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Sep 30, 2018
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Hello everyone,

I'm Olivier, 37, from Brussels in Belgium, and I'm on the market for an electric car, as I think it would be perfect for the urban trips that make up most of my driving time. The Nissan Leaf is one of the potential candidates, so I've decided to create an account here in order to read what you guys are thinking about your cars, what the little tricks to keep it rolling are, and how to maintain it in general. I'm lurking/participating on a couple of other electric car-related forums as well, because I'd like to buy the car in spring (after the yearly taxes) and I have the time to read up and make my choice.

I hope that you guys will manage to "sell" me the Leaf!

Have a nice day.
 
Welcome to the forum, and while the overwhelming majority of members here seem to be from the US and Canada, members elsewhere are of course welcome.

Being in Europe you seem to have access to other EV's like the Renault Zoe (Renault left the US market not long after Chrysler bought
American Motors/Jeep from them). Zoe is a smaller car but does have greater range than Leaf despite the smaller battery. VW eGolf is available here but hard to get; it was only offered in 11 out of 50 states and 2018 models for some reason never showed up at US dealers. That said we do have the Fiat 500e which I believe is not sold in Europe.

Note there are some differences between North America and Europe regarding EV's. For example, at our public charging stations, the cord is attached to the charging unit, but in Europe it seems like you are just provided access to a socket and you have to provide your own charging cord. Our cars (other than Tesla) use the J1772 charging standard, whereas Europe uses the Mennekes.

One topic that comes up often is Nissan's battery replacement program. Note that AFAIK that is offered for the US only, not sure about Canada. If it is offered in Europe the prices will not be the same and recently the price for US Leaf owners went WAY up (from $5500 to $8000 or more). Leaf owners in Japan have access to a much cheaper battery refurbishment program but so far Nissan USA has not made that available here.
 
Welcome!

I just got my 2018 Leaf in September and it has been working great for me. I researched EVs and chargers for over a year before deciding to buy one. My determining factors were battery miles [km] range, price, available discounts, user experiences, and appearance.

I was doubtful about the available EV ranges, thinking that I needed a high-range (200+ miles [322+ km]) model, but I found that I was looking at it all wrong, like most people. I had to take my typical/daily driving range into effect, as the main determining factor of range, and expect long distance travel to be a rare occasion. After looking at it from a realistic stand point, I knew that I could do well with the Leaf's 150 mile [241 km] range. Most of my trips are in suburban areas.

Since you'll be mostly making urban trips, I expect that you live in or near a city? It would be wise to start searching now for public charge stations in your area. The number of city chargers are growing here in the US, but are still limited, especially quick chargers. From what I have been reading, I believe that Europe has been increasing the number of city chargers at a faster rate than the US.

I am not sure if you plan on buying a new or used Leaf, 2018 or 2019 model, etc. From what I have been reading, there is not much confirmed data on the 2019 Leaf (e-Plus), but rumors have suggested that it will have a higher range and cost a bit more than the 2018 model.

Another thing: I have been reading articles indicating that many dealerships in Europe have been deterring consumers from buying EVs, so it is best to go in there well prepared and educated before buying one. Check to see if your local government offers discounts or has a list of EV dealerships that they recommend.
 
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