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I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf

jeffgeerling.com

311–320 of 683 posts

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

#311

I drove a 2015 Nissan Leaf for almost 10 years before upgrading this year to a Model Y. When it comes to charging network Tesla is SO MUCH BETTER. It's hard to describe how much of a wild west other charging networks are. You have to download this app or that app, add a credit card here, add one there. De-rated charging handles absolutely everywhere.

Can't believe it took them 10 years to add CCS1.

aren't they all dumping it for NACS in North America?

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

#312
Small, cheap electric cars are the best! Fun to drive, easy to maintain. I own an VW eUP 2015 model which costed me €4000 used. I do not know if they where for sale outside of Norway (I only see them here!), but it is the perfect car for 95% of our mobility needs.

I drive it to work every day (where I can charge it for free). I drive it to Oslo and can park/charge almost anywhere around town for really cheap, about €3/h, which is nothing compared to regular parking, which is usually ~€16/h.

I drive it to the Netherlands, about ~950km in two days, without a hint of range anxiety, thanks to abetterrouteplanner.com. Sure, I'm averaging 85km/h, and have to take a ~10min stop every ~2 hours to charge, but that is a welcome pause to visit the toilet or grab a bite.

I had to change a bearing that was getting noisy after 10 years of use, and it cost me €50 in parts and half an hour changing it. I was worried it was going to be a complicated affair, not having done it before, but it was as easy as changing a tire.

Oh, and there is physical buttons for everything! There is a little display that controls the music and shows consumption stats, but it is entirely optional and can be removed completely.

The battery has hardly degraded at all. I'm keeping this thing for as long as I possibly can, it is the perfect car!

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

#313

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 have a lease end coming up and the Bolt/EUV are on my radar, but one significant advantage that Leafs have is that the lower trims can have their head unit swapped out for a nice Pioneer or Sony unit from Crutchfield, just like is possible with many ICE vehicles, which can get you a nicer infotainment experience (including wireless CarPlay/AA) that isn’t encrusted with rent-seeking gunk.

> just like is possible with many ICE vehicles

Many older ICE vehicles, you mean? EVs aren't really special in their use of custom car-bound head units. BMW XDrive is the same XDrive they have in their EVs as they have in their ICEs. Mandatory backup cams is only going to accelerate that.

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

#314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not an outlier for a lot of people in the USA or the western part of Canada.

Citation please. It takes over seven hours to drive 500 miles non-stop at 70mph. I’d love to see a credible source that documents “a lot” of people are routinely driving this far in their personal vehicles.

Lots of people regularly drive 500 miles. The question is, how many drive 500 miles without 15 to 30 minutes of stopping? That I suspect is the small number. Doing so is illegal for commercial drivers in many jurisdictions, for darn good reasons. It's downright dangerous.

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

#315

I drove a 2015 Nissan Leaf for almost 10 years before upgrading this year to a Model Y. When it comes to charging network Tesla is SO MUCH BETTER. It's hard to describe how much of a wild west other charging networks are. You have to download this app or that app, add a credit card here, add one there. De-rated charging handles absolutely everywhere.

Can't believe it took them 10 years to add CCS1.

Tesla and Apple understand that the charger elegance and design is more important than the strict engineering requirements.

NACS is theoretically a worse charger, but it's more approachable to consumers.

CCS1 is clumsy , heavy and makes the car look like it's attached to an umbilical cord.

That's why they had to dump it.

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

#316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until September 30th so better hurry.

Note that many HN residents probably have too much MAGI - do your diligence on that tax credit before assuming you qualify.

There is no MAGI exclusion for the tax credit on leases, FWIW.

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

#317
post #14

> they shouldn't do 16 on a 15A circuit but it seems like some do There are 20A 120V circuits too! Called NEMA 5-20, one of its prongs is rotated. You plug that into a receptacle where one of the slots is T-shaped instead of straight. And it's standard practice for EVs to draw 80% of the maximum current, so 16A it is. I see this plug in larger machines in the office, like a large photocopier or a large vacuum.

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.

Get a Japanese water boiler. They keep the water at boiling in a reservoir, so it's already hot when you want it, no waiting.

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

#318
post #304

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…

People tolerate other EVs in two ways: 1. You charge at home and typically drive relatively short distances, meaning you almost never have to interact with a commercial charger; or 2. If you need to rely on commercial chargers, you live in a part of the world where Tesla was never allowed to build a charging network monopoly (i.e anywhere outside the US), or in a part of the US where there's decent fast charging infr…

He has home Level 2 (11kw) charging. But his EV is his primary road trip car.

It's not a "part of the world" it's Portland Metro area where millions live.

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

#319

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.

Get a Japanese water boiler. They keep the water at boiling in a reservoir, so it's already hot when you want it, no waiting.

Chinese offer this also. My wife just got one a few months ago, I think these are new things.

220V has a real advantage in boiling water fast in traditional kettles though (I used to live in china and they were twice as fast as the ones in America). It is almost worth getting a 220V outlet in a kitchen just to support fast water kettles.

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

#320

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...

Well, that's certainly not the cheapest. You can find old Leafs for 5k. People love Bolts, for good reason, and bit them up.
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