possible new leaf owner - wanted to say 'hi' and ask some questions

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Lothsahn said:
garyd9 said:
No such luck here. Here's a link to the flyer for the utility sponsored rebate. (I'm a customer, not an employee): https://duquesnelight.com/docs/default-source/pdf-library/fy19-q1-leaf-fleetail-dlc.pdf

Pretty sure you get the rebate.

"Yes" on the rebate. My "no such luck" was in reference to "...comes with a pre-negotiated price discount for the car if PA’s program mirrors Ohio"

As far as I've been able to determine (and what dealers are telling me) is that I'd pay the dealer price (usually ~1500 lower than nissan MSRP) minus the 3500 rebate. Then I'd send the state of PA some paperwork and they'd mail me a check for 1750 (state rebate) and then I'd have a 7500 credit when I do my 2019 taxes (and my "taxes owed" are usually quite a bit higher than 7500.)

Additional costs would be (as far as I've been able to determine so far):

~$100 for a GOOD ODBII reader (only if my $20 bluetooth one doesn't work with leaf spy)
$15 for leaf spy pro (because I don't think "torque pro" would be useful in an EV)
~$750 - 800 for a level 2 EVSE (includes cost of equipment/parts and beer/pizza for the electrician friend.)
~??? all weather floor mats (at least for the driver foot well.)
 
garyd9 said:
~$100 for a GOOD ODBII reader (only if my $20 bluetooth one doesn't work with leaf spy)

https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B005NLQAHS?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B005NLQAHS

$23, works great. Highly recommended. You should also get an extension cable that you leave plugged in always. If you constantly plug and unplug the ODBII reader, you will break the port.

garyd9 said:
$15 for leaf spy pro (because I don't think "torque pro" would be useful in an EV)

Yes. Yes. Yes. Don't drive a Leaf without it.
 
Lothsahn said:
https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B005NLQAHS?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B005NLQAHS

$23, works great. Highly recommended. You should also get an extension cable that you leave plugged in always. If you constantly plug and unplug the ODBII reader, you will break the port.

I already have a small blue "ELM" one that I use with torque pro and "carista" (controls a lot of toyota specific things) and it works well enough for that. It also works well with a hybrid system monitoring android app that is picky about readers. I think I got lucky with that particular ELM reader (in that it actually works.) My only complaints are that its hard-coded to always use a "0000" passkey for connections and that its active when the car is turned off. (Meaning that someone could, in theory, mess with my car settings when I'm away.)

If I need to replace it, I'll probably end up getting one of the higher end ones that has real bluetooth security and doesn't drain the battery - so I could just leave it plugged in 24/7. Something like the Scantool OBDLink LX or MX.

I wonder if leaf spy pro can be active on the same android phone that's being used for android auto. Even better would be if leaf spy worked as an android auto app!
 
garyd9 said:
If I need to replace it, I'll probably end up getting one of the higher end ones that has real bluetooth security and doesn't drain the battery - so I could just leave it plugged in 24/7. Something like the Scantool OBDLink LX or MX.

I just resoldered pin 16 to pin 8 on my BAFX so that it gets power from the ignition. My BAFX is always plugged in, but always off when the car is off. No security issues or power drain whatsoever.
http://pinoutguide.com/CarElectronics/nissan_obd2_diag_pinout.shtml

With the BAFX it's SUPER easy. Below is the inside of the BAFX. I just resoldered one of the white wires on the header on the right.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61BLGaRvc3L._SL256_.jpg

Keep in mind that Pin 8 is non-standard, so the modified ODB2 may not function (or possibly could damage) non-Leaf vehicles.

That said, the power drain of most ODBII adapters is quite small. The real power drain issues come from the TCU (the cell modem in the leaf for EV Connect). There were some firmware issues in the TCU that would keep it awake and drain the 12V battery. Those would not be present on your 2019.

I also disconnected the TCU on my car for security reasons.
https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=25949
 
To everyone who replied - thank you very much.

My wife and I have decided to not purchase a Leaf (or any other car) at this time. I really like the idea, but we simply aren't ready to make that jump into, what is for us, an unknown. Perhaps in 6 months or so, once more data is available for the 2018/2019 batteries, we'll reconsider.

(And I won't buy a telsa. They have incredible battery tech, but I just can't afford to pay that much for a daily driver and the company itself is... scary.)
 
garyd9 said:
To everyone who replied - thank you very much.

My wife and I have decided to not purchase a Leaf (or any other car) at this time. I really like the idea, but we simply aren't ready to make that jump into, what is for us, an unknown. Perhaps in 6 months or so, once more data is available for the 2018/2019 batteries, we'll reconsider.

(And I won't buy a telsa. They have incredible battery tech, but I just can't afford to pay that much for a daily driver and the company itself is... scary.)

Keep in mind the 40 kWh packs do have a cell failure and degredation warranty of 100k miles, 8 years. So you're covered for a long time in terms of any failures. I wouldn't worry that much about the battery failures for at least the first 10 years. After 10 years, your range will likely be half or more, which is still 75 miles.

Based on your original post, I think the Leaf would be a great car for you, and with your commute, the battery would have to drop to 30% or less capacity before it stopped meeting your needs. This means the car will last you a GOOD long time. Even the original 8 year old 2011's (with a known defect in battery chemistry -- later fixed) are not at 30% yet, or even close to it.

Hopefully we'll see you as a new Leaf owner in the next 6 months. I really think you'll love the car. It drives and handles so much better than gas cars, due to the low COG, and is whisper quiet.
 
Lothsahn said:
I'll add a few things:

Snow and ice: The stock tires (Ecopias) are all about maximum range. For ice/snow, they're ok, not great. With Procontacts I had no issues all winter (and we had a lot of ice). The car does have slightly less traction than most accelerating because the weight is 50/50, whereas most gas cars have most of the weight on the front wheels. Good for not spinning out, bad for going up steep, slick, icy hills. Most people wouldn't even notice. Essentially it handles like a mid-engine sports car.

Maybe the new ones are better, but the stock tires on my 2016 are not even OK on packed snow and ice. They were OK for the first week I had the car in January, but it was warm (near freezing) and hadn't snowed in a while. The next week brought snow and -20°C, and the car felt like trying to drive a hockey puck. Had to accelerate significantly slower than everyone else and was scared I was going to rear end someone despite driving slower than average and leaving lots of space. Got a set of X-ice put on, and it was an amazing transformation. Not just the noticeably better snow and ice traction you normally get when you replace all-seasons with winter tires, but a night and day difference. With the right tires, the traction control actually works very well, and I noticed remarkably little difference in acceleration between the Leaf and my Subaru.
 
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