Why I Love My LEAF, is the Majority Too Silent?

[WetEV]

Oh, and I HATE deer now.

They make nice steaks and stews.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Oh, and I HATE deer now.

They make nice steaks and stews.

Having lost my previous car to a deer collision I root for the mountain lions now. We have a lot of the big cats but they only eat about one deer a week and it just isn't enough!

I don't mind the hordes of deer in the neighborhood but during migration season—which is about to start—the highways are a killing zone. We take quite a risk driving at "deer-o'clock" around here in the fall and winter. I try to avoid it.

 

[N952JL]

Back in February I wrote about the price of gasoline versus the price of electricity since 1999. There are very illuminating charts in the article if you'd like to see a visual representation. Basically, gas has gone from under $1.00 to almost $4 (or more in some areas). Meantime, electricity has gone from $0.085 per kilowatt hour to $0.125 per kilowatt hour. In other words, a 350 percent plus increase in gasoline cost versus a 47 percent increase in electricity cost over the same time frame. I don't know about you, but I don't think that the rate of increase will slow dramatically for gasoline over the next 15 years. As Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC countries) get more cars per capita, I see demand pull working its magic on the price of petroleum.

All the more reason to put solar panels on your roof. Mine will pay for themselves in 15 years or so, assuming electric power doesn't keep getting more expensive. When it does, the break-even point will come even sooner. Combine that with the gas savings from my previous 15mpg guzzler, and it's a no-brainer to combine solar and plug-in EV. Toss in the carpool lane access, quiet and comfortable ride, roominess, inherent dependability, and low maintenance for free. Range anxiety is a non-issue for most of my travel. I have a backup SUV for long trips or large/heavy/dirty loads - it hasn't seen much use since I bought the EV. I have learned some hypermiling techniques which have made me a much safer driver, and in the process I have found driving to be a much more enjoyable activity. You do have to be more vigilant about animals in the road, since the car makes a lot less noise than other vehicles. But you also get to see more wildlife in this car.

Since this is version 1.0 of a new technology, I leased instead of buying. In 3 years I'll probably switch to a BEV with 50% more range, so I can drive to San Francisco and return home to the South Bay without stopping to recharge. Quick charging will still be important for highway travel beyond a radius of 50 miles, but as battery capacity increases, the need for charging away from home will be greatly reduced.

I too agree BEV will be cheaper in the long run, and not just because I have a 10kw PV system. That system only covers about 3/4 of my electrical needs. It powers two homes. But the cost of electricity should not be going up by 34%. Right now I pay .095 per kWh and this has not gone up in about 10 years. With the ammount of natural gas being pumped and Power Companies switching to that fuel I don't see the cost of electricty to go up by much in the next five to ten years.

I also leased and hope that the real world range will get increased to a reasonable range, like an option for a 300 mile @70 mph interstate range. Right now my only complaint is at 80% SOC I have a real live range of about 60 miles max which means a 30 mile radius or less as there are no public chargers in middle GA. At at 3.3kw for L2 it would takes several hrs to recharge anyway.

 

[eclecticflower]

I'd sure like to see this thread get back on-topic. Why do you all love your LEAFs?

 

[KJD]

I also leased and hope that the real world range will get increased to a reasonable range, like an option for a 300 mile @70 mph interstate range. Right now my only complaint is at 80% SOC I have a real live range of about 60 miles max which means a 30 mile radius or less as there are no public chargers in middle GA. At at 3.3kw for L2 it would takes several hrs to recharge anyway.

The Recargo Search page shows lots of charge stations around Atlanta.
http://www.recargo.com/search" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Next years Leaf will have a 30 amp charger, all you have to do is trade up for the new one.

 

[tps]

I love my LEAF because it's a mostly maintenance-free car. I now have 7600 miles on mine since the beginning of February 2012. With an EV, there's no "warm-up"; the first 10 feet is the same as the entire trip. It's quiet, not smelly, and I don't have to fool with that nasty, foul smelling, expensive stuff called gasoline. No oil spot on the driveway where I park. It gives a quiet and smooth ride.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i love my LEAF because it only does 100 miles. i say that because an EV that does 150 miles like the RAV 4 or 300 miles like the Tesla is only a dream to me. simply too much money. the LEAF allows people like me to drive an EV that does a great job filling a large part of my transportation needs

 

[Caracalover]

I'd sure like to see this thread get back on-topic. Why do you all love your LEAFs?

My Leaf allows me to giggle or laugh at the lines to buy Costco gas!

 

[eclecticflower]

My Leaf allows me to giggle or laugh at the lines to buy Costco gas!

@Caracalover: Me, too! I giggle driving by gas stations. In this car, I giggle like a little schoolgirl; it just makes me happy. It's knowing I'm driving something so different from everybody else in town (except for Eric; and Tom in KS ...You just don't see LEAFs around here - yet). With the giant Zero Emission badge on its side, my little red car's just begging for questions...maybe folks are too shy to ask? Love driving my cute little LEAF!

 

[JLundberg]

Hmmmmm let me see. Is it:

The new car smell?
The very very low maintenance?
The passing the long gas lines during the hurricane?
The peace and quiet drive on the way home after a hectic day at the office?
The looks I get from people reading my license plate "No Gas"
The timer that is set to cool my Leaf before I get in?
The "Thank You" smiles I get from the dogs, cats, birds, squirrels etc. (gag.. alright that's just too much)

or the fact that the cash I spent on gas every month pays my lease note?

 

[dandrewk]

I had to take the oil burner out today as my wife has the Leaf. I went into the garage an hour after I returned and remembered another thing I love about the Leaf: No hot engine, so it doesn't make the garage stifling hot.

 

[Rat]

I don't know if I would say I love my Leaf, at least not the way I loved my Volvo C70 the first 5 years I had it, but I still really enjoy it. It has performed flawlessly for me, been cheap to own and drive, and I love not having to go to the gas station or oil change place. I love the USB music input. My range has not decreased so far as I can tell after 15 months. I'm a low-mileage driver in a moderate climate, so my experience may not be what others can count on, but so far it's been exactly what I was hoping for.

 

[Caracalover]

My Leaf allows me to giggle or laugh at the lines to buy Costco gas!

@Caracalover: Me, too! I giggle driving by gas stations. In this car, I giggle like a little schoolgirl; it just makes me happy. It's knowing I'm driving something so different from everybody else in town (except for Eric; and Tom in KS ...You just don't see LEAFs around here - yet). With the giant Zero Emission badge on its side, my little red car's just begging for questions...maybe folks are too shy to ask? Love driving my cute little LEAF!

It is also so quick to respond in traffic - a hot rodder even gave me some respect from his new Mustang. I wasn't even driving abnormal, just going around those gas savers driving slow and not accelerating away from the stop lights too fast. Now I jack rabbit start (or so it seems to them) and enjoy myself while keeping a safe zone around me easily.

Anyone here hear about the head on crash that happened back east? Nasty accident that killed the driver of the other car, and the Leaf with four passengers was totaled. The front two adults had to be cut out of the car, but survived for the moment, haven't looked for an update on it yet, I think the kids in back were ok. Hot all that mindfull of the safety features myslef, but when I saw that photo, it made me love my Leaf a little more.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

My Leaf allows me to giggle or laugh at the lines to buy Costco gas!

@Caracalover: Me, too! I giggle driving by gas stations. In this car, I giggle like a little schoolgirl; it just makes me happy. It's knowing I'm driving something so different from everybody else in town (except for Eric; and Tom in KS ...You just don't see LEAFs around here - yet). With the giant Zero Emission badge on its side, my little red car's just begging for questions...maybe folks are too shy to ask? Love driving my cute little LEAF!

It is also so quick to respond in traffic - a hot rodder even gave me some respect from his new Mustang. I wasn't even driving abnormal, just going around those gas savers driving slow and not accelerating away from the stop lights too fast. Now I jack rabbit start (or so it seems to them) and enjoy myself while keeping a safe zone around me easily.

Anyone here hear about the head on crash that happened back east? Nasty accident that killed the driver of the other car, and the Leaf with four passengers was totaled. The front two adults had to be cut out of the car, but survived for the moment, haven't looked for an update on it yet, I think the kids in back were ok. Hot all that mindfull of the safety features myslef, but when I saw that photo, it made me love my Leaf a little more.

that was WA State and LEAF passengers were not cut out of the car. front passenger had a few broken bones but all are well. the other driver was killed. all in all, the LEAF performed very well. the damage was pretty horrific

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/1-dead-2-injured-in-head-on-crash-in-Arlington-168074456.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[camasleaf]

Every time I am forced to drive my gasoline car, I look at the other cars and I am thinking: "Now, I am one of them" :lol:

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Every time I am forced to drive my gasoline car, I look at the other cars and I am thinking: "Now, I am one of them" :lol:

ahh this is a known phenomena more commonly associated with Volt owners facing a drive nearing their EV range aka "gas anxiety"

 

[ericsf]

that was WA State and LEAF passengers were not cut out of the car. front passenger had a few broken bones but all are well. the other driver was killed. all in all, the LEAF performed very well. the damage was pretty horrific

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/1-dead-2-injured-in-head-on-crash-in-Arlington-168074456.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Impressive pictures. So much damage that I couldn't tell at first if one of the shots was of the front or the rear of the LEAF. Sad for the other driver but glad to know that all the LEAF passengers survived.

 

[KJD]

I don't know if I would say I love my Leaf, at least not the way I loved my Volvo C70 the first 5 years I had it, but I still really enjoy it. It has performed flawlessly for me, been cheap to own and drive, and I love not having to go to the gas station or oil change place. I love the USB music input. My range has not decreased so far as I can tell after 15 months. I'm a low-mileage driver in a moderate climate, so my experience may not be what others can count on, but so far it's been exactly what I was hoping for.

OK so what are the things that you are not so happy with on the Leaf ?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I don't know if I would say I love my Leaf, at least not the way I loved my Volvo C70 the first 5 years I had it, but I still really enjoy it. It has performed flawlessly for me, been cheap to own and drive, and I love not having to go to the gas station or oil change place. I love the USB music input. My range has not decreased so far as I can tell after 15 months. I'm a low-mileage driver in a moderate climate, so my experience may not be what others can count on, but so far it's been exactly what I was hoping for.

OK so what are the things that you are not so happy with on the Leaf ?

in a nutshell; the lack of confidence Nissan has in the end user to the point where they provided no useful data that is specific to EV technology. we have a temp gauge that is misleading, a GOM that is a farce, power usage meter that only shows a representation of power usage instead of the actual power usage it implies...

the list goes on and on. there is nothing wrong with the car, only the people who made the design decisions to keep us in the dark.

 

[JPVLeaf]

I don't know if I would say I love my Leaf, at least not the way I loved my Volvo C70 the first 5 years I had it, but I still really enjoy it. It has performed flawlessly for me, been cheap to own and drive, and I love not having to go to the gas station or oil change place. I love the USB music input. My range has not decreased so far as I can tell after 15 months. I'm a low-mileage driver in a moderate climate, so my experience may not be what others can count on, but so far it's been exactly what I was hoping for.

OK so what are the things that you are not so happy with on the Leaf ?

Uh, isn't that just a little OT? Why not start a separate topic instead of trying to outright hijack this one?! :roll: