Assimilated by the Leaf People

In reply to tuna55:

That's really funny; I'll probably do that soon, too: Coincidentally, I've just gotten fed up with our electric mower and am about to replace it with a gasser

JohnRW1621 wrote: How about, "This car powered by waterfalls" Dam Powered or Dam Power Full For here in Ohio, this is the 2011 breakdown:

If you're going that far, you should buy some factory Dodge chrome letters and modify it to be a DAM CHARGER.

My car sounds like an electric...

tuna55 wrote:

Congratulations!!

I still have a strong feeling SWMBO will be in one of these before the end of the year. Our local-ish dealer is sitting on ~50 2013's right now and 12/31 is coming up fast...

The center nav screen has a million different things you can play with. If you hit the Menu button then touch "Energy Info" (IIRC...I'm not in front of my car) on the bottom right, it shows you how much energy you're using as you drive. I leave it on when I drive and it's really interesting to see it go from power to regen when you let off the gas. It's a heck of a way to train yourself to be a hypermiller. It also measures how much power the HVAC and other accessories use. It's funny to see it go up/down every time the wiper goes.

You'll learn to ignore the range guestimator (the Leaf forum calls it a Guess O Meter...GOM), as it's just that...a guess. It calculates based on past driving, so it's a decent ballpark figure, but not accurate. For better accuracy, check battery % remaining.

There are a ton of other settings you can tinker with if you want. I don't mess with them a lot.

The brakes transition from regen to mechanical nicely, with one exception. I've noticed that if I'm inching forward at a red light, it's hard to stop smoothly from 2-4mph.

Welcome to the club! There's a lot of little details to figure out, as with any new car, and the mynissanleaf.com forum is pretty good for covering things like how the HVAC functions, setting up timers, charger options, etc. My next-cube-over coworker just got a Leaf from the same dealer...I think I should see about getting a commission on these things.

Bryce

Soon I will be the only Portland area non-leafer.

bgkast wrote: Soon I will be the only Portland area non-leafer.

Resistance is futile!

Nashco wrote: I think I should see about getting a commission on these things. Bryce

I should've asked where you got yours in the first place... I got a couple of business cards from the guy we worked with, and he added that they pay $100 to anyone who hands out a card resulting in a Leaf sale/lease...

Now working on fixing my one big oversight in the transaction; I forgot to get notarized documentation of the WRX's odometer when we traded it, and I need that to get the prorated refund on the extended warranty...

bgkast wrote: Soon I will be the only Portland area non-leafer.

Don't worry, we know you people in Vancouver are afraid to look too trendy like your southern brothers...you'll get there once it's "normal" to have an EV.

Bryce

The leaf people got you!!

I have nothing constructive to add. Enjoy the new ride and thanks for saving fuel so I can use it in my truck.

Interesting. Not to be a prick, but when we rented one for a week, I got the impression that it was a great drivetrain wrapped in a bland, yet visually weird package. Does nobody favor the Fit, the Rav-4, Spark or the Focus EVs?

In reply to kreb:

The Spark's too small, and I really just hadn't heard much about the Fit or Focus. The Rav-4 suffers from my desire not to be counted as part of the "demand" for SUVs. I think where the "others" fell was mostly that there was simply more info out there about the Leaf. I figure a Honda's likely to be a solid car, but the Leaf's a more-traveled path, and the EV thing is already invoking our sense of adventure...

I actually kinda like the way the Leaf looks, though the nose is a bit ungainly, and I feel like that rear shape must be giving away interior room. I am curious about how the Fit EV drives; I like the normal Fit quite a lot.

kreb wrote: Interesting. Not to be a prick, but when we rented one for a week, I got the impression that it was a great drivetrain wrapped in a bland, yet visually weird package. Does nobody favor the Fit, the Rav-4, Spark or the Focus EVs?

Other EVs compared to the Leaf

Fit EV - Waiting list is larger than the Honda committed volume (extremely difficult to get one), CARB states only, no DC fast charger
RAV4 EV - Significantly more expensive, California only, no DC fast charger
Spark EV - California and Oregon only, very small car, just starting to roll out in volumes, uses a new type of DC fast charger with little support so far
Focus EV - More expensive than the Leaf, no DC fast charger, severely compromised interior space, very few dealers supporting them so far
Fiat 500e - Very small car, long waiting list, California only
smart electric drive - Very very small car, little range, no DC fast charge
Tesla Model S - Extremely expensive relative to the Leaf
Plug in hybrids - Many options, generally exchange increased weight, cost, and powertrain volume for increased range and flexibility.

You're right, the Leaf is a pretty good drivetrain and a so-so battery in a very bland car. However, as far as EVs go, I think it has been the best option (and only option in some locations) for a real-world useable EV and that's why it has sold significant volumes compared to other EVs. Remember, the highest volume cars sold in America ARE pretty bland (appliance mobile) cars, not sports cars. I think in a couple more years the cars will finally start to have some wider variety.

I'm one of the fortunate ones living in a CARB state and get access to almost all of the EVs pretty easily. I'm getting the Spark EV with an understanding that it is much sportier than the Leaf, but doesn't have nearly as much DC fast charger availability right now.

Bryce

ransom wrote: I actually kinda like the way the Leaf looks, though the nose is a bit ungainly, and I feel like that rear shape must be giving away interior room. I am curious about how the Fit EV drives; I like the normal Fit quite a lot.

The Fit EV drives great, much more fun than the Leaf. The deal breaker for me is that it has no DC fast charger in the US...which is strange, as it does in Japan. They're also impossible to get now, as I said before. They overpriced them early and had no demand. They dropped the price to compete with the Leaf and such and sold out overnight.

Bryce

If the Fit was available in my state I would have preferred that.

I will say that the Leaf seems much more mature in its development than the Focus and other "compliance cars." Once you drive one for a few days, you realize there is a lot more to making a decent electric car than simply placing a high capacity battery pack and induction motor on four wheels.

It has great interior space, a good heater, well integrated electronics and accessories, and it is comfortable. You can tell it was first to market and planned as an EV from the start. Each model year has improved quite a bit.

I would love to check out a tesla. I hear they really did a good job.

As we spoke of in another thread, Ford's dealer network doesn't seem much interested in selling EVs, as we couldn't find even one to test, despite living in an urban California location. Fits aren't around either, as they're instantly sold out. I could have a Tesla-powered Rav-4, but we're happy with our Mazda SUV, and there's no need for us to be a 2-SUV family. So Nissan seems to be the default winner simply by taking EVs seriously.

I work for a company that makes electrical meter sockets, commercial enclosures, & car chargers. They are adding them to our facilities at work as people get electric or plugin hybrids.

It's currently more expensive to meter & charge employees for the juice, so right now it's a freebie. I wish I could get a Fiat 500e with the drop top in my state, much less get one at all. A guy in our office commutes less than 5 miles one way in a Volt. It's been a while since he has purchased gas.

BAMF wrote: I wish I could get a Fiat 500e with the drop top in my state, much less get one at all.

Fiat 500ce? Sheesh, getting pretty specific with your EV dream! You CAN get a Fiat 500e (or any of the others) if you accept the local dealer won't be prepared to support EV specific issues. You still have a warranty and stuff, it's just a little tricky at the service support level.

Just last Sunday I saw a brand new black 500e getting trailered north on I-5 in Washington. Not sure where it was headed, but it was definitely not in California anymore!

kreb wrote: So Nissan seems to be the default winner simply by taking EVs seriously.

Are you responding to your own question then?

Bryce

Nashco wrote:

BAMF wrote: I wish I could get a Fiat 500e with the drop top in my state, much less get one at all.

Fiat 500ce? Sheesh, getting pretty specific with your EV dream!

I have owned a Fiat Spider & a Lancia Zagato. Thus far, all of the Fiat made cars I've owned have been convertibles. It's a trend I wouldn't mind continuing. Is gladly take that monster sunroof they offer.

Nashco wrote: You CAN get a Fiat 500e (or any of the others) if you accept the local dealer won't be prepared to support EV specific issues. You still have a warranty and stuff, it's just a little tricky at the service support level.

I'm not sure I could afford to spend that kind of money on a new car without someone local to provide support for it. I also was very interested in the leases they were offering. Electrics are still a little beta, and I'd feel more comfortable knowing I've got an exit.

i see one of these coming home from work and he always drive 10 less than the speed limit. Can these cruise at 75?

kanaric wrote: i see one of these coming home from work and he always drive 10 less than the speed limit. Can these cruise at 75?

Yes, easily. Top speed is in the 90's and on the highway, it feels just like any other normal car. But the faster you go, the faster you'll deplete the battery. Wind resistance has a lot to do with it. So if you hypermill on country roads, you can probably go 90 miles without much trouble. On the highway at 75mph you'll probably go 60 miles before using up the battery. The "sweet spot" for battery use is below about 55mph. My daily commute and errand running has zero highway involved, so it's perfect for me. If you had to do short highway stints, the Leaf would be fine. If you did all highway all the time, it may not be the best choice simply because of the reduced range.

I alternate between freeway and city street routes for my commute, depending on traffic. Freeway at 75 mph is noticeably worse for efficiency than city streets at 25 mph. It seems quite efficient at speeds from 20 to 55.

I have been averaging 5.0 miles per kWh fwiw. That means my 300 miles of driving has cost me about $7 in electricity.

Here's a funny one: I took a drive at lunch, and the energy usage is pretty amusing:

I left home with essentially a full charge, 99-100%. I drove essentially just outside of the opposite side of town, doing this about half on the freeway and half on 30-40mph roads. Once at the far point, I headed up a large hill on a windy road. Not actually driving very quickly, but having a little fun, and due to the tight, uphill corners and exuberance, invoking the traction control on most exits. So, using a bunch of juice.

When I got to lunch, the battery was at ~64-65%. I then sat down, had a burger, and headed up the very last of the hill, over the top, and on a more direct route across town on city streets to get home after doing most of the descending on a 40-mph road. Due to the differing routes, the trip back is a little less than half the distance there: about 20 miles there, about 8.5 back.

I arrived home with 62% in the battery.

So, point A to point B: ~35% of battery capacity.
Point B back to point A: ~3% of battery capacity.

The distance there was a little over twice the distance back; The electricity used there was over ten times the electricity used on the way back...

Sure drives home how much of going up a hill you get back on the way back down, and how much happier this thing is at a more modest pace, in terms of efficiency.