One-car household, am I crazy??

[leafenvy]

My wife doesn't drive so we only have one car at my house. I am seriously considering leasing a LEAF early next year (I have already ordered) in which case I would have to sell our current car. Then, of course, I would have to rent a car about once per year-not a huge expense but kind of a hassle for when we go on a road trip. I'm in the SF Bay Area so there will be quick charging available so we will be fine except when we "leave town" by car.

I might just wait for the RAV4 EV which might have a longer range and hopefully be affordable?

Is there any others on this site considering the LEAF as the only car in their home or am I the only "crazy" one?

Just wondering.

 

[JPVLeaf]

(crickets chirping)

 

[EVDRIVER]

The RAV4 is a ways out if it happens and it may have more range but at a huge efficiency cost, its a heavy car to start and expect it also to be expensive. If you do many local drives, get a Leaf and rent once and a while.

 

[JPVLeaf]

I think it's a great goal. If it were just me in the household,
I would consider it. It just wouldn't happen to work out for our family at this time.

But, if you were in a metropolitan area with access to an international airport(s)
and car rental agencies, then you have a better shot ... as would be the case in the Bay Area.
If you can swing it, good for you!

 

[smkettner]

There are people in the city that get by fine with no vehicle

 

[JasonT]

I think it's a great goal. If it were just me in the household, I would consider it. It just wouldn't happen to work out for our family at this time.

My situation exactly.

 

[evnow]

I might just wait for the RAV4 EV which might have a longer range and hopefully be affordable?

You can either have longer range or it be affordable. Can't be both.

Infact I suspect RAV4EV is just a CARB play by Toyota. They will have some for lease/buy at quite a bit of money - more in the Volt range than Leaf.

Speaking of which, you could possibly lease Volt instead of Leaf. Your daily commute will be electric and you can drive around. Unless you need more than 40 miles of electric driving a day or the 5th seat, Leaf & Volt have the same lease price.

 

[walterbays]

Speaking of which, you could possibly lease Volt instead of Leaf. Your daily commute will be electric and you can drive around. Unless you need more than 40 miles of electric driving a day or the 5th seat, Leaf & Volt have the same lease price.

That seems sensible to me for someone looking for a single car.

If leafenvy intends to keep the car a long time, though, and purchase is better economically than leasing, then the Volt's high price tag could be a barrier. Then buying a Leaf and renting a car occasionally might work out better. Suburban car rental offices are usually more convenient for city residents, and lack the extra airport access fees of airport rental offices. You'd have to estimate how often you'd take road trips to see whether it was worth paying extra for the Volt. One full week plus two more weekend days rental of a Nissan Versa at Enterprise would cost $286 plus fuel. That's 28 times the $8,000 MSRP difference between Leaf and Volt, or a lot of vacationing.

Zipcar offers a nice alternative for city dwellers who have zero cars, and occasionally need to drive, since their rates include insurance. Otherwise you have to pay close to the same annual cost for insurance to drive 1 mile as to drive 10,000 miles. But since leafenvy will already be paying insurance for the Leaf, there's typically no extra cost to insure rental cars, and Enterprise or other traditional rental companies have prices much lower than Zipcar - even considering that Zipcar rates include fuel. I wonder whether, if EV's become popular, Zipcar or another company might offer new rental plans tailored for customers who own one EV and carry their own insurance.

If the Leaf has the L3 charging option, then the availability of charging stations in leafenvy's area could change the equation too. For me in San Diego, if there are L3 stations in Temecula and San Juan Capistrano, that probably puts Disneyland and Palm Springs within weekend trip range. ICE would only be needed for less frequent longer trips.

PS - I don't know why everyone talks about Leaf as a great second car, for someone who has another ICE car to use for road trips. I tend to think of the first car as the car you put the most mileage on, i.e. the one you use most for daily commuting and entertainment around town, i.e. the EV.

 

[lne937s]

Speaking of which, you could possibly lease Volt instead of Leaf. Your daily commute will be electric and you can drive around. Unless you need more than 40 miles of electric driving a day or the 5th seat, Leaf & Volt have the same lease price.

The Volt and Leaf have approximately the same monthly payment, but not the same lease price. With the Volt, you will have to pay an additional $500 up front and will not qualify for $5000 in CA state rebates. In addition, the Volt lease is 12,000 miles, whereas the LEAF is 15,000- so you will have to pay more per month for a comparable lease (at least $50 more per month or $1800 over 36 months). In addition, you will not be able to get discounts LEAF dealers are offering and will have to pay markups from Chevy dealers that easily makes the Volt $2700 more expensive up-front. And you will probably have to pay for Chevy dealers tacking on option (options typically go on top of lease price).

All in all, you would likely end up paying $10K more to get the same lease... and that is not even factoring if you want to buy the car at the end of the lease.

So while the advertised payment price is about the same, they do not have the same lease price.

 

[leafenvy]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I do need the 5th seat so the Volt won't work. I also realize that Chevy dealers are going to mark it up anyway. The opportunity to get a LEAF at a discount is awesome and I assume short-lived.

I suppose it's ultimately a technical question. Considering advances in battery technology, when will a competitor to the ICE be available, in terms of range/cost? If I thought it would be in just a few years, I would wait for that and save my money. But as was commented, it is hard to imagine that the RAV4 for example, will have a long range and be affordable. Probably one or the other. Although I do wonder what Tesla has up its sleeve for the RAV4 battery. Maybe specs on the prototype will be released at the LA auto show. Anyway, just rambling...

 

[TLeaf]

I would just like to see the look on the faces of the car rental place when someone shows up in a car, asks to rent a car and, "oh, by the way: could I park my car in your lot for the next few days?" Then again, perhaps this happens all the time; I personally have been considering renting an expensive car for a day just so I could drive it home and tell my girlfriend "sorry honey, I just couldn't wait for that Leaf any longer!"

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

Even if I was single, I couldn't live with the Leaf as an only car. Every now and then, you have to GTFO, and just roll. Vegas happens that way; amiright?

Having a Leaf would take all the punch out of "I'm leaving! And I won't be back! Except, well, you have my L2 charger, so maybe after dinner.."

Just kidding... I lived with just a motorcycle for four years, with 80 mile range and the practical limits that come with two-wheel joy. But I did take it up the coast a few times a year, so the freedom didn't go untapped.

Realistically, I don't care how many DC Fast Chargers they litter along the highway, I just can't imagine taking a Mexico-to-Canada road trip in the Leaf. I'd quickly run out of Enviro-Smug, and probably wear out my Kindle at Starbucks while putting on a few latte pounds. Just sayin'

 

[leaf561]

Although I do wonder what Tesla has up its sleeve for the RAV4 battery.

With pure EV you will always have an upper limit. If you are in bay area and plan to drive to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe, you will have to plan to charge couple of times for the trip. Also, the cost of the battery will be directly proportional to the battery capacity. Even though over period of time, the capacity will increase and the price will drop. But it is 2 or 3 years away.

You have to decide based on your lifestyle. If you drive long distance more often, then Leaf might not be ideal for you.

 

[solardude]

Crazy? Not in my opinion. I would call you admirable!
I sold my car (VW TDI Golf) in October of 2009. I decided to work towards no more ICE for my transport. This move was primarily in protest of Oil Wars and in reaction to Global Climate Change. i have managed most transport with bikes and bike trailers. i did borrow a ICE car twice in the past year, so i'm not quite there yet. The Leaf will be my only car and most welcome as it will greatly expand my transportation options while enabling me to realize my goal - no more ICE transport. everything i need is within the Leaf's range. airports 85 miles North, 40 miles South, railroad 15 miles North, coast 50 miles West. once the projected charging infrastructure is in place the Mountains to the East will be reachable too. The Leaf will be used for trips over 10 miles.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

you have time. create a daily driving log. now we want you to record miles driven along with possible charging opps. iow, if its a trip where you are parking for an extended period of time. notate that. even if charging is not available now, it very well might be in a year or two.

i bought my Zenn 11 days short of 3 years ago. since then i have kept a driving log in anticipation of getting a longer range EV and wanted to know exactly what that longer range EV would need to do (if one was not available, i would not sell my Zenn to get it)

but the range was determined to be about 65 miles. this would cover 93 % of my driving needs. now because of the requirement for 2 cars, it would be driven about 64% of the time. all this was without quick charge considerations. i also logged charging opps but only with the existing L 1 charging stations i currently use. these options will much more plentiful very soon here as it will be in your area.

if your "out of town" needs is only once a year. a rental would be a plan. the other option; buy a regular car at a much reduced price and continue to buy gas. that will save you a ton of money for sure but sometimes the financial side of it is not the best answer

 

[LEAFer]

if your "out of town" needs is only once a year. a rental would be a plan. the other option; buy a regular car at a much reduced price and continue to buy gas. that will save you a ton of money for sure but sometimes the financial side of it is not the best answer

Not necessarily. Don't forget the ICE car has to be insured and registered (expensive in California). The resultant "cost per mile" add up rather quickly when the use/miles is low.

 

[lne937s]

if your "out of town" needs is only once a year. a rental would be a plan. the other option; buy a regular car at a much reduced price and continue to buy gas. that will save you a ton of money for sure but sometimes the financial side of it is not the best answer

Not necessarily. Don't forget the ICE car has to be insured and registered (expensive in California). The resultant "cost per mile" add up rather quickly when the use/miles is low.

But don't forget limited mileage insurance. If you insure a $10k used car with limited mileage insurance and use it just for long trips, it will typically be cheaper than the additional insurance cost to cover an additional $10K on a new car with full-coverage.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

not sure that would outweigh the cost of a new car purchase.

now, i have kicked this EV range anxiety thing around a bit and i do have family members who have said that they would be willing to do a short term trade of vehicles. but then again, they have not seen the Leaf and may change their mind (about giving it back!!)

but i think we are worried about nothing. as EVs proliferate, the options for extending the range, opportunity charging, etc will proliferate with them.

 

[evnow]

But as was commented, it is hard to imagine that the RAV4 for example, will have a long range and be affordable. Probably one or the other. Although I do wonder what Tesla has up its sleeve for the RAV4 battery. Maybe specs on the prototype will be released at the LA auto show. Anyway, just rambling...

Tesla just uses commodity battery - so nothing to hide here.

My guess is any future undercutting of Nissan's price would happen not from other Japanese (or US/EU) manufacturers but from Korea/China/India. Hyundai in particular is the one to look out for - they can probably get a sweet deal from LG ...

 

[cinmar]

If you've already ordered, it's likely you'll get the $5k California rebate, therefore, I think it's too good to pass up price-wise. Leasing is a good option, given the potential battery technology changes over the 3 year lease. Lease now, then either buy out LEAF at end of lease, or upgrade to a longer-range EV in 3 years. Rent, borrow, or trade an ICE on the rare occasion that you need it. We have made an agreement with my parents that if we need a 4-door ICE for long road trips, we'll trade the LEAF with them, as they just drive around town anyway. When my husband and I lived in the city (Dupont Circle in DC), we shared one car, putting about 5,000 miles/year on it. I think it's very doable with the LEAF, especially given the public charging infrastructure that will be built out in the bay area.