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

[KJD]

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

OK back on topic, I really do Love the Leaf, but I would have to agree with Dave the instrumentation sucks. I am willing to overlook that right now and I hope that the 2013 Leaf will address this minor oversight.

The main thing that I do Love about the Leaf is the range is about twice as much as the lead acid EV that I built under the shade tree.

 

[Msquared]

Since this thread is about loving my Leaf, I actually do love mine so far. Came from a 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited. While that was a decent car, I like the Leaf better overall, even if you took out the non-EV component. It's quieter, more comfortable, has a smoother ride, better technology, and of course since it is an EV, that wonderful torque.

It lacks sunroof and leather as options, which I had on the last car, but I don't miss those things as much as I thought I would.

The only other "downside" of having an EV is that chargers always seem to be blocked by non-EVs around here. That isn't fun, but I got some pretty convincing fake parking tickets today. :twisted: That ends up being kinda cool because I love having an excuse to put those things on people's cars! Bwahaha.

 

[ericsf]

I just noticed that in the morning it's faster to unplug my car, put the plug back in the station and close the hatch than it takes for my garage door to open. On the other hand, it used to take me 7min to drive to the nearest gas station, refill and come back. One full tank a week, that's 6 hours a year of my life that I got back thanks to my LEAF. Priceless.

But it probably barely makes it up for the time I now spend on this forum. Oh well.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I just noticed that in the morning it's faster to unplug my car, put the plug back in the station and close the hatch than it takes for my garage door to open. On the other hand, it used to take me 7min to drive to the nearest gas station, refill and come back. One full tank a week, that's 6 hours a year of my life that I got back thanks to my LEAF. Priceless.

But it probably barely makes it up for the time I now spend on this forum. Oh well.

7 minutes?? must be NICE!!

we had a Priuschatter who put a plug on his Prius YEARS before Toyota did and ran a poll on how long it took to get gas. the clock starts when you pull into the station and stops when you pull out so supposedly measuring the total additional time it added to your commute so i participated.

i got gas at the Costco in Lacey WA on the corner of Marvin and Martin Way (one of the busiest intersections in town) my work schedule was 6 to 4:30 or 5:30 or 6 pm depending on the amount of required OT that day.

my commute took me thru that intersection so technically the total distance off my regular commute to get gas and get back into the flow of traffic was approximately 300 yards.

it took anywhere from 4 minutes and 40 seconds to 13 minutes and 10 seconds based on the drive in, drive out policy. BUT...

to get out of and get back into the flow of traffic when getting gas, it was a total of 16 minutes MINIMUM and that is getting the lights to time right. getting in and out required left turn lights which cycled slowly due to the volume of rush hour traffic. even if i was lucky on one light, i was never lucky enough to catch both on the same trip

average time to get gas was 21 minutes.

now, i have an advantage in driving a Prius since i get gas on average 2.6 times a month

**edit** forgot to add something. when gas hits about $3.80 a gallon, the average wait time for a pump at Costco (they have 20) goes from zero wait to up to 15 minutes.

the last two times i went it was an average wait of 9 minutes. got gas the other day at 2 PM (no rush hour!!) and still best i could do was 3rd in line which means i was 2 groups in front of me. one filling, one waiting

 

[PracticingHuman]

I love the quiet. I love the fact that the low end of my music isn't having to compete with ICE noise. I love the fact that my wife and I can have a conversation at normal speaking volumes.

 

[WetEV]

I forgot to plug in last night. Had to drive the ICE to work.

Probably needed to be done sometime, as the ICE's battery was getting low, as no one had driven it for a few weeks. But why did it have to be me? :roll:

 

[edatoakrun]

I forgot to plug in last night. Had to drive the ICE to work.

Probably needed to be done sometime, as the ICE's battery was getting low, as no one had driven it for a few weeks. But why did it have to be me? :roll:

I have a significant "battery problem," with my ICEVs.

I have three in running condition, my "ranch truck" and two others registered and insured for the road.

I never drive them though , so the batteries are constantly threatening to go dead.

I've heard too many stories of trickle chargers leading to fires, to trust them. So I try to remember to put a 2 amp charge on them for 12+ hours, every few weeks.

Murphy's law has been observed.

For some reason the Cherokee, which is my (theoretical) "back-up" ICEV, always loses it's battery charge soonest...

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I forgot to plug in last night. Had to drive the ICE to work.

Probably needed to be done sometime, as the ICE's battery was getting low, as no one had driven it for a few weeks. But why did it have to be me? :roll:

I have a significant "battery problem," with my ICEVs.

I have three in running condition, my "ranch truck" and two others registered and insured for the road.

I never drive them though , so the batteries are constantly threatening to go dead.

I've heard too many stories of trickle chargers leading to fires, to trust them. So I try to remember to put a 2 amp charge on them for 12+ hours, every few weeks.

Murphy's law has been observed.

For some reason the Cherokee, which is my (theoretical) "back-up" ICEV, always loses it's battery charge soonest...

well i think the bigger issue is the engine or anything else that turns for that matter. cant let it sit too idle too long. when i first got my LEAF, i had a 2006 Prius that because instantly obsolete (only had 54,000 miles on it too...)

i had it just in case the LEAF would not cover the one commute which at the time was 66 miles RT mostly freeway. found that as long as we kept it at 60 mph or less we were fine even during coldest winter days (kinda cold...but doable) so ended up selling it in May after 4 months. during that 4 months we drove it a total of 24 miles (14 of the miles came when we had it detailed)

the rest of the time was taking it around the neighborhood we lived it. there was a circle i could drive that was .6 miles so did that about once a week or so.

sold the car the meter stated 23 mpg. glad that did not scare the buyer off. i did have it set so that did not show when the car powered up

 

[Caracalover]

Love the Leaf, hate the oil change issues I have.

All of my other cars and motorcycles need oil changes. One pick up, one sedan, one motorcycle, one scooter, all over due.

What a pain - Thank you Nissan!

Just drive. Nissan Leaf.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Love the Leaf, hate the oil change issues I have.

All of my other cars and motorcycles need oil changes. One pick up, one sedan, one motorcycle, one scooter, all over due.

What a pain - Thank you Nissan!

Just drive. Nissan Leaf.

As it happens, I just spent part of this morning changing the oil in my ICE car because it was overdue. Yes, it is a nuisance. At least I am only doing the oil change once a year now because I drive the ICE car so little.

 

[tps]

10.5K miles on the LEAF so far. I still love driving it, maybe even more now that I'm used to it than I did when I first got it... Quiet, smooth ride, very reliable.

 

[Phoenix]

....

But it probably barely makes it up for the time I now spend on this forum. Oh well.

+1 on all that time spent on EV forums.

Initially, euphoria with LEAF as my first EV driving on sunshine; then went through slump because of range limitations and slow charging; now back to appreciating the low cost of its operation. Didn't think I needed navigation module or backup camera, but it kinda grows on you. Solid value for its price. Unfortunately, does not translate that way to most ICE drivers out there when just comparing initial purchase price. But that may slowly change in the future.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

it all really boils down to how much we are willing to adjust, compromise and understand what it takes to make EVs successful. They do have a ways to go, but the LEAF is a pretty good start and I am simply willing to make the tiny sacrifices to make it work. getting up 10 minutes earlier so I can drive a bit slower is ok with me.

it may not be for others. Time is very important but its things like this that makes my "sacrifices" seem so insignificant

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151279562307432

 

[tps]

it all really boils down to how much we are willing to adjust, compromise and understand what it takes to make EVs successful. They do have a ways to go, but the LEAF is a pretty good start and I am simply willing to make the tiny sacrifices to make it work. getting up 10 minutes earlier so I can drive a bit slower is ok with me.

In my situation, there is no sacrifice I need to make most of the time, my normal driving patterns are well within the range of the LEAF, so I experience only the positive aspects of driving a LEAF. I use it as I would any other car, running the heat or A/C as needed and not worrying about driving slower to extend range (although I'm not a super-fast driver anyway). The LEAF has been my only car since Feb 2012 when I got it. I'm sure there are others out there like me for whom the LEAF would be a perfect fit.

 

[Phoenix]

it all really boils down to how much we are willing to adjust, compromise and understand what it takes to make EVs successful. They do have a ways to go, but the LEAF is a pretty good start and I am simply willing to make the tiny sacrifices to make it work. getting up 10 minutes earlier so I can drive a bit slower is ok with me.

it may not be for others. Time is very important but its things like this that makes my "sacrifices" seem so insignificant

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151279562307432

Thanks, DaveInOlyWa. Thoroughly enjoyed the video.

 

[x10guy]

Initially, euphoria with LEAF as my first EV driving on sunshine; then went through slump because of range limitations and slow charging; now back to appreciating the low cost of its operation. Didn't think I needed navigation module or backup camera, but it kinda grows on you. Solid value for its price. Unfortunately, does not translate that way to most ICE drivers out there when just comparing initial purchase price. But that may slowly change in the future.

I appreciate these forums because I got a chance to read up on the positives and negatives of the Leaf. The most helpful were those posts whose appreciation for the Leaf are "balanced". There are definitely some positives mainly related to money saved on gas. But also there are some distinct negatives mainly related to range and how you have to really change your driving habits to get maximum range. THankfully I knew most of them when I leased my Leaf so definitely no regrets. Fortunately I don't do alot of freeway driving because driving in the slow lane most of the time drives me nuts... . Also helps I don't live in a hot or cold climate which are also issues.

 

[Boomer23]

Dave, thank you for posting that moving video. I'll be sure to share it.

 

[mkjayakumar]

Can you please put that video in YouTube? First off it is asking me to login to FB before I can watch it, next I can't watch it from my iPad because of Flash requirement.

 

[surfingslovak]

Here you go. I will upload it to YouTube next, since the Akamai CDN link won't stay live for very long.

http://fbcdn-video-a.akamaihd.net/cfs-ak-ash4/v/436623/290/10151279562307432_56748.mp4?oh=490154ea939bc8a290c9c088bf5342a8&oe=50C57057&__gda__=1355114504_dbfbe59f6648ca3342a54526a2db1c73" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juT0LsFoDro[/youtube]

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I am afraid this will require you to log into facebook but its something that really touched me and it only takes a second to "like" it

http://www.facebook.com/landfillharmonicmovie" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ooops. just checked and looks like they are down to only one other video besides the one above.