After 3 Years +++++++++++++++++++

[vkruger]

I think I got the 9th private Leaf 1/4/11. Overall I love it. I expected a few problems with a totally new design, but they never happened!!!!!!! (I cringe thinking about how the Apteva I was waiting for would have worked out.)

The cost was great (about $23k net). I was ready to pay $40k for a next gen EV. I also expected to spend $10k in five year for a replacement battery (net of trade-in). Still don't know what that cost will be but I can wait a year or 2 more.

I have ~22k miles and charged >90% at 80% for ~30 months with ~ a dozen quick charges. Then I lost a capacity bar and the range had dropped enough that I started to charge at 100% all the time. I opted out of the battery settlement to keep my future options open. My range at 75 mph commuting speed in San Diego is now about 55 miles. I just got the software update with my 3 year battery check. My Rav4 EV can do at least 110 miles at that speed or 140 miles at 60 mph.

The Leaf is much quieter than the Rav4 EV, handles a little better, gets 3.7 vs 3.0 miles per kWh, sits lower, has better interface, has less problems - power - storage area. I'm very happy with both.

Love just about everything about the Leaf. Hate nothing. The two disappointments are the quicker than expected battery degradation and the poor tires (changed out at 20,000 for Michelins’ MVX?).

I expect to keep the car for perhaps 20 years with 2 battery replacements. There is very little else to wear out that to force getting rid of it. If a reasonable replacement battery isn’t available in 3 years (which I doubt) I’ll buy a Tesla. I only expect to keep my Rav4 EV for about 7 years because of potential problems (it is just a compliance car with no support).

 

[Stanton]

Congrats! Would be interested to hear what happens with your CarWings account... (oh, and update your profile...especially with what must be a very low VIN#)

 

[Randy]

I also picked up my LEAF at Fontana Nissan on the same day as Vic, and have been very happy with the car so far...I bought the car, so I'm in it for the long haul...

I still have all 12 capacity bars, and have about 25,000 miles on the car. I have used the DC Fast charge port quite a bit and have enjoyed that. I have worked very hard to keep the battery as cool as possible, and doing whatever else I can to "Baby" it (80% charging, parking in the shade at work when I can, driving in ECO mode (which tempers the current that the battery has to supply), etc. So far my methods have been pretty successful, but I know that I'll probably lose a bar soon or when the weather warms up...

I have not had to take the car in for any service beyond battery checks or tire rotations, etc. And, like Vic, I'm now "out of warranty" since my 3 year anniversary was 2 days ago...

I'll have to buy new tires pretty soon for the car, but other than some of the tweaks that have been added to the 2013 model, I probably wouldn't change much...Faster L2 charging would have been nice on some of our road trips, but I bought a longer range EV now for road trips so the LEAF is more for our around-town commuting needs...

Count me as a very satisfied owner and very glad I bought the LEAF. My plan is to drive it for many more years as-is. My commute is relatively short, so I can afford to lose quite a bit of range and still make my commute...I want to be the owner that is driving around town at 8 or 10 years with my original battery...

 

[thankyouOB]

I also picked up my LEAF at Fontana Nissan on the same day as Vic, and have been very happy with the car so far...I bought the car, so I'm in it for the long haul...

I still have all 12 capacity bars, and have about 25,000 miles on the car. I have used the DC Fast charge port quite a bit and have enjoyed that. I have worked very hard to keep the battery as cool as possible, and doing whatever else I can to "Baby" it (80% charging, parking in the shade at work when I can, driving in ECO mode (which tempers the current that the battery has to supply)....

what do you mean by the ECO mode tempers the current supply? And how does that give the battery longevity?

 

[mwalsh]

3 years yesterday for me. Think my car was maybe the 12th or 13th delivered. I'm currently sitting at 37.900 miles. CarWings is still working.

Mostly love the car. Not crazy about what's happened with the battery pack degradation, nor Nissan's response to it. But if the LEAF will work for us on any given journey, I'll take it over the wife's Volt in a heartbeat. I didn't even have a problem with the original Bridgestone Ecopia tires - mine lasted 34,000 miles.

I'm a buyer, so mine isn't going anywhere in the near term. Besides, I've just got it where I want it in terms of personalization, and I like some of the features that have been changed or discontinued in the newer models.

 

[Randy]

I also picked up my LEAF at Fontana Nissan on the same day as Vic, and have been very happy with the car so far...I bought the car, so I'm in it for the long haul...

I still have all 12 capacity bars, and have about 25,000 miles on the car. I have used the DC Fast charge port quite a bit and have enjoyed that. I have worked very hard to keep the battery as cool as possible, and doing whatever else I can to "Baby" it (80% charging, parking in the shade at work when I can, driving in ECO mode (which tempers the current that the battery has to supply)....

what do you mean by the ECO mode tempers the current supply? And how does that give the battery longevity?

I was trying to describe the difference between ECO mode and non-ECO mode driving. In non-ECO mode driving, I find that the power output to the motor (via the energy display on the car) is very "peaky". It is easy to barely push on the accelerator and have the power output go quite high, all the way up to the 80kW limit on the display. That's what I was referring to in my statement. In ECO mode, you really have to press on the A pedal much harder to get to that higher output level (if at all), and frequently I find that I'm driving the car with 2 or 3 power bubbles on the dash display (versus pegging it frequently if I was in non-ECO mode).

So, yes, I am saying that driving in ECO mode does result in less output current to the motor from the battery on average. Does your car not behave that way?

In addition, I know several local LEAF drivers whose behavior seems to mimic mine to a large degree (except that they drive in non-ECO mode and do more high-speed freeway driving while pulling much more current from the battery). Isn't it interesting that these people I know have suffered 1 and 2 bar losses while driving this way? The difference between our cars and the way we use them seems to center around this ECO / non-ECO mode driving and the associated high speed / high current freeway driving...So, yes, I believe it does make a difference...We'll see when my 12th bar goes away with my current behavior...

 

[adric22]

I was trying to describe the difference between ECO mode and non-ECO mode driving. In non-ECO mode driving, I find that the power output to the motor (via the energy display on the car) is very "peaky". It is easy to barely push on the accelerator and have the power output go quite high, all the way up to the 80kW limit on the display.

I'm quite familiar with this problem and have complained about it several times over the years and people always dismiss me as being crazy or something. In fact, that reason alone is enough to make me want to drive in ECO mode all of the time. The added regen seals the deal.

Funny thing is, I've had my Leaf for 3 years now too. What's interesting is that I'm using D-mode for the first time the last few days. The weather has been so cold I want more from my heater and ECO mode limits the heater's power draw. Since I have a short commute, I'd rather stay warm and use a little more power.

 

[jsongster]

I'm looking forward to 3 years and frankly have never been interested in roaring down the freeways at 70. I enjoy the car's performance even in ECO Mode ( which I use all the time)

I bought my 2013 and therefore unlike my rental/leasing cohorts am interested in getting the most life out of the battery possible. Personally I would like a superEco mode to try that would get even better range... maybe a switchable governor that I could select my own max speed. Like 60 or 65... occasionally 55.

As to the heater in eco mode... one thing that someone here mentioned was don't ignore the recirc button... I'm guessing that this mostly applies to us Californians as the folks in the frost line would figure it out on their own quickly... when it is cold outside make sure recirc is on so you don't have to warm outside air. Won't go on when defrost is on though as it would defeat it.

Sure looking forward to 5 or more years of use for my LEAF as I have a 10 minute 3 mile commute and a grocery store 2 miles from home... so it should be useful even after fading... but I'd like to make it last as long as I can.

Congrats to the

 

[bowthom]

Hello,
My Leaf will be turning 3 next month and I plan to upgrade the charging as it's b-day present to me. Headed to 6kW charging, although, I haven't decided whether it will be in the back or under the hood. I'm looking forward to more useful public charging options. 1 hour at a blink for 20+ miles at $1.00 is acceptable. Still have 12 bars @ 28k miles.

Counting the days,
Don

 

[JeremyW]

I haven't decided whether it will be in the back or under the hood. I

I would do the front. You have to drop the pack to put it in the back, as the AC wiring running back there can't support more than the stock charger.

 

[uwskier20]

Mine will turn 3 in May. I've gone 47,000 miles, still have 12/12 bars (close to losing the 12th bar though). Just replaced my Ecopias with a new set today, which has been the biggest expense to date.

I too would like to upgrade the charging eventually. I'm totally unqualified to do any kind of HV work, though, so am hoping I can find somebody to do it for me when the time comes.

 

[Stoaty]

My Leaf has 25,000 miles after 31 months. Very happy with it overall, especially for a first generation vehicle--except for the rapid battery capacity loss. Unfortunately, it may not be too long until the reduced capacity (have lost 17%, still have all 12 capacity bars) starts affecting my longest drive (50 miles of freeway with 800 feet elevation gain once a week). Capacity loss has slowed during the cooler months, but I am still running ahead (i.e., behind) the battery aging model. In spite of babying my Leaf, I will probably be at 80% capacity after 3 years, not 5 years.

 

[prberg]

Still loving the car after 3 years. Hard to believe I haven't been to a gas station in 3 years. Love it!

I'm almost at 18,000 miles. I don't drive very far during the week (maybe 15 miles per day on average). On the weekends we take it as far as we can. We do a 76 mile round trip (mostly freeway). It is getting hard to complete that round trip. We have started to trickle charge at our destination but with more range loss we will have to take our hybrid more often unfortunately.

Only real complaint is the range. I wish I could get like 150 miles on the car. That would make it even more useful. But no way I will go back to a non plug in vehicle. I am glad that Nissan has a warranty for battery capacity now. I wish they would have stepped up and offered it from the beginning. Owners want that kind of assurance.

Just brought it to the dealer for the 36 month service. I got the battery report done for free, which was nice. They did try once to get me to do the brake fluid, but I had it done at 24 months so it would be stupid to have it done again so soon. I guess I got 5 stars on the battery report (they just told me about it.. I didn't get a printout). I lost the first capacity bar about 2 months ago (for me I think the battery loss is related to age more than anything else).

Love the LEAF.. so glad we took the jump back in 2011. Saved so much on gas and maintenance. Plus the smooth driving and zero emissions is awesome (we have solar at home so it's pretty much really zero emission).

Go LEAF!

-Peter

 

[TLeaf]

LEAF # 225 reporting in with my anniversary date coming up in a few more days. Just under 25K miles with no bars lost and zero issues with the car. Loving the electric life and proud to say I think I've made a few converts along the way. At the current rate of battery degradation, I'm expecting that my battery will still be around and kicking in 17 years when I get to start contemplating retirement.

 

[prberg]

LEAF # 225 reporting in with my anniversary date coming up in a few more days. Just under 25K miles with no bars lost and zero issues with the car. Loving the electric life and proud to say I think I've made a few converts along the way. At the current rate of battery degradation, I'm expecting that my battery will still be around and kicking in 17 years when I get to start contemplating retirement.

Can I ask where you are located? I didn't think I lived in a real 'hot' area, but seeing people with 3 year old LEAF's and all 12 capacity bars is very interesting.

-Peter

 

[TimLee]

I live in TN. Lost first capacity bar around 16,000 miles in early summer 2013 right around two years of use. 29 months from manufacture. A few people in TN have lost the first bar sooner.
But recently got Leaf Spy Pro App, and it shows 57.41 Ah, which is surprisingly high for having lost first capacity bar.
Still love the car, but the battery capacity degradation is truly AWFUL compared to what Nissan was stating when they began marketing the LEAF.

 

[UBUYGAS]

In 10 days I'll own my 13 SL 9 months and I LOVE it. My favorite car so far since I started driving 27 years ago!

I bought it as well, plan to hold on to it till it dies. Hoping that in 7 years I can pull into a Pep-Boys and replace the entire battery pack for $1195.00 installed.

Maybe by the time it hits 100,000 miles I can find cells on eBay and swap them out myself!

I'm sure posts like that are not far off.

Sal
aka Lasareath

 

[klapauzius]

Can I ask where you are located? I didn't think I lived in a real 'hot' area, but seeing people with 3 year old LEAF's and all 12 capacity bars is very interesting.

-Peter

Ours will be turning 3 this month and is currently @ 59.3 AH and all 12 bars left. I think not too unusual for the moderate PNW climate.
Assuming a linear degradation (which should not be actually the case), we have lost ~ 2 Ah per year. Assuming the first bar is lost a 55 AH, this should happen ~ 2 years from now.

Given that the 1st bar represents 15% capacity, the illusion of 12/12 bars left is just a psychological trick Nissan is playing on us. But at least in our climate the 5-years 80% promise seems possible.

 

[DarkDave]

My Leaf will turn 3 in March, and except for battery degredation, no issues to report other than some wear on the interior fabric. I live in Phoenix, so I'm getting close to loosing my 4th bar (will probably happen this coming June). I'm almost to 20,000 miles after 33 months, so I'm hopeful the "hot weather" pack will last longer here in AZ once it's available.

Otherwise, someone pointed out that the cost of a new battery pack at http://www.nissanpartsdiscounts.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; was only $1925:
http://www.nissanpartsdiscounts.com/parts-catalog/nissan/leaf/2011/sv/electric/electric-propulsion-system/battery" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Heck, a new pack for under $2000 sounds pretty reasonable to me.

 

[UBUYGAS]

Is this Real? Is that really the battery pack with all 48 cells or is that just the enclosure and no cells.

Otherwise, someone pointed out that the cost of a new battery pack at was only $1925:
http://www.nissanpartsdiscounts.com/parts-catalog/nissan/leaf/2011/sv/electric/electric-propulsion-system/battery" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Heck, a new pack for under $2000 sounds pretty reasonable to me.