LEAF owners: will your next car be an EV?

So, with less than three weeks of LEAF driving under my belt, I've almost stopped being surprised by the quiet, smooth, clean performance of driving this particular EV. Today, I rode my bike into work and naturally a lot of cars pass by and I started thinking about what sort of car I might buy next (yeah, I haven't even made my first monthly credit union payment yet).

Funny thing though, was the prospect of buying anything other than another, better, cooler, EV, never crossed my mind. I mean, I was in the brief presence of a really nice BMW 535, Mercedes SLK, and Lexus.. something (I ride through a nice neighborhood). All barely registered a blip of adrenalin. I realized I felt like one of those French words... ennui. This bugged me at first, and not just because it's French (no offense gudy), but I think the LEAF is kind of my "flat screen TV moment". You know, when you bought your first it was like no big deal, but clearly better. But, it was pretty soon that you couldn't imagine wanting to go back to CRT even though it was cheaper and brighter. Gas-powered seems dull.
Wondering if other owners have thought about this yet.

We will need to replace our second car later this year and we've already decided what it will be. A Mini Clubman S. Among other considerations, we need at least one car with unlimited range and excellent mountain and high altitude performance.

sparky said:

So, with less than three weeks of LEAF driving under my belt, I've almost stopped being surprised by the quiet, smooth, clean performance of driving this particular EV. Today, I rode my bike into work and naturally a lot of cars pass by and I started thinking about what sort of car I might buy next (yeah, I haven't even made my first monthly credit union payment yet).

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My last two cars were EVs and I made a decision years ago to never buy another ICE car if I can.

My wife is waiting for an EV mini-van or Sport SUV to replace the 400h to haul the kids and dogs around. At least until they make an affordable 300 mile EV with a quick charger that we can use on long trips as well.....then who needs a stinky old engine!

Our next car will be a PHEV - Ford C-Max Energi probably. Everyone who is looking for a car that'll work for long trips should consider a PHEV.

My next car will be Tesla Model-S in 2013. As our kids get older, my wife want to get rid of her 16mpg minivan and buy an EV also. But it's too early to have two EVs in one household and no ICE vehicle, or until EEstor batteries start showing up (not holding my breath).

+1 if I can afford it and it is actually available in 2013... I would have put down a deposit on it, but to be within the first 1000 (so likely 2012 and probably beginning of 2013) you need to put down an insane amount ( many 1000s)

gudy said:

+1 if I can afford it and it is actually available in 2013... I would have put down a deposit on it, but to be within the first 1000 (so likely 2012 and probably beginning of 2013) you need to put down an insane amount ( many 1000s)

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The queue is now over 2,800.

Add me to the "never buy another ICE again" crowd.

The Leaf is a great car, the EV part of it just makes it better. Plugging in and paying attention to where I'm going etc. is a small inconvenience. It's like plugging in your cell phone.....I don't get mad at my battery when it runs low, I simply plug it in. Same for the car....I don't blame it for it's range, I merely deal with it.

Hopefully, when I have to replace my Escape Hybrid, the then-current crop of EV's will offer a wide selection to choose from.
:mrgreen:

Our next car would be the Model S... if i could afford it.

We think it's the most attractive EV by now, even though it's not been sold yet... well, but it surely seems awesome!

I take my hat-off to Tesla guys.

Definitely. But one with like 300 miles range. Then, with the exception of my Minis, the MGB, and the occasional rental on vacation, we'll be done with gasoline forever.

My wife has adopted an ev attitude after decades of our SUVs. She's inherieted my 12 year old pathfinder (which I kept in near perfect condition) and sold her two other cars. We had been looking for a replacement for it as well, and have decided it's better for the environment to just run it until it's days are officially over, and by then firmly believe that Nissan will have a Rogue EV for her to switch to.

We just want to make sure the purchases are spread out enough that we don't need two battery packs in the same year.

We haven't gotten our LEAF yet, but we will definitely not getting another gasser for the rest of our lives, at least a pure gasser. If a 300 miles EV is available by the time we get our next car, we will never go back. If not, we're looking to convert our MMH to pluggin, or at the least, get a pluggin. I'm hoping for the 300 miles Model S in 5-7 yrs if our finances can improve

What's the deal with the model s? 300 mile range? That's nice. Anyone have an estimate on the price tag?

Hopefully our Prius can last another 5 years or so. By then I hope there are 200+mile range EVs at attractive price points, plus a pretty extensive charging infrastructure for getting around California. If not, we'll have to get a plug-in hybrid or something (boo).

WWBD said:

What's the deal with the model s? 300 mile range? That's nice. Anyone have an estimate on the price tag?.

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Model S with 160 mile range is $50K after 7.5K tax credit (very low on std. equipment, I'd guess). 300 mile range Model S will probably be around $75-$80K.

I just typed and then deleted a response where I was lamenting that even a 300 mile range EV would not truly unlimit long-haul range because of the time required (25 hrs) to recharge non-destructively (ie L2 vs L3)...but then I realized that our current usage pattern is such that the technology probably _could_ stand up to the rare semi-long-haul events even without major breakthroughs in charging tolerance, and we don't actually drive truly long distances (although we rely on relatively cheap air travel for that, and I'm not sure how long that can last). So I'm going to say yes, assuming continued development of vehicle styles and incremental improvements in capability along with charging infrastructure, our next car will be an EV. And we'll get more solar to charge it. Ideally something like an Element, with 200 mile range - we have an Element now that only sees about 3000 miles a year and should last us for a while - the unsurpassed utility for bikes, dogs, hauling gear, modestly challenging road surfaces (hard packed dirt, plowed snow) etc. is the key attribute I'd be looking for in a replacement. Frankly I'm hoping our 'next car' will simply be a modestly higher capacity drop-in replacement battery pack for our LEAF at around the 100,000 mile mark, in about 2019, for about $5K.

wsbca said:

Frankly I'm hoping our 'next car' will simply be a modestly higher capacity drop-in replacement battery pack for our LEAF at around the 100,000 mile mark, in about 2019, for about $5K.

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+1. But I've no problem with looking at that around 2016 at 60-75,000 miles. Hey, if I can get longer...that's awesome, but ~5 years would be fine by me. I would like it to be at a similar (or better!) price point to the one you suggest though.

I will definitely buy another EV. I'm done with ICEs. I wonder in 3 years when a lot of our leases are up, will we get preferential treatment to get into a next-gen Leaf? Do you think demand will be really high and will we have to get back in line for one?

malloryk said:

I will definitely buy another EV. I'm done with ICEs. I wonder in 3 years when a lot of our leases are up, will we get preferential treatment to get into a next-gen Leaf? Do you think demand will be really high and will we have to get back in line for one?

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Hopefully, by then even with high demand, production levels should reduce any delays to minimum....a few weeks at best. The Smyrna plant should be fully operational and cranking out Leafs by then. :mrgreen:

I would ideally like to be done with gas forever. We are replacing my wife's old and continually broken Ford Escort with the Leaf. My car (a Mazda Protege, getting old and quite rickety itself) will remain in service for long trips and trips to go skiing/camping/etc. until the Leaf is paid off.

I sure would like to see something similar to an Subaru Impreza hatchback developed. We don't need anything huge, just something that can squeeze out a few more miles per charge and deal with our outdoor lifestyle (i.e., AWD, capacity for skis and camping gear, etc.) and possibly accommodate a kid or two. And it would also be good to be affordable on our non-profit salaries. I am optimistic that something pratical and affordable is not too terribly far in the offing...