INPUT from previous EV1 owners (sic) & current AZ owners

[aubergaz]

Are there any previous EV1 owners who now have a Leaf? I am interested in your experience and comparison of the two cars. Besides the obvious in terms of 2 seat vs 5 seat and styling, what has your driving experience been like? Additionally what has your experience been with Nissan in terms of 'support'. While we all know about GM's corporate indifference to the EV1, my local dealership and EV Rep, Lisa Thomas, did everything they could to make my 6 1/2 year experience a positive one.

From any current owners of the Leaf in Arizona, I have seen several threads on markedly reduced range with air conditioning in use. Since this is obviously NOT an option in AZ, I am interested in what effect it is having in this environment. Which dealer have you used and what has the experience been?

Just a side note. I stopped by Power Nissan in Tempe on Thursday afternoon when I saw a 'demo' unit at the charging station. Was there about 15 minutes. NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON CAME UP AND ASKED IF THEY COULD HELP ME OR ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

Congratulations to all who have taken the plunge with the Leaf. I hope to join you soon!

 

[turbo2ltr]

There are lots of AZ owners. Check out the Phoenix thread in the regional section.

As for the AC, it really hasn't been that hot here. But to me the range hit is almost negligible. That may not be the case for people used to using the whole battery on a regular basis, but I regularly see "+1 mile for climate control off" with barely 500w of draw to maintain a decent temp. The only time the draw is significant is when the car is already hot inside. Grid powered precooling will go a long way to saving those miles.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

wow!! 500 watts in Phoenix is impressive. we will have temps near 80 for the next two days. first chance to actually see A/C in action!!

 

[turbo2ltr]

Like I said, it's barely been 90 here. Should hit 100 this week so we'll see. I also keep my car garaged both at work and home, so it's rarely been sitting in the sun.

 

[aubergaz]

Which PHX dealership did you work with? How was your experience and ongoing support?

 

[turbo2ltr]

I know it's long, but read thought the phx thread.

A lot of us purchased out of state including myself.

 

[LEAFfan]

wow!! 500 watts in Phoenix is impressive. we will have temps near 80 for the next two days. first chance to actually see A/C in action!!

Right now, it's a DRY heat, so it takes at least 100 for me to use A/C unless I have a passenger. You must have high humidity there because near 80 is waaaay too cool to use ANY A/C here and would be a waste of energy.

 

[spyderrs]

Demo vehicle

Coulter Nissan also has a demo available as of now,

 

[aubergaz]

Have you had any problems charging at another dealership? One of the threads gave some horrific stories about a CA dealership that refused 'charging' because they had not purchased the vehicle through them.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

wow!! 500 watts in Phoenix is impressive. we will have temps near 80 for the next two days. first chance to actually see A/C in action!!

Right now, it's a DRY heat, so it takes at least 100 for me to use A/C unless I have a passenger. You must have high humidity there because near 80 is waaaay too cool to use ANY A/C here and would be a waste of energy.

actually its conditioning. the other day was first day over 70º since Sept 2010. so to go from 55º that it was on Wed to near 80 that it will be today is not as easy as it sounds

 

[turbo2ltr]

I went to several dealers documenting their charge stations for this map http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&safe=on&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=218079117614166715880.00049aeefb8b1a9407bb4&ll=33.431441,-111.938324&spn=1.287017,2.772675&z=10 and had no problems.

 

[hill]

wow!! 500 watts in Phoenix is impressive. we will have temps near 80 for the next two days. first chance to actually see A/C in action!!

Right now, it's a DRY heat, so it takes at least 100 for me to use A/C unless I have a passenger. You must have high humidity there because near 80 is waaaay too cool to use ANY A/C here and would be a waste of energy.

Sorry for the tangent ... but this may be very important. Isn't the Leaf designed to use it's AC as a method of battery management/cooling? I know many EV/HEV/PHEV cars DO use the systems' AC ... and if the same is true w/ the Leaf, you WILL be hurting battery longevity, in the long run. General rule of thumb, if a rider is too warm (85 degrees f and above) - then the batteries are starting to be affected as well. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[leafkabob]

Which PHX dealership did you work with? How was your experience and ongoing support?

Welcome Aubergaz. I purchased from Coulter Nissan and at the time I place my order in December, 2010, they were the only Phoenix area dealership that seemed to be willing to offer any kind of significant price discount. They may be your best bet on price. Talk to Ron Jackson or Rich Harris. And do a search for the thread "Post your Order Details Here" to see what kinds of deals people are reporting.

What Phoenix really seems to be missing is a Mossy or Fontana or Boardwalk type dealership, where the sales folks are really enthusiastic about evs, and the leaf in particular.

 

[LEAFfan]

Sorry for the tangent ... but this may be very important. Isn't the Leaf designed to use it's AC as a method of battery management/cooling? I know many EV/HEV/PHEV cars DO use the systems' AC ... and if the same is true w/ the Leaf, you WILL be hurting battery longevity, in the long run. General rule of thumb, if a rider is too warm (85 degrees f and above) - then the batteries are starting to be affected as well. Just something to keep in mind.

I doubt if it will be any problem at all because I plan on pre-cooling while it's charging. I should have said I won't be using the A/C much while driving.

 

[turbo2ltr]

The battery is sealed below a carpet and at least two layers of metal. Cabin temp will have little effect on the battery temp when the 150+ deg road is radiating right into the bottom of the thing.

 

[aubergaz]

Thanks for the continued input. Keep info coming. I've got 88K on my current 06 Prius. It's holding up fine, but the Leaf is an exciting alternative that I want to focus on.

With my Prius and my wife's Honda, we found that dealerships outside the area were sometimes discounting manufactuers warranties for SIGNIFICANTLY less! Any research relative to the Leaf?

 

[GerryAZ]

When I started looking for a dealer to order from last fall, I was very disappointed to find a lack of knowledge and enthusiasm for the LEAF at the first two Phoenix dealers I talked to. Coulter was one of them, but the person I talked to told me they were sending people to training soon. Based on Leafkabob's post, Coulter was probably more prepared to deal with the LEAF process by the time he talked to them. I had already ruled out one other dealer due to a bad experience in the late 1980's while shopping for a pickup so I tried a dealer in Scottsdale. Walter Dolan at Pinnacle Nissan seemed to be very knowledgeable about the LEAF so I chose to order from him. I have not received my car yet (should be soon since I ordered in early November and have week of June 17 delivery showing in my dashboard), so I do not yet have experience with their service department.

As an Electrical Engineer in the power industry, I would have purchased an EV1 if GM would have sold me one. I could not justify the high monthly lease rate for 3 years only to give the car back. I looked at the EV1 several times during the few years they were available hoping GM would change their policies, but we all know now that GM had no intention of selling them to the public. I too am interested in comparisons between the LEAF and EV1 by those who have driven both.

 

[aubergaz]

Let me know how the process goes...

I too was very hesitant about the lease on the EV1. Had never done it before. But found myself so enthralled with it I could not resist the opportunity. It made no sense when I took the big step. 2 cars, almost 100k miles, and 6 1/2 years later, it has been the highlight of my automotive experiences since I started driving over 45 years ago.
Go figure...

 

[LEAFfan]

I could not justify the high monthly lease rate for 3 years only to give the car back.

How much a month was the lease?

 

[Caracalover]

I also wanted to lease the EV1, but they told me the lease was $300 month - and back then I could lease a jaguar fullly loaded for that. I was game though, couldn't justify it, but was able to make the money work. Went back to get one and they had raised the price to $400 a month. Gave up.

Have a friend that did lease one, he was in the movie WKTEC and now has a Tesla Roadster. He also just got a Leaf but hasn't had the chance to drive it much yet. He went out of town the day after he took delivery, and his wife is likely to be the primary driver. He uses the Tesla for everyday driving. If he doesn't get around to posting here, I will try to let you know what his opinion is. He drove my Leaf and liked it enough to buy one, if that is any help.

We both are advocates for EV adoption and support PluginAmerica.org The differences you state at the start are big factors though - seating five instead of two comes at a cost. The Lithium batteries are better than the ones Mobil oil (NiMtlHyd) owns the patent on though so that is one benefit I suppose.