asimba2
Well-known member
My LEAF lease expires in 2017 and I am doing some financial planning so I can potentially buy my next EV with no or minimal financing. I estimate the range of potential purchase price could be anywhere from around $23,000 after $10k in rebates for something like a Gen II LEAF with a 30kW battery (the small battery option) to around $32k after $10k rebates for a no-options Tesla Model III. (Likely not available until late 2018 or even 2019.)
Given my experience with an 84-mile LEAF, how much range do I need in the EV I buy for the long term? More range = more cost.
I looked at my driving patterns and my typical daily commute is 38 miles + maybe 5-10 miles of errands. On weekends I occasionally do 65-70 mile trips. Once a year I do a 2,000+ mile trip and take the ICE car. About every-other month I take a trip that is around 135 miles; a drive that I currently do in an ICE car but would like to do in an EV, however with unreliable public charging, I won't do it in the LEAF. Then I realized that if I had a 200 mile EV I would probably do far more 'joyrides' than I do now, partly because the cost of electricity is so cheap compared to gas. Most of the destinations I would likely joyride seem to fall in the 135-150 mile range with several thousand feet of elevation change. That tells me that an EV rated for less than 150 miles won't get used any more than my 84 mile LEAF. But an EV with 200 mile range would get used much more often, something that I am factoring into my vehicle budget because more battery = more vehicle cost but more useful for my desires, but not necessarily for my needs. Just curious if anyone else has seriously evaluated both their actual use and their anticipated use with a big battery.
Given my experience with an 84-mile LEAF, how much range do I need in the EV I buy for the long term? More range = more cost.
I looked at my driving patterns and my typical daily commute is 38 miles + maybe 5-10 miles of errands. On weekends I occasionally do 65-70 mile trips. Once a year I do a 2,000+ mile trip and take the ICE car. About every-other month I take a trip that is around 135 miles; a drive that I currently do in an ICE car but would like to do in an EV, however with unreliable public charging, I won't do it in the LEAF. Then I realized that if I had a 200 mile EV I would probably do far more 'joyrides' than I do now, partly because the cost of electricity is so cheap compared to gas. Most of the destinations I would likely joyride seem to fall in the 135-150 mile range with several thousand feet of elevation change. That tells me that an EV rated for less than 150 miles won't get used any more than my 84 mile LEAF. But an EV with 200 mile range would get used much more often, something that I am factoring into my vehicle budget because more battery = more vehicle cost but more useful for my desires, but not necessarily for my needs. Just curious if anyone else has seriously evaluated both their actual use and their anticipated use with a big battery.