non-telescoping steering wheel.
I like to put my left hand on the wheel and rest my arm on the sill as the armrests are always too low for me. I cant do that in this car with comfort because the wheel wont come out far enough. I cant move the seat in, because my legs are long.
A telescoping wheel or a lower window sill would cure this.

+1

 

[Train]

I didn't find it objective. I found it simple minded or downright stupid. For example, here is a classic:

We rented a device that allowed us to tap into the car’s diagnostics port and showed us exact consumption. We also correlated what the car consumed on-board to what it took to charge and established that charging efficiency is 85 percent. In other words, 15 percent of the electricity you charge goes to waste.

They're simply informing their reader of their results. They're not reviewing energy use while refining petroleum. They're reveiwing a car. It's an electric car so they're going to give information that is relevant to that particular product.

Perhaps you're taking their findings personally.

 

[TickTock]

I thought it was a good review, but limited in concept.
that is most true in terms of missing the chad&moe and not making clear that long charging time is not relevant for many uses. but it is factually accurate.
it is wrong in saying it is not a primary car as I, and most EVers I know, do use it as a primary car, and the ICE comes out for longer drives but sits because it is so much more costly to operate.
I dont have a problem with the car on curvy freeway ramps, as the extra low center of gravity gives it grip.

my biggest gripe IS the non-telescoping steering wheel.
I like to put my left hand on the wheel and rest my arm on the sill as the armrests are always too low for me. I cant do that in this car with comfort because the wheel wont come out far enough. I cant move the seat in, because my legs are long.
A telescoping wheel or a lower window sill would cure this.

+1

+2

 

[mitch672]

I didn't see the link to the video review on the thread yet, so for those that don't enjoy reading, here it is:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/video-hub/featured/featured-videos/nissan-leaf-review/17387256001/1140967903001/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[aqn]

2) "Leaf's main drawbacks are... long recharge times."

6-8 hours is a long recharge time regardless if this is overnight or not. They're objectively evaluating the car.

I don't know what their problem is. It only takes me about 10 seconds to charge my LEAF: I pop the charge cover, get out of the car, uncoil the EVSE's cord, plug it in, wait five seconds/walk to the door, wait for the beeps. Done.

I think CR doesn't know that one doesn't need to stand around near the car while fueling an EV, as one does with an ICE car.

 

[Train]

I don't know what their problem is. It only takes me about 10 seconds to charge my LEAF: I pop the charge cover, get out of the car, uncoil the EVSE's cord, plug it in, wait five seconds/walk to the door, wait for the beeps. Done.

I think CR doesn't know that one doesn't need to stand around near the car while fueling an EV, as one does with an ICE car.

If that's the case, I guess there's no need for public charge stations.

 

[tps]

I think CR doesn't know that one doesn't need to stand around near the car while fueling an EV, as one does with an ICE car.

If that's the case, I guess there's no need for public charge stations.

That's the paradigm shift that seems to be hard for people to make. You won't be standing around waiting for the EV to charge, either at home or at a public charging station, you'll be doing something else while the car charges. Most cars spend most of their time parked. So it stands to reason that there could be plentiful opportunities to charge if charging stations were located where the cars are parked. We need charging stations whereever cars are parked, both at home, at work, and in public parking places. Plugging in should be no more difficult than putting money in the parking meter.

 

[thankyouOB]

I think CR doesn't know that one doesn't need to stand around near the car while fueling an EV, as one does with an ICE car.

We need charging stations whereever cars are parked, both at home, at work, and in public parking places. Plugging in should be no more difficult than putting money in the parking meter.

Democracy and demand will bring that to use.
(not republicans.)

 

[TomT]

Actually, I thought their report was quite fair and balanced. We have to stop thinking only like early-adopters and save-the-planet types as the vast majority of folks do not fit that mold and that will not sell them EVs. With that in mind, I think CRs report was spot-on, and the negatives that they stated quite appropriate.

What is up with Consumers Reports? First they give the Chevy Volt a score of only 67 (dismal) and now they give the LEAF a score of only 78 (good, but not great). They gave the Prius an 80. My question is... in what world is the Prius better than the LEAF?