Goodbye Prius, hello Leaf

Congratulations. Something tells me you'll still be around here for a while though.

 

I just don't like the idea of reduce battery capacity as the car ages. So if it goes down to like 80 miles per charge, you would only be able to go 40 miles out before you have that uncomfortable anxiety of needing to charge or you won't make it back home. It also won't let you take a unplanned detour or get stuck in traffic that doesn't move

That reason would really discourage me in going full electric with a short range.

 

But most commutes are 40 miles or less. Which is why GM targeted that number for the first Volt. Then the average commuter distance is even less in Europe.

 

congrats gc! don't be a stranger, i'll miss the toy bashing. all the best with the leaf, sounds like the right decision. fill us in on price details if you're willing, and keep us updated. it's been a pleasure.

 

I hope you enjoy your new ride. Hey no oil or transmission fluid to worry about. Everyone's situation is unique and you should get the best thing for you. Isn't a new generation Leaf coming soon?

 

Fair Winds and Following Seas, friend!!

Best of luck with the leaf.
Pictures, please and don't forget to pop in every now and again.

Somehow....PC would not be the same without your rolling advertisements for Yorkshire!

 

I missed the traffic scenario.
While the BEV will have its range reduce from the repeated stops and starts, it doesn't idle the motor while stopped. So the range loss is small compared to how an ICE car's fuel efficiency plummets in those conditions.
Now, the situation is different with heavy use of cabin climate control.

 

Yes sitting in traffic, using climate control, headlights, brake lights, tail lights, listening to music......anything that will further drain your charge.

 

my first question is, what's the winter range with heat? and that depends on where you live.

 

Grumpy Cabby doesn't live in the heat of Southern California, so his AC use will be lighter. By this thread, My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - A/C and range, AC can reduce range up to 10%. The heater can suck down the heat though, but I don't GC sees winters as harsh as I do, and then preconditioning the car from the wall will reduce the amount of range lost on the drive.

Ever measure how long it takes your Prius' SOC to go from 'full' until the ICE kicks on while stuck in LA traffic? That is 0.26kWh of electricity the car used creeping along. A Leaf has nearly 100 times as much juice in its battery, and its AC, radio, and lights are likely more energy efficient than what is in a gen2 Prius.

 

Congrats Grumpy, it'll be great to see the back of you here on PC lol

EVs make a lot of sense for so many and going from a hybrid will be easy for you. You're right re the PIP, it's huge money here and almost impossible to justify the price.

The range on the latest leaf is much improved since the first ones and since most on here watch your right foot, I'm sure you'll be able to keep the range to a max by good driving

Re the battery life, I know of a leaf here with 125,000 Kms and he's just lost his first bar, out of twelve, so the life isn't too bad

You getting a charger at home or hoping to use public chargers? Our public ones a

 

You're a big part of this place, Grumpy, no need to go anywhere. Please stay and and tell the Leaf like it is.

 

I have compared my 2006 to my 2010 to my 2015 on draining the Prius SOC. As time goes by and the capacity reduces, the battery drains at a much faster rate. That is my point to having lower capacity and a Leaf down the road (a few years)

There are reports that Nissan is kicking in a few thousand dollars ($6000?) to help from getting all their leases back. They want the owners to keep them. The residual on the lease returns are at around $20k when the used car lots are selling them for $14,000 and auctions even lower around $10,000. I think the range anxiety on the cars as they age is a big problem.

 

Buy one, drive for 3-5 years and go again if range anxiety is an issue

 

I think the problem is more the fact that the cars coming off lease now were models with a higher price when new than the new ones of today. Between the federal tax incentive and California's rebate, a new Leaf could be out the door in for $16k to $18k for the base trim. Why not get a whole new car for a couple thousand more than buying off the lease of your current car? That would likely be a tough choice with any car. Since incentives have made new cars 'cheap', used ones are going to have to sell for even less.

Condition of the battery pack is a concern with a used BEV, particularly in the case of Leafs from a hot state, but all used cars have a level of wear on their suspension, brakes, and drivetrains. In the snow belt, rust can also be an issue. I think that by the time most BEVs will need a replacement battery, it will be at a time when a major repair should planned for with any car. BEVs will likely just depreciate faster as they get older with an original battery than an other car.

 

....anything that makes Grumpy happy is a good thing...

 

Congratulations. It would be nice to have you hang around and give us your take on the pros and cons of the Leaf versus the Prius.