My Leaf Journey

[RaymondSmith]

Hey Nissan Leaf community,
I am excited to join this forum and share my journey with my trusty Nissan Leaf. I have had this electric gem for a few years now, and it has been quite a ride - pun intended! One thing I have come to appreciate is the strong sense of community among Leaf owners. We are a part of revolution in eco-friendly transportation, and I think it is fantastic that we can come together to discuss our experiences, challenges, and triumphs with these amazing vehicles.
I would love to hear from fellow leaf owners about your own adventures. Have you taken any memorable road trips? What's your daily commute like? Any tips for maximizing range or getting the most out of your Leaf's features?

 

[frontrangeleaf]

Might be helpful to know which Leaf you're driving, and where you're located. Experiences vary quite a bit based on those 2 factors.

For our part, we use our 2019 Leaf SL+ exclusively as an urban corridor runabout in the Denver area, for which it is very well suited. We never worry about range, and are quite satisfied with it for our purposes. We have other vehicles to cover our other transportation needs.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Hey Nissan Leaf community,
I am excited to join this forum and share my journey with my trusty Nissan Leaf. I have had this electric gem for a few years now, and it has been quite a ride - pun intended! One thing I have come to appreciate is the strong sense of community among Leaf owners. We are a part of revolution in eco-friendly transportation, and I think it is fantastic that we can come together to discuss our experiences, challenges, and triumphs with these amazing vehicles.
I would love to hear from fellow leaf owners about your own adventures. Have you taken any memorable road trips? What's your daily commute like? Any tips for maximizing range or getting the most out of your Leaf's features?

Howdy some are in it for eco. Me I’m just a cheapass. *does the cheapass dance*. Road trips are out for me. I can get where I need to go and back without trouble (unless I need to do it more than once in a day) but even the next city is out of range. (Not that I particularly want to visit it) I’ve only got the 40kw pack though

 

[Stanton]

Your thread title reminded me of an article I had published many years ago: My Electric Journey with a Nissan Leaf. I'm now on my third (and probably final) battery pack in over 10 years of Leaf ownership.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Your thread title reminded me of an article I had published many years ago: My Electric Journey with a Nissan Leaf. I'm now on my third (and probably final) battery pack in over 10 years of Leaf ownership.

They go bad that fast? What model you got?

 

[cornbinder89]

Howdy some are in it for eco. Me I’m just a cheapass. *does the cheapass dance*. Road trips are out for me. I can get where I need to go and back without trouble (unless I need to do it more than once in a day) but even the next city is out of range. (Not that I particularly want to visit it) I’ve only got the 40kw pack though

I don't think you'll be completely happy. As far as being the cheapest, a used Hybrid will likely cost less when everything is included (like the need for another vehicle for longer trips). Yes, I am saving a ton of money on gas, but I don't live where I even have the option of driving my Leaf to a car rental agency to rent a car for longer trips. This means I need at least one more vehicle, and have 3 that I have registered and insured. Hard to say the savings in gas is going to make up for those costs.
If I had to live with only one vehicle, it would have to be either a plain hybrid or plug in hybrid. On the other hand, better than 95% of trips (NOT MILES) are done with no gasoline or diesel. I am very happy with my purchase, but it isn't likely going to be the cheapest route to meet my needs. I have a much better car than I could get with the money by buying a used Leaf, than I could get buying a Hybrid. It is hard to argue that a Prius that gets upper 40's to 50's is that much more expensive to operate. Yes, it does cost more, and the price to fuel it is more reactive than electric rates, but it COULD function as an only car and would allow me to drive to a rental agency to rent whatever I needed that the hybrid couldn't do.

 

[Bombastinator2]

I don't think you'll be completely happy. As far as being the cheapest, a used Hybrid will likely cost less when everything is included (like the need for another vehicle for longer trips). Yes, I am saving a ton of money on gas, but I don't live where I even have the option of driving my Leaf to a car rental agency to rent a car for longer trips. This means I need at least one more vehicle, and have 3 that I have registered and insured. Hard to say the savings in gas is going to make up for those costs.
If I had to live with only one vehicle, it would have to be either a plain hybrid or plug in hybrid. On the other hand, better than 95% of trips (NOT MILES) are done with no gasoline or diesel. I am very happy with my purchase, but it isn't likely going to be the cheapest route to meet my needs. I have a much better car than I could get with the money by buying a used Leaf, than I could get buying a Hybrid. It is hard to argue that a Prius that gets upper 40's to 50's is that much more expensive to operate. Yes, it does cost more, and the price to fuel it is more reactive than electric rates, but it COULD function as an only car and would allow me to drive to a rental agency to rent whatever I needed that the hybrid couldn't do.

The hybrids didn’t have enough range though. If I found one I could fit in and afford and had enough range on electric (a newer Prius prime would have done it) I would have bought it. But I couldn’t find one. This was the best available. So I got this. My issues are ALL about continuing costs. Up front spending is ok, but the day to day or month to month is what I have to minimize as hard as I possibly can. For me electricity is around the equivelent of a bit more than a dollar a gallon. So electric or plug-in hybrid is awesome for me. As long as I use no or almost no gasoline. I effectively bought a giant gas discount up front. Plus single digit moving parts on the drive train instead of 4 digit moving parts. So less maintenance. I win.

TLDNR in which I whine about the economy
The deal is I’m on a fixed income and have been for a while. It was “holy wow you can’t possibly need that much” but now it’s “it’s so little you risk early death”. the price of a happy meal has tripled since I started and my stock pile is SMALLER. At the rate I’ve seen a MacDonald’s counter zombie is going to be making over 100k by the time I’m 80. Spend the money now rather than later so it’s worth more. You know there used to be hundred thousand dollairs? Like a millionaire but only 100k? They had about the buying power of a modern millionaire. By the time I’m 80 I wouldn’t be at all supprised if a million dollars today had the buying power of 100k. People talk about needing 2 million to retire. Yeah they do. Living like a church mouse the entire time.

 

[cornbinder89]

Hybrids have unlimited range, some have a limited (very small) range they will run on electric alone, but the whole reason for a hybrid is you can run just like a conventional ICE with them. My brother has a Prius and tows a boat across country with it (small boat, but still). Range is not a problem.
It's about 25 miles round trip to town, that cost me in the nature of $1.40 to $1.90 in electricity or about one gal of gasoline in a 2000 Camry. Gas is now about $2.87, electric all in is about 0.195 a Kwh here. For you to be below or around the equivlent of $1.00/gal of gas, either you have exceptionally cheap or self generated electricity, or your usage is all at low speed. A Prius at 47 MPG would be right about the same (as my Leaf) in terms of fuel cost.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Hybrids have unlimited range, some have a limited (very small) range they will run on electric alone, but the whole reason for a hybrid is you can run just like a conventional ICE with them. My brother has a Prius and tows a boat across country with it (small boat, but still). Range is not a problem.
It's about 25 miles round trip to town, that cost me in the nature of $1.40 to $1.90 in electricity or about one gal of gasoline in a 2000 Camry. Gas is now about $2.87, electric all in is about 0.195 a Kwh here. For you to be below or around the equivlent of $1.00/gal of gas, either you have exceptionally cheap or self generated electricity, or your usage is all at low speed. A Prius at 47 MPG would be right about the same (as my Leaf) in terms of fuel cost.

CAUTION: includes whining about the economy.

They do IF YOU USE THE GAS. The whole point is not using the gas. Electric is 1/3rd the price for me. Less for some, more for others. No car at all was on the table. I don’t live in New York City though and I can’t leave Minnesota (it’s complicated) The point for me isn’t that gas is carbon neutral (it usually isn’t completely anyway. Someone did the math and it was like 20% better. Not nothing by a long shot, but not 100% either) the point for me is that it’s a whole bunch cheaper. I wound up with a car that CAN’T use the gas. Perhaps not the best possible outcome, but the best one I could arrange. Right now I’m trying to find the smallest house I can get because I can put solar panels on it and reduce that further. Can’t do that with a condo which makes more sense in many ways.

 

[cornbinder89]

To get back the the original posters topic:
I've wanted a Leaf since they 1st came out. Look at them hard and test drove a few back in '12-'13 but just couldn't pony up the cash for one. Fast forward to the fall of '23 and our daily driver (2000 Camry) was showing its age, and had a steady stream of DTC's that I chased down and remedied, but the time had come. Leaf prices have come down and long term viability has gone up. I was able to buy a very lightly used 2015 that looks and rides like new, interior is great.
Because I have been interested for so long, I am well aware of the shortcomings and problem areas. Thus I have realistic expectations of what it can and can not do. Time will tell if I made a good choice or not, but I suspect I did.
I'd love to be able to afford a 40Kwh upgrade at some point and I may have it done in the future, in the mean time I get to experience what ownership is like and shake any problems loose before I sink more money into it.

 

[cornbinder89]

They do IF YOU USE THE GAS. The whole point is not using the gas. Electric is 1/3rd the price for me. Less for some, more for others. The point for me isn’t that gas is carbon neutral (it usually isn’t completely anyway. Someone did the math and it was like 20% better. Not nothing by a long shot, but not 100% either) the point for me is that it’s a whole bunch cheaper.

Oh, I must have mis-understood when you said it was all about being cheap, and you didn't care about being green.
Dollar for dollar, a Prius will be the cheapest all around vehicle, it allows you to be a single vehicle household, something a Leaf really does not.

Howdy some are in it for eco. Me I’m just a cheapass. *does the cheapass dance*.

I have a Leaf, because I wanted one, and can live with its limitations. I am not anti Leaf, much the opposite, but will not try and fool myself into thinking it is the cheapest vehicle I could own.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Oh, I must have mis-understood when you said it was all about being cheap, and you didn't care about being green.
Dollar for dollar, a Prius will be the cheapest all around vehicle, it allows you to be a single vehicle household, something a Leaf really does not.



I have a Leaf, because I wanted one, and can live with its limitations. I am not anti Leaf, much the opposite, but will not try and fool myself into thinking it is the cheapest vehicle I could own.

It was that or a no-car household. I’ve got a 40kw that allows me to go far enough if I’m careful. It’s more annoying but it’s what I could get. I don’t fit in most new cars. It’s not the interior volume, I can’t fit through the doors. I don’t bend well anymore. So things like a volt were out from the get go. I can’t even fit in some SUVs like the Y. I do fit in a leaf though. Prius prime may be dead too. I haven’t been able to try it. I can fit in a Prius C but not comfortably. The best car on the market for me i know of is actually the mini cooper. Their electric version had only a little more than half the range of the leaf though.

 

[cornbinder89]

I am the same, 6'4" and 260 with 15 shoes. Add to that I have some skeletal issues. I test drove a Volt, and found it hard to get in and not comfortable for my height. I find the Leaf comfortable.
I can fit in my brothers Prius, but I am looking out right under the visor, and find it uncomfortable for longer trips.

 

[Bombastinator2]

I am the same, 6'4" and 260 with 15 shoes. Add to that I have some skeletal issues. I test drove a Volt, and found it hard to get in and not comfortable for my height. I find the Leaf comfortable.
I can fit in my brothers Prius, but I am looking out right under the visor, and find it uncomfortable for longer trips.

Well you bend better than me. Sounds like you fit in a volt like I fit in a Prius c. Don’t gain weight btw :/. The vision thing is a problem with the leaf. Often I have to look around for a traffic light I can see. Sometimes it’s the reflection in a shop window. If you haven’t test drove a mini you should, just for giggles. You’ll be like “all that space! Nothing is touching me!” It’s a 3 seat car when driven by a big person though. I had one for a while and I took the rear seat out. No point. Plus I got an inch more seat retraction. Still didn’t have to retrack it though. Still a win.

 

[cornbinder89]

Most comfortable car I ever had to sit in and drive, was a Peugeot 504. Only car I didn't have to have the seat all the way back.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Most comfortable car I ever had to sit in and drive, was a Peugeot 504. Only car I didn't have to have the seat all the way back.

Never sat in Peugeot. They don’t sell em near me. I kinda wanna now though. Was it a 2 door? 2door FTW for me.

 

[cornbinder89]

4D

 

[Bombastinator2]

4D

80. And without the 2 door extra big doors thing. Car I had before this one was a type 4 GTI outside of pure sports cars like Ferraris (it was slower than a leaf!) it was the last 2 door besides the mini sold in the US. Salesman wanted to sell me a 4 door. I explained by bumping my shoulder into the column. Good thing this is probably my last car. I can’t afford a restomod.