The Dealer told me not to buy a Leaf

[laurend1985]

I went to test drive a leaf and the owner told me, I shouldn't buy one. This is his reasoning but what do you guys think? I have a Nissan X-terra and I drive a lot of miles for my in home personal training business. It costs me between $250 and $325 in gas per month. I wanted a car that I can have a car note but not a gas note. I told the dealer that I can drive between 25 to 80 miles a day but it is not continuous because I usually come home at lunch or early afternoon and I might leave out again in the early evening and back at 8:30 pm. I thought the 2 to 4 hours, I'm home, I could charge the car. The dealer suggested the Versa but what do you guys think?

 

[sirenbrian]

You should work out what the worst-case scenario could be, and plan for that. If there's a possibility that one day you won't have time to come home, and you HAVE to be on the other side of town, and you already did 60 miles that day, well, the LEAF won't do it for you.

But if you know you'll always have time to come home, and you get a LEAF with the 6.6kw charger, and a sufficiently beefy EVSE (that's the "charger" you hang on the garage wall and plug into the car), you might be OK. Also, if you live in an area where it gets very cold, that can reduce your range, especially if you use the car heater.

 

[KJD]

First find a different dealer.

Second 80 miles on a single charge every day is NOT doable. If you can charge at lunch time with the new 6.6 charger you should gain about 24 miles of range for every hour charging time.

So it depends on you and your schedule if the LEAF is good for you.

 

[adric22]

Also it will depend on whether your city has any public charging infrastructure, especially quick-chargers. That would help a lot. But agree if you come home for several hours in between these trips and total no more than 80 miles per day, it should be doable. As others have mentioned, getting the 6.6kw charging package will help a lot with that.

 

[garygid]

Difficult to give you good advice without knowing where you
live (the weather, seasons, etc.). However, if it is not your only
car, the LEAF should serve most of your needs. The days with
more miles would generally require some additional charging
during the day, but it sounds like that is predictable, or at
least manageable. However, in a harsh climate, at the most
difficult times of the year, and as the battery ages (loses
capacity), then the logistics will become more challenging.

Are you considering the 2013 midel, with the faster charge
capability?

 

[smkettner]

80 even 120 miles per day is possible as long as you set some time aside for charging.
Do get the 6kW charging.

 

[cra]

You could ask your clients if you could charge while you're working. Fterall, an EV can be filled whenever it's not being used. You could also offer to pay for the power you use (or give a discount equivalent to the cost of charging).

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

However, if it is not your only
car

That is the key piece of information missing.

Before judging the dealer too harshly, IMO prospective leafers should not count on more than 50 miles range on the car, and dealers should be careful recommending the car to people who say they need to drive more than that in a day without really thinking it through.

 

[laurend1985]

Thanks for your advice everyone, I live in CHICAGO . The dealer did say I could have the car for a day to test it out.

 

[laurend1985]

I have a Nissan X-terra and my hubby has a BMW.

 

[laurend1985]

You could ask your clients if you could charge while you're working. Fterall, an EV can be filled whenever it's not being used. You could also offer to pay for the power you use (or give a discount equivalent to the cost of charging).

True I could do that, never crossed my mind, duh.

 

[laurend1985]

Difficult to give you good advice without knowing where you
live (the weather, seasons, etc.). However, if it is not your only
car, the LEAF should serve most of your needs. The days with
more miles would generally require some additional charging
during the day, but it sounds like that is predictable, or at
least manageable. However, in a harsh climate, at the most
difficult times of the year, and as the battery ages (loses
capacity), then the logistics will become more challenging.

Are you considering the 2013 midel, with the faster charge
capability?

I never heard of the Midel, will check it out, thanks.

 

[adric22]

I never heard of the Midel, will check it out, thanks.

I think he meant to type "2013 Model" as in 2013 Leaf. (vs, for example, a 2012 Leaf which has slower charging)

 

[sirenbrian]

A slight misunderstanding about the "Midel" - they meant the 2013 "model", with the optional 6.6kwh on-board charger. It will recharge the battery twice as fast as the 3.3kwh charger that exists in all the 2011 and 2012 LEAFs. If quick recharging is important, which it is, you definitely want this. It's standard on the 2013 SV and SL models, and part of a $1300 optional package on the cheapest "S" version of the 2013 LEAF.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

I have a Nissan X-terra and my hubby has a BMW.

Other questions to ask (yourself) is how far does hubby drive, can you trade cars if extenuating circumstances arise, is a guy who drives a BMW afraid to be seen dead in a leaf...

 

[kentuckyleaf]

You could ask your clients if you could charge while you're working. Fterall, an EV can be filled whenever it's not being used. You could also offer to pay for the power you use (or give a discount equivalent to the cost of charging).

True I could do that, never crossed my mind, duh.

Only expect to gain 5 miles per hour charging at someone's home on 120V. Have you considered a Volt?

If you are 100% sure you can come home and charge for 2 hours, a 2013 Leaf with a 6.6kW charger will provide about 48 miles of range. This is driving 45-55, not 70, in the summer, not winter. I'd really consider a Volt or Ford Energi C-MAX plug in if 80 miles was normal, and you can still plug it in at someone's home for a bit of juice to save on gas.

 

[laurend1985]

I have a Nissan X-terra and my hubby has a BMW.

Other questions to ask (yourself) is how far does hubby drive, can you trade cars if extenuating circumstances arise, is a guy who drives a BMW afraid to be seen dead in a leaf...

:lol: You know the answer to that one!

 

[laurend1985]

I will check out the Volt also. I do have time between clients like 11am to 3pm or 1pm-3pm most days. What to do? I will research and test out both cars.

 

[ERG4ALL]

As others have indicated, the 2013 model is definitely the one to consider because of the heat pump heater (rather than resistance type). However, a Chicago winter can be brutal so an awful lot will depend on your comfort level regarding how warm you want the car to be and another very important item will be the speed at which you drive. Here in AZ the cops are too busy with crime and seldom enforce the speed limits. Thus, it is not uncommon to see cars doing 80 mph in a 55 zone. Would you be content to not exceed the posted speed limit or not go over 65 mph?

 

[kentuckyleaf]

I will check out the Volt also. I do have time between clients like 11am to 3pm or 1pm-3pm most days. What to do? I will research and test out both cars.

1pm - 3pm. Two hours charging. Assume the weather is bad, ice rain, defrost on full. You will not get 80 miles a day in this situation with a Leaf easily (it is not impossible, but it will take careful planning). If you keep the X-terra, you could just take it on the afternoon run, or on days where the Leaf would be marginal. If 90% of your days are 60 miles or less, with a two to four hour charging opportunity at lunch, you will absolutely LOVE owning a Leaf. If 80 miles days are more the norm than the exception, the Leaf might not be your favorite car ever. I think with a good backup ICE, you are on the Leaf's bubble. I really don't think there is a wrong answer, Leaf or Volt, if you keep the ICE. If you get rid of the ICE, a Volt or other plug in hybird, for sure.