Live data from Hacker News

I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

jeffgeerling.com

291–300 of 683 posts

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ignoring any PR or political motivations, I’d argue the Leaf is a better choice for many people. I’m biased as I have one, quite similar, but let me give a pros from my perspective: - a traditional car feeling, knobs, buttons, the way cars have been for decades prior - very very reliable. basically never needs anything except wiper fluid. no software updates or crashing. I don’t have stats but might be one of most re…

After dealing with Tesla service, I’d also put having a large and varied dealer network with potential third party service locations as a plus for the Leaf. The word potential is doing a lot of work here - having competitive service options is still an EV issue, IMO. But Tesla service is expensive and difficult to navigate. Texting with a mechanic can work, but a quick 2 min conversation with a person would have save…

Tesla parts are notoriously cheap and you aren’t forced to use Tesla service.

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#292
post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish I could buy an electric kettle in the US that took advantage of the 20A outlets I have all over my house. Sigh.

You'd be better off buying a British kettle and using that on a 6-15 socket, if your goal is to boil water quicker.

I'd do that if I had two convenient hots for 240v going into my kitchen, but I don't. What I do have is a 20A 120v circuit.

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ignoring any PR or political motivations, I’d argue the Leaf is a better choice for many people. I’m biased as I have one, quite similar, but let me give a pros from my perspective: - a traditional car feeling, knobs, buttons, the way cars have been for decades prior - very very reliable. basically never needs anything except wiper fluid. no software updates or crashing. I don’t have stats but might be one of most re…

Also CarPlay, which was on my shortlist of features I actually cared for in any newer car. Silly of Tesla to not support it out of the box (IMO).

I thought not having Carplay was a dealbreaker, then I tried shopping other brands and they wanted $15 to $25 per month for remote start, so I went with Tesla. Plus Tesla had dash cam recording, which somehow no one else has yet? And of course, don’t have to deal with a stupid dealer with Tesla, just bought sitting on the couch at home.

Anyway, not having CarPlay has not been an issue. Although, it would have been nice to have.

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#294

Crazy he wouldn't go for a Bolt. I just bought a 2019 Chevy Bolt w/ 11k miles for $14.5k (so a bit over 10k after federal rebate). It has a brand new battery because all the Bolts were recalled for battery issues. Has around 250m range. Feel like I won the lottery. Still plenty of them available https://www.donohooauto.com/searchused.aspx?Make=Chevrolet&M...

I was so close to pulling the trigger on one of these except for 3 factors: It's driving assist platform is now deprecated and no longer receiving area expansions (I know many could not care less), it's charging speed is pretty slow by today's norms, and it will likely retain almost no value as time goes on.

I have a 2017 Bolt as my only car and the slow L3 charging is definitely a downside, but I haven't found it to be a huge issue in practice. On a trip long enough to worry about fast-charging you're going to need to stop to eat periodically anyway so if you plan your charging around meals you don't end up waiting too long. Obviously gets a bit more annoying on trips that are long enough to require more than one fast-charge per-day, but I don't take trips that long frequently.

Day to day charging is generally all going to be L2 or even L1 depending on how far you drive and how long typically parked somewhere with a plug. That will be roughly the same speed in any car. Some cars do have higher capacity L2 chargers than the Bolt does, but most public L2 stations don't provide the higher current needed to see the difference.

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could've bought Model 3 for this and spend $300 for third party buttons. It has software thats actually somewhat hackable and car is far more capable. But I understand it's hard to recommend Tesla these days lol.

Ignoring any PR or political motivations, I’d argue the Leaf is a better choice for many people. I’m biased as I have one, quite similar, but let me give a pros from my perspective: - a traditional car feeling, knobs, buttons, the way cars have been for decades prior - very very reliable. basically never needs anything except wiper fluid. no software updates or crashing. I don’t have stats but might be one of most re…

[flagged]

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#296

> Lack of standards: For 'L3' DC Fast Charging, the Leaf has a CHAdeMO port. Teslas and many newer EVs have NACS. Then there's CCS1 and CCS2. And charging stations are run by multiple vendors with multiple apps and payment methods. It's not like gas stations, like with Shell, BP, Buckee's, etc. where you just drive up, stick the gas nozzle in your tank, and squeeze. Afaik in Europe, CCS2 is the standard (and mandator…

I understand how the US and EU have different electrical outlets, voltages and frequencies. The systems developed independently, standardized on compatible versions locally, and standardizing globally would be very expensive and almost impossible to do safely. I don't understand how North America and Europe settled on different EV charging plugs.

I don't know how it is in the US but there is no one standard charging port here in Europe.

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#297

Crazy he wouldn't go for a Bolt. I just bought a 2019 Chevy Bolt w/ 11k miles for $14.5k (so a bit over 10k after federal rebate). It has a brand new battery because all the Bolts were recalled for battery issues. Has around 250m range. Feel like I won the lottery. Still plenty of them available https://www.donohooauto.com/searchused.aspx?Make=Chevrolet&M...

> Has around 250m range

250 meters ? but I want to drive off my street....

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#298
My neighbor has an Ioniq 5, styling-wise it's cooler than my Tesla. Reminds me of Corrado -- one of my favorite cars. But we have had night and day experiences with charging our EVs.

The supercharger network seems effortless & flawless -- almost too good. No payments, planning. The stations are clean, quiet & secluded. Just follow the Nav and charge.

The third-party network has been a disaster for my neighbor. He's had to back track many times, even on ~ 2 hr trips. The chargers are broken, causing him to double-back even more. On a recent trip the only working charger was next to a gas station and the fumes made his wife sick. He has 4+ apps to manage charging payments .

How on earth do people tolerate other EVs?

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#299

My neighbor has an Ioniq 5, styling-wise it's cooler than my Tesla. Reminds me of Corrado -- one of my favorite cars. But we have had night and day experiences with charging our EVs. The supercharger network seems effortless & flawless -- almost too good. No payments, planning. The stations are clean, quiet & secluded. Just follow the Nav and charge. The third-party network has been a disaster for my neighbor. He's h…

I love how the Ioniq 5 looks, but it’s too long. I wish they sold a Bolt-sized cousin in the US, that would be perfect.

Re: I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

#300
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go to your local Mitsubishi dealership in Europe and you will find the 2025 Outlander PHEV with a CHAdeMO plug. And I believe if you buy a pre-2019 Tesla Model S or Model X, you will have to deal with Tesla's own plug.

I'm guessing it skirts regulations by being a PHEV, since CCS2 is mandatory for DCFC otherwise. Skirting regulations is quite fitting for a PHEV, of course, as that is their raison d'etre.

the regulations mandate the CCS2 on the charging point, not on the car
Post reply on HN