Love and Hate about our new Leaf 2018

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LeftieBiker said:
I like coasting, feels like good coasting will save more energy than regen gives back. I could be wrong on this.

If circumstances allow it safely, coasting is always much more efficient than regen.

About the Bose stereo: did the people who dislike it adjust the sound through the menu? It sounds very mediocre off the lot, but much better when adjusted for personal tastes.

Made some adjustments but the issue is simply the limitations of the system IMO. It sounds fine to me at lower volume. It just doesn’t have the power / speakers to handle the deeper bass at a higher volume- which in my experience is usually the limiting factor for any stereo that is cheap, portable, or low power. This is with hip hop music. It’s not terrible, much better than stock system in my Chevy truck for example, it’s just not premium.
 
Nubo said:
The problem I see with the Bose, is the ridiculously huge amplifier usurping the floor of the cargo area.
How is it in practice?

The cargo area in my 2015 with the Bose unit is larger than the 2011 (onboard charger in 2011 and 2012 takes some room behind rear seat) so it did not bother me. Initially, I tried to avoid stacking heavy stuff on the subwoofer. Eventually, I stopped worrying about it and I now just throw stuff in the back. So far, I have not damaged the Bose unit.

I was never happy with the door speakers in the 2011 and always planned to replace them so it was a given that I would get the Bose system when I was forced to replace the 2011. As delivered, the Bose system was somewhat better than the 2011, but I was not really happy with it. After I had the 2015 for a while, I was going through the menus on the navigation system and found the audio adjustments. I was amazed at the difference that the menu adjustments made.
 
When I bought my 2014 SL recently, I was impressed that it was going to have a Bose system. I'm no longer impressed. It's the least impressive of our three cars, and the other two just have stock standard systems. I always shake my head at the size of the unit in the trunk and wonder why it needs to be so big for the sound it provides.
 
Love
The heating system, much better than our 2012
The E-Pedal, makes driving simpler
The quiet ride
The Auto setting for headlights
The color and appearance

Dislike
Nissan EV Connect
The battery design
The anticipated life of the battery
The faith I have for Nissan to do the right thing

2018 Nissan Leaf SV
(So glad we're leasing it)
 
Marty said:
Love
The heating system, much better than our 2012
The E-Pedal, makes driving simpler
The quiet ride
The Auto setting for headlights
The color and appearance

Dislike
Nissan EV Connect
The battery design
The anticipated life of the battery
The faith I have for Nissan to do the right thing

2018 Nissan Leaf SV
(So glad we're leasing it)

What is the anticipated life of the battery?
 
Not sure how compatible your 2018 is with some of these mods, but I had many similar complaints about my 2014 SL.

Horns: I quickly ordered and installed Hella SharpTones. MUCH improved.

Charge Timer: I use the one on my Siemens Versicharge

Lighted Window Switches: There is a thread on this forum on how to do this. We found that some Altima models have the same switches, and we swapped them out. Window and unlock are now lit. Look at the switches in your car to see if they are compatible with this mod.

I've never had trouble getting the app to work for charging or starting the climate control. That's all I use it for.

The DST is a step back. In mine, if you set one, it sets both clocks.
 
WetEV said:
RonSwanson said:
What is the anticipated life of the battery?

Nissan might know. Or not.

Safest assumption is that the battery will last the warranty. So plan on that.
Just remember that the warranty only kicks in around 60-65% of new capacity and now that Nissan has a refurb battery business, I would not count on getting a new battery if the warranty activates.

All this means that a potential buyer has to have a very clear idea of the demands the LEAF will be asked to carry. The car will last 2 -10 years. YMMW
 
SageBrush said:
WetEV said:
RonSwanson said:
What is the anticipated life of the battery?

Nissan might know. Or not.

Safest assumption is that the battery will last the warranty. So plan on that.
Just remember that the warranty only kicks in around 60-65% of new capacity and now that Nissan has a refurb battery business, I would not count on getting a new battery if the warranty activates.

All this means that a potential buyer has to have a very clear idea of the demands the LEAF will be asked to carry. The car will last 2 -10 years. YMMW

2-10 years is quite a span. Does this mean if I drive a lot and in hot weather my car is more likely to only last closer to 2 years rather than 10?
 
RonSwanson said:
SageBrush said:
WetEV said:
Nissan might know. Or not.

Safest assumption is that the battery will last the warranty. So plan on that.
Just remember that the warranty only kicks in around 60-65% of new capacity and now that Nissan has a refurb battery business, I would not count on getting a new battery if the warranty activates.

All this means that a potential buyer has to have a very clear idea of the demands the LEAF will be asked to carry. The car will last 2 -10 years. YMMW

2-10 years is quite a span. Does this mean if I drive a lot and in hot weather my car is more likely to only last closer to 2 years rather than 10?
Yes, but "last" is somewhat misleading. "Meet your needs" is more to the point. If the car only has to go 50 miles between charges then 10 years; but if you require 100 miles between charges then I would not count on more than two years.
 
SageBrush said:
RonSwanson said:
SageBrush said:
Just remember that the warranty only kicks in around 60-65% of new capacity and now that Nissan has a refurb battery business, I would not count on getting a new battery if the warranty activates.

All this means that a potential buyer has to have a very clear idea of the demands the LEAF will be asked to carry. The car will last 2 -10 years. YMMW

2-10 years is quite a span. Does this mean if I drive a lot and in hot weather my car is more likely to only last closer to 2 years rather than 10?
Yes, but "last" is somewhat misleading. "Meet your needs" is more to the point. If the car only has to go 50 miles between charges then 10 years; but if you require 100 miles between charges then I would not count on more than two years.

I have a 35 mile commute each way in a hot climate. Guess I can cross this one off my list!
 
RonSwanson said:
SageBrush said:
RonSwanson said:
2-10 years is quite a span. Does this mean if I drive a lot and in hot weather my car is more likely to only last closer to 2 years rather than 10?
Yes, but "last" is somewhat misleading. "Meet your needs" is more to the point. If the car only has to go 50 miles between charges then 10 years; but if you require 100 miles between charges then I would not count on more than two years.

I have a 35 mile commute each way in a hot climate. Guess I can cross this one off my list!
Nissan warrants somewhere between 60-65% of new range for 100k miles of 8 yrs, whichever comes first.
New EPA range is 150 miles so the warranty assures you of 90 -100 EPA miles.

Only you know how your driving and conditions match up to EPA. I always do quite a bit better than EPA; lots of people do quite a bit worse.

Regarding EPA miles: the test is fine but it has assumptions you should be aware of:
No lead foot
Dry roads
No wind
Fairly mild weather
~ 65 mph highway driving

As these variables in your daily driving diverge from the test, your fuel economy will too.
So do you have to discount the EPA miles by a big additional chunk ? It depends. My advice is simple: if you have alternative charging that can cover the atypical driving day then most people will be within +/- 10% of EPA miles and you can size the battery for a usual day. If odd days are going to strand you then err on the conservative side and figure a good 30% cushion.
 
After 4 weeks with the car here are my thoughts

Love:
  • Propilot
  • ePedal
  • remote heater activation
  • exterior style
  • interior space
  • trunk space
  • overall driving experience
  • range - perfect for my daily 20k commute

Hate: (bit of a strong word - more dislikes)
  • Heated steering wheel - too hot!
  • Horn - gets a laugh from my kids every time
  • Unlit unlock buttons
  • Range - its such a nice car to drive I would we could take it on longer trips
 
RonSwanson said:
I have a 35 mile commute each way in a hot climate. Guess I can cross this one off my list!
In your situation, I would only lease, 2 yrs, and for less than $200/mo. Right now we don't know how long the 40 KWh 2018 battery will last, but if the 30KWh 2017 battery is any indication, you will have difficulties making 70 mi after 2-3 yrs. Unless you're able or willing to charge at work or along the way, be prepared for significant degradation. I hope for Nissan's sake (and EVs in general), but at this point it's "Fool me thrice.....".
 
Reddy said:
RonSwanson said:
I have a 35 mile commute each way in a hot climate. Guess I can cross this one off my list!
In your situation, I would only lease, 2 yrs, and for less than $200/mo. Right now we don't know how long the 40 KWh 2018 battery will last, but if the 30KWh 2017 battery is any indication, you will have difficulties making 70 mi after 2-3 yrs. Unless you're able or willing to charge at work or along the way, be prepared for significant degradation. I hope for Nissan's sake (and EVs in general), but at this point it's "Fool me thrice.....".
I do have 12 chargers at my work to use and I can charge at home. Are you saying charging the battery when 1/2 discharged or so as opposed to waiting until it's closer to fully discharged would degrade the battery slower?
 
The various different lithium based batteries used in EV's vary but in general, for all Lithium batteries, they last longest when used in the middle range of their SOC (state of charge). Ideally, charge when the battery reaches 40% and get it back up to 80%. Below or above those limits isn't a big deal and everyone does it all the time but staying within those limits is probably the best you can do for the battery life. The worst thing to do is to leave the battery for long periods at very low or very high charge. For a Leaf, this usually means 100% charge. Heat is also contributes to battery degradation.

In short, avoid having the car sit at 100% charge for longer periods, especially when it's hot. Avoid high battery temperatures as much as possible and don't leave the battery at very low SOC for long periods. The last one is easy to avoid, the first, not so much depending on your usage conditions.
 
RonSwanson said:
Reddy said:
RonSwanson said:
I have a 35 mile commute each way in a hot climate. Guess I can cross this one off my list!
In your situation, I would only lease, 2 yrs, and for less than $200/mo. Right now we don't know how long the 40 KWh 2018 battery will last, but if the 30KWh 2017 battery is any indication, you will have difficulties making 70 mi after 2-3 yrs. Unless you're able or willing to charge at work or along the way, be prepared for significant degradation. I hope for Nissan's sake (and EVs in general), but at this point it's "Fool me thrice.....".
I do have 12 chargers at my work to use and I can charge at home. Are you saying charging the battery when 1/2 discharged or so as opposed to waiting until it's closer to fully discharged would degrade the battery slower?
Ron, with the option of charging on both ends, you’re good to go for many years. The “best” charging protocol, in theory, is to charge the least amount to meet your needs, around 50% SOC. For example, for 70 mi RT at about 3.5 mi/KWh, you’ll consume about 20 KWh. Thus, with a 40 KWh battery, you should charge between 10 and 30 KWh. Of, course you’ll want to save some extra for emergencies. This is actually a pretty good choice, as long as the battery doesn’t degrade during your years of commuting. Unfortunately, you should plan on degradation, maybe 5% per year (we don’t know how much the 40 KWh battery will degrade, but in your hot environment it will be worse than others). Can you still make your commute after 40% degradation? 0.6 * 150 mi = 90 mi. So yes, but it could get tight in inclement weather. However, with the possibility of charging at work, you’re golden. I would go for it, drive the ‘ell of it. Charge to 80% as much as you can. You might need to top up at work on bad weather days, but maybe you’ll get 2-3 years out of it without problems. Worst case, Nissan has to give you a new battery under warranty.
 
Reddy said:
RonSwanson said:
Reddy said:
In your situation, I would only lease, 2 yrs, and for less than $200/mo. Right now we don't know how long the 40 KWh 2018 battery will last, but if the 30KWh 2017 battery is any indication, you will have difficulties making 70 mi after 2-3 yrs. Unless you're able or willing to charge at work or along the way, be prepared for significant degradation. I hope for Nissan's sake (and EVs in general), but at this point it's "Fool me thrice.....".
I do have 12 chargers at my work to use and I can charge at home. Are you saying charging the battery when 1/2 discharged or so as opposed to waiting until it's closer to fully discharged would degrade the battery slower?
Ron, with the option of charging on both ends, you’re good to go for many years. The “best” charging protocol, in theory, is to charge the least amount to meet your needs, around 50% SOC. For example, for 70 mi RT at about 3.5 mi/KWh, you’ll consume about 20 KWh. Thus, with a 40 KWh battery, you should charge between 10 and 30 KWh. Of, course you’ll want to save some extra for emergencies. This is actually a pretty good choice, as long as the battery doesn’t degrade during your years of commuting. Unfortunately, you should plan on degradation, maybe 5% per year (we don’t know how much the 40 KWh battery will degrade, but in your hot environment it will be worse than others). Can you still make your commute after 40% degradation? 0.6 * 150 mi = 90 mi. So yes, but it could get tight in inclement weather. However, with the possibility of charging at work, you’re golden. I would go for it, drive the ‘ell of it. Charge to 80% as much as you can. You might need to top up at work on bad weather days, but maybe you’ll get 2-3 years out of it without problems. Worst case, Nissan has to give you a new battery under warranty.
Thanks Reddy! Very helpful post. You say "charge to 80% as much as you can" - so this means it's best not to completely charge?

Most people I talk to are saying to lease this car only but that's not possible in my position since I'll be driving more than 12k miles per year. I've found I can actually get this car for a pretty good deal then get over $10k back in federal and state rebates/incentives.
 
RonSwanson said:
Thanks Reddy! Very helpful post. You say "charge to 80% as much as you can" - so this means it's best not to completely charge?

For improved battery life Li-ion batteries should spend as little time near full charge and near empty as possible.

Some people charge to "full charge" just before departure. This seems to be fine. I do this before a long trip.

"Full charge" and the SOC meter reading 100% isn't exactly 100%, as there is a top margin. Empty, turtle and SOC meter reading 0% are not exactly 0% as well, there is a bottom margin.

RonSwanson said:
Most people I talk to are saying to lease this car only but that's not possible in my position since I'll be driving more than 12k miles per year. I've found I can actually get this car for a pretty good deal then get over $10k back in federal and state rebates/incentives.

I've seen 15k mile leases. Can't hurt to ask and compare. I purchased both Leaf's.
 
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