Future Leaf owner?

[WetEV]

Hello everyone,

I'm Laxu, 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 Leaf is a very nice urban car.

The Leaf is fairly economical to purchase.

The Leaf is low maintenance and reliable.

The Leaf is a reasonably safe car.

Brussels, Belgium is a moderate climate, so TMS or Thermal Management Systems are probably less than useful. Electric cars have fewer fires than gasoline cars, but a TMS raises the risk of fire by having water close to the battery cells. Leafs have had zero battery fires to date, compare with Tesla... or for that matter there has been at least one Audi Etron fire.

The Leaf is fine for moderate distance trips. Seats are fairly good. Quick charging isn't as fast as other cars, less than half what the Audi Etron charges at. A TMS would help on longer distance trips.

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=27677

[dmacarthur]

Seldom gets hot here in Vermont- occasionally 80, is that hot enough to slow the charging down? Have not tried it yet......

[LeftieBiker]

Seldom gets hot here in Vermont- occasionally 80, is that hot enough to slow the charging down? Have not tried it yet......

If the battery pack gets too warm during fast charging, the charging rate is "throttled" back - often a lot. This is referred to as "Rapidgate" because Nissan doesn't warn potential buyers and lessees about it. There are a lot of unhappy 2018+ Leaf drivers as a result. It's less likely to happen in Vermont, but it will happen in hot Summer weather.

[dmacarthur]

If there is an upside to this I suppose it is that the batteries last longer, less of a beating during fast charging.....

[LeftieBiker]

If there is an upside to this I suppose it is that the batteries last longer, less of a beating during fast charging.....

The problem is that the real issue here is no battery cooling. Nissan isn't babying the batteries, so much as using a band-aid approach to the cooling issue - the packs still get too hot for good longevity.

[PrairieLEAF]

Are you buying new or used?

I think the LEAF can be a great used buy, and I think my preowned 30 kWh 2016 S is a perfect match for me (rural trips with musical instruments, some camping).

From what I gather, the best way to keep a LEAF going is to be kind to the battery by keeping battery temperature down and keeping the charge between 20-80% as much as possible.

If I were buying new, had a larger budget, or needed more range, I think I would choose a different model. I don't believe the new LEAF is as competitive as it once was.

If I were looking for something longer-range and pre-owned, I would choose a Chevrolet Bolt.

If I were buying brand new, I would investigate a Tesla Model 3.

Or if I didn't have as much to carry and didn't need to go as far, I would be most interested in a used Fiat 500e or Chevrolet Spark EV.

Best wishes!

[DougWantsALeaf]

I have. My fastest DC charging session was when the battery started above 90F and ended above 108F. Peak at 73 KW/hour

[powersurge]

Hello everyone,

I'm Laxu, 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.

As far at the original poster is concerned... We do not know what EV choices are in Brussels....

The Leaf is a great car... I do not think we have to "sell" him on this car. There is so much info to get from the internet and this site..

Please do some reading, and ask specific questions after you have researched

[jjeff]

Hello everyone,

I'm Laxu, 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.

As far at the original poster is concerned... We do not know what EV choices are in Brussels....

The Leaf is a great car... I do not think we have to "sell" him on this car. There is so much info to get from the internet and this site..

Please do some reading, and ask specific questions after you have researched

Looks like the OP did a runner.....very common around here to just post an OP and never return They joined and posted OP on Fri Nov 26 at 10:24pm and haven't been back since even though many people have responded to their post and asked several questions......

[Nubo]

...Looks like the OP did a runner.....very common around here to just post an OP and never return They joined and posted OP on Fri Nov 26 at 10:24pm and haven't been back since even though many people have responded to their post and asked several questions......

Yes it does happen frequently, which is why I'm reluctant to dance a jig when someone comes in with a first post that amounts to "tell me everything about the LEAF"