40 Kwhr SV & SL - Endangered Species?

[rogersleaf]

"Least cost" shoppers may still pick the 40kwhr S at $29,990. But I agree, the 150-mile SL may be dead, at only $350 less than the S+.

That depends on your needs. I bought a 2019 SL while fully aware that the SL+ was coming. Sure, I would prefer more range, especially since my hilly 104-mile round-trip to work sometimes is too much for the 40 kWh battery in the cold weather, necessitating a fast-charge on the way home from work. That said, the minimum I would accept was ProPILOT Assist and birds-eye view. In other words, I would not have bought a new LEAF without those features. Viewed in that light, given the choice between an SL and an S+, I would take the SL. And I did.
Others have other needs, of course.

I would hope that the American "bigger is better" mentality doesn't kill smaller capacity EV's. Personally, I can understand and accept the engineering limits of a 40 KWh LEAF. Afterall, why would I want to drag around (or pay for) the extra 300 lbs of batteries or fuel the extra motor capacity to support the extra weight when the added range is essentially meaningless? 40 KWh is likely sized about right for me given that it can easily cover my 75-90 mile commute 90% of the time, is parked & charged in my garage every night, and have a 2nd ICE vehicle for distance driving or cold/snow days. Have an appointment tomorrow night to test drive a '19 SL 40KWh.

 

[SageBrush]

I would hope that the American "bigger is better" mentality doesn't kill smaller capacity EV's. Personally, I can understand and accept the engineering limits of a 40 KWh LEAF. Afterall, why would I want to drag around (or pay for) the extra 300 lbs of batteries or fuel the extra motor capacity to support the extra weight when the added range is essentially meaningless? 40 KWh is likely sized about right for me given that it can easily cover my 75-90 mile commute 90% of the time, is parked & charged in my garage every night, and have a 2nd ICE vehicle for distance driving or cold/snow days. Have an appointment tomorrow night to test drive a '19 SL 40KWh.

It is not just "bigger is better," it is that bigger replaced ICE entirely in my household.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I don't see why they can't make a 35-40kwh subcompact with a ~200 mile range. Something like the tall, voluminous-but-small mini-wagons that were popular for a while 20 years ago...

 

[Titanium48]

I would hope that the American "bigger is better" mentality doesn't kill smaller capacity EV's. Personally, I can understand and accept the engineering limits of a 40 KWh LEAF. Afterall, why would I want to drag around (or pay for) the extra 300 lbs of batteries or fuel the extra motor capacity to support the extra weight when the added range is essentially meaningless? 40 KWh is likely sized about right for me given that it can easily cover my 75-90 mile commute 90% of the time, is parked & charged in my garage every night, and have a 2nd ICE vehicle for distance driving or cold/snow days. Have an appointment tomorrow night to test drive a '19 SL 40KWh.

Right now, anyone who doesn't need a 200+ km range has plenty of quality used options at prices much lower than a manufacturer could sell a 20-30 kWh car for new. So long as there continue to be significant increases in range as models are updated or new models introduced, the used market will continue to supply those with lesser needs at much more affordable prices. When the range race reaches a level where there is little demand for more (probably 600 - 800 km) and previous generation vehicles start to show their age, then manufacturers will think about building stripped down cheaper EVs to occupy niches now filled by economy ICEVs.