I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf • Hacker News Board

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

#591

Post by eloisant » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 3:58 PM UTC

rurban wrote: post #544

The cheapest EV would be a BYD Surf, but unfortunately you cannot find used cars of these yet in Europe. Too new. Eying those for a while

That's not the cheapest, at least in France the cheapest new EV is the Dacia Spring.

Of course if you look at the used market, older models like Renault Zoe can also be found for cheap... But considering EV technology have been evolving fast, I wouldn't buy a model older than 5 years old.

I also wouldn't want anything that doesn't have a CCS2. All my small electronics are finally USB-C, I don't want to deal with obsolete plug types and adapters again.

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

#592

Post by eloisant » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:06 PM UTC

mangecoeur wrote: post #126

As European it really struck me how poor the second hand ev market must be in the US. For the “cheap second hand car to do short distances” we have a lot of options really cheap - older gen Renault Zoe and Peugeot e208s, leafs, even the old hyundai Ioniq which is a bit of a cult favourite for its efficiency

Gas is cheap in US, so they have less incentives to buy EVs to start with.

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

#593

Post by eloisant » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:15 PM UTC

prmoustache wrote: post #60

behnamoh wrote: post #5

You should never purchase EVs, only lease them. That's what I did. This saves you from the terrible depreciation they have. The only time it makes sense to buy an EV is if it's used. Edit: He bought used.

From a purely economic point of view, buying a new car is always a bad idea, regardless of the drivetrain technology.

People who buy new cars don't do it for economic reasons, they do it so they can configure them exactly the way they want.

Even then, most individuals don't buy new cars. Most of the cars on the used market come from company cars, rentals, leasing...

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

#594

Post by jiveturkey » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:22 PM UTC

> One pedal driving Seriously, why doesn't every EV have this mode? It makes driving one feel SO much better than any gas car, in terms of connection between driver and car movement.

_ANY_ gas car? 100% of manual transmission cars (and now PDK/DSG/DCT) have this.

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

#595

Post by pornel » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:24 PM UTC

boredpudding wrote: post #341

rsolva wrote: post #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 €…

What range are you getting in winter at 85km/h? Currently trying to get rid of our petrol car but knowing realistic range up front is rough. I'm fine with driving slower.

The absolutely worst efficiency I've experienced was 2.7km/kWh at 120km/h in DS3 e-tense. That was a v1 Stellantis drivetrain, without a heat pump. Peugeot e208, Corsa-e, etc. are the same thing. Stellantis sucks at EVs, especially their first gen, so that's probably really the worst case scenario (apart from EV's nemesis: towing non-aerodynamic trailers at high speeds).

So if you take an EV's battery size in kWh and multiply it by 2.7, that's the worst range you will get in km.

In normal weather EVs get 5-7km per kWh.

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

#596

Post by j1elo » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:34 PM UTC

jeromegv wrote: post #588

j1elo wrote: post #567

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it also a way to keep outsiders out? If 30 mins by car becomes 1h30 by train+bus combinations, lots of people are effectively pushed out of even wanting to go to the city centre for meeting friends or having a family walk around.

You say it keeps outsider out. Let’s not forget people living there already, if you build a car dependant city around them they often get pushed out or have to live through car hell. Not a lot of car dependant city have a thriving and livable downtown, in fact I would love to see which city is having a good quality life in their center while making it easy for cars to come in and out to the suburbs.

Given how things are being consciously designed (via policies and/or lack of political action), the "people living there already" are just those rich enough to not have yet felt pushed out due to the housing crisis (but give them time). That maybe would be just life, but on the other hand you have lots of other policies that also favor centralization of job creation, development, cultural and entertainment opportunities, etc. So what gives? it's all a big contradiction (not economically, but socially)

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

#597

Post by declan_roberts » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:45 PM UTC

regnull wrote: post #325

tonymet wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

which networks/providers are good?

Electrify America is great.

A good one but too little (usually just 2 or maybe 4 handles) and far between. They have a very long way to go.

One thing they did right was require a credit card scanner right on the machine. No app!!!

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

#598

Post by declan_roberts » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:46 PM UTC

tonymet wrote: post #311

NewJazz wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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

NACS is officially the North American charging standard. Elon projected the name into reality.

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

#599

Post by declan_roberts » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:48 PM UTC

tonymet wrote: post #315

NewJazz wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

This is exactly right. It's just too big and clumsy. It's almost always the Pareto principle option that wins if it's easier to use. Because "good enough" is all that matters to most consumers.

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

#600

Post by incanus77 » Sat, Sep 06, 2025, 4:55 PM UTC

rsolva wrote: post #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 €…

Agree! We got a used 2015 Fiat 500e for $8k 2.5 years ago and it’s been great as an around-town car. Don’t have kids, but can take a passenger or two in the back if need be (it’s tight) but for two people and errands, it’s been a fantastic value.