Plug in Prius or LEAF?

no, not even close. i dont have "charging" issues. many on the Leaf forums complain that 240 volt 16 amp is too slow. (this gives you about 12-15 miles of range per hour of charge)

i had my Nissan charging cable modified (peef here on PC) by a fellow Leafer and it only charges at 240 volts 12 amps (or about 11.25 miles per hour)

but i dont charge at work (i probably could) and i get home, i plug in just before i go to bed and charge is completed between 2 to 4 am.

now, the heated seats would be tempting (i have aftermarket seat heater...built in would be much nicer) but i could not justify the amount of money i would lose on the trade in.

and to be honest with ya; i am pretty happy with what i got. the only thing i would really like is lay down flat storage like the Prius. the Leaf still folds but has a narrower opening in the hatch and a trunk area and that is deeper than the fold down seat level.

i also dont live in an area that gets very cold. snow is rare, heating concerns are minimal for me. i dont need a lot of warmth but that may change as i get older (so i have been told) so i plan to avoid that for as long as possible

**edit** on your bad weather concerns, you do have a point on being stranded. but as long as you have 120 volt charging at work (this will pretty much put you back at near 100% depending on the elevation change) you will be fine for a few hours of sitting.

the heater w/o defrost will run between 1.5 to 3 KW an hour depending on temps. i usually starts at 3 KW then winds down to settle around 1.5 KW. you have access to 21 KW and if going down hill you will use very little of it on the way home so you could sit out there for 12 hours and still have a few KW left.

keep in mind, you regenerate power back to the battery going down hill. in drive, it takes very little slope to get you going at freeway speeds

 

Why would the Interstate be closed, for snow/blizzard type conditions? Then you shouldn't be driving, in either a Leaf or a PiP!

 

not a whole lot of choice if you are at work. she is at work now so overnight storms can and do happen. remember, you have a 33% chance of being stranded at work as opposed to home

 

Here is another future EV car coming-
Toyota Concept Vehicles -- RAV4 EV

 

I would be slightly concerned w/the trip to work if uphill, in extremely cold weather while stuck in terrible traffic. It might run the battery pretty low, even though it's one way.

It might help to plot to use http://priuschat.com/forums/freds-h...elevation-profile-route-between-2-points.html.

Dave posted about a guy w/35K miles on his Leaf in <1 year! See http://priuschat.com/forums/nissan-...your-thoughts-battery-pack-4.html#post1525524.

Side note: You might find http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293 helpful or...err.. overwhelming. (I've briefly met Tony before.)

 

Sorry to disagree with the others here, but this says to me "Get a Prius." Or a Volt, or something else dual-powered.

One day the city is going to notice that their power is being used and put a lock on that outlet. You'll have no warning. If it's a cold day (like it sometimes is in Colorado) your 70 miles of estimated range won't get you home. And, y'know, it'll be cold that day.

If you had an actual charging station at work, that might be different. I will get an all-electric car -- I expect my next car, after my new Prius dies in 2030 or so , will be electric. But I won't go that route until the range and the infrastructure don't limit my capabilities. People are making it sound like having a cell phone that won't work in certain areas -- well, if you got chained to the floor when the cell phone didn't work, maybe it would be.

 

I'd be interested to see what the "real-life range" is in the cold that you are likely to experience. Most have noted that EV performance is reduced in cold (even in standard Prius).

My thoughts (I have the PIP):

I have a similar commute (60mi round trip), big hill in the middle.

I have L1 charging capability at work but not L2.

I rent my condo so installing L2 charging would be an issue (I may try to get a 240v outlet installed and then get a plug-in L2 like the GE but not right away), and there are no L2 incentives in my area (LA and San Diego yes, but not Orange County).

L2 infrastructure in our area is spotty at best.

I occasionally do 80-100 mile side trips for work and can't take the family cruiser instead of my car.

I was not willing to be beholden to the plug and constantly worried about range with my commute. Sounds like you are similar.

In short, if in your position I would get the Leaf only if I could reliably charge (at least partially) at work - but I agree with the above poster that PIP or Volt makes more sense in your case.

 

Nissan Leaf Forum - Online forum for the Nissan Leaf Electric Car has a TON of user collected data for you to peruse.

Leaf perfect!

if you can get a 240 outlet. there is Phil (peef) here that can mod your 120 volt supplied cable for 240 volt operation and its cheap!

wow, you live in S. Cal and you actually think that??

Electric Cars - Charging Stations - Recargo
Electric Vehicle EV Charging Station | ChargePoint.com
PlugShare - Electric Vehicle Charging Network

all EVs come with compromise just like all gas cars do. it is really what you are willing to do to make it work. the side trip issues for work will be a logistical nightmare in your area for at least a year but you will have a fast charge network popping up all around you in the next year.

 

I feel the same way.. if you look at all the charging station maps, the Irvine/Tustin/Santa Ana area is kind of a black hole for charging stations.

 

Tustin Nissan
30 Auto Center Dr
Tustin, CA 92782

Jamboree Center
4 Park Plaza
Irvine, California 92614
USA


HOUR MAX
2060 Main St
Irvine, California 92614
USA

University of California, Irvine - Social Science Parking Structure
Campus Dr.
Irvine, CA 92617 (they have 4 locations wont list them all)

Main Place Mall
2800 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, CA 92705
USA

Connell Nissan
2850 Harbor Blvd
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
US

IKEA
1475 S. Coasty Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Stadium Nissan
1140 W Katella Ave
Orange, CA 92867

South Coast Plaza
3333 Bear St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
USA

Plaza Tower
600 Anton Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Orange Financial Center
701 S. Parker St.
Orange, CA 92868

Center Tower - Park Tower
3444-3480 Park Center Dr
Costa Mesa, California 92626
USA

sorry but getting ready to go so could only devote 5 minutes to looking. there were several other results i have not listed here. i simply picked an area central to your location and selected a 15 mile radius.

 

Dave -

Thanks for all the info and agreed on your statement about EV and compromise - not to hijack the OP's thread too much, but passing a Leaf on the way to work today made me think some about the true practicality of it for a longer commute... The PIP makes sense at this point given that I can get a full charge in at work (at least until someone says I can't) and boost my commute MPG to over 60, and then putz around town in EV mode evenings/weekends, etc. I feel this will be my EV "gateway drug" LOL...

For the OP's situation, I'm hard-pressed to say the Leaf is the best choice, though. The trip mentioned in the cold weather would certainly push the limits on range, especially if the charging source was lost, right?

Now, if they could combine the HV mode of the PIP with the range of the Volt... that'd be hard to beat... Enough range to complete almost all my days in all-EV with great HV MPG on longer or unexpected trips. Maybe the Gen IV PIP will be this?

 

cannot agree. sorry but just cannot. imm; she is taylor made for an EV. first of all, let me state; i would NEVER consider a Leaf in a single car household. we are not there yet and it will be 3-5 years before the infrastructure will be able to support that option.

but for her;

** 30 mile commute to work with a full charge

**120 volt plug to charge up at work which will get her most of charge back in an 8 hour shift but that wont matter since its downhill home

**getting solar

home trip downhill, minimal battery needs.

we have Leafers from Canada weighing in with pretty extreme weather reporting no less than 55 miles on a charge and we are talking blizzards in sub zero conditions.

she is really a near perfect candidate for an EV. its a two car household. if out of town trips are needed, take the other car

 

Sounds like it should work then... If you have access and permission to charge shouldn't be too much of an issue!

 

How much you can get back will depend on how good is the power. The recommended circuit for a Leaf 120v charger is dedicated 15amp. If you don't have that it may not charge or may pop the circuit at work. When do do the test drive you might see if you can take it for a day and test it at work.

When I go to charge my volt at the office I am forced to use the 8amp mode as the 12amp mode pops the breakers at the office (too many other things share the circuit). When I've tried plugging into a 120v outlet at a few other places I had the same issue about 70% of the time. Most garages with 120v seem to have lots of things on it. A block heater may only draw 6amps though some draw 12 amps. Even when my car is only at 8amp, if the cleaning people plug in their vacuums on the same circuit it can still pop it or interrupt my charging.

So if you have to limit the rate (not positive the Leaf can limit it below), and make sure it does not trip the breakers at work. If it does somehow limit to say 8amps, the in 10 hours might be only about 30miles of range what my volt would get from 10hrs at 8amps in summer and 24 miles in a Colorado winter.

 

No option to limit the draw: it's 12A or nothing. So you wouldn't want multiple EVs on the same circuit, but as long as there isn't anything else with a big draw on it, it probably won't trip.

 

Ya I have been to a few campgrounds where the breakers would trip every so often.

 

I'll add my thoughts to this discussion.

I came very close to buying a Leaf, for the very same reasons many have mentioned in this thread. I liked the car, I liked the concept, and it would work for me most of the time. I commute 40 miles most days, but I also need to drive 150 miles on some days. I eventually chose the plug in Prius because it would work for me ALL of the time and it provides much more flexibility. I also considerd that our commuting distances could change requiring a car with greater range.

The Leaf is a great car for many people as is the Prius. It just depends on your situation and the flexibility you need. It sounds like the Leaf would be a great car for you.

 

Is solar charging "real time?" If so, then the OP won't be able to solar charge at home if/when they work the day shift.