Lease Leaf charging

[pabafree95]

Hello: wondering for those of you who lease the leaf, can you also lease the home charging station? or do most of you plug into outlet in your garage/work?
thanks much.

 

[planet4ever]

I've never heard of leasing a home charging station, but remember, they use a J1772 standard which has been adopted by nearly every electric auto maker. So whatever you get will be good for your next EV, and the next one after that. Actually, if you lease the car you are also leasing the "trickle charge" cord that comes with it, and that is functionally the same as a home charging station, but much slower than the ones you buy. Even if you lease you can get that upgraded so it charges 3-4 times as fast for a very reasonable price. See EVSE Upgrade. Note the FAQ on that site, "I am leasing, so is it still ok to upgrade my unit?".

For the other part of your question, some people (but a minority of us) do use only Level 1 charging at home, plugging into a normal 120v outlet. That can work fairly well if you are driving 30 miles a day or less. I think some people have stretched it to 40 miles, but you really have to be conscious of your power use and charging schedule if you drive that far.

Ray

 

[pabafree95]

Ray thanks for the quick response. I've been combusting so looking to test the EV waters with this. Love the Tesla too, however price is well out of range.
thanks again!

 

[RonDawg]

If you're looking to roll the cost of the 240 volt EVSE into the cost of the car, note that if you get Nissan's official solution made by AeroVironment, you can roll the price of that into the lease price of the car, and you get to keep it after the lease is over. But the AV units sold through Nissan are more expensive than most other EVSEs of the same amperage, and if the install is arranged through Nissan you can bet on paying more for that as well than if you hired your own qualified electrician.

In addition to the EVSE Upgrade, the least expensive 240 volt EVSEs are the Bosch PowerMax 16A/12 ($449) and the Clipper Creek LCS-25 ($495), plus sales taxes if any, and installation costs.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I've never heard of leasing a home charging station, but remember, they use a J1772 standard which has been adopted by nearly every electric auto maker. So whatever you get will be good for your next EV, and the next one after that. Actually, if you lease the car you are also leasing the "trickle charge" cord that comes with it, and that is functionally the same as a home charging station, but much slower than the ones you buy. Even if you lease you can get that upgraded so it charges 3-4 times as fast for a very reasonable price. See EVSE Upgrade. Note the FAQ on that site, "I am leasing, so is it still ok to upgrade my unit?".

For the other part of your question, some people (but a minority of us) do use only Level 1 charging at home, plugging into a normal 120v outlet. That can work fairly well if you are driving 30 miles a day or less. I think some people have stretched it to 40 miles, but you really have to be conscious of your power use and charging schedule if you drive that far.

Ray

Maybe in sub-zero weather, but I do fine with L-1 and a 45-50 mile commute. I can charge to 90-95% and have about 30 non-reserve miles left, or charge to 80% and have a handful of non-reserve miles left. This includes hot, humid weather, and drives on chilly nights with the heat (and seat and wheel warmers) on in Eco. I'd tell people they can commute 50 miles easily this way, charging to at or near 100% in really cold weather.

 

[cwerdna]

I too have never heard of leasing the home charging station (EVSE).

I'm leasing and only charge at home on weekends at 120 volts. Most of my charging is from free Chargepoint charging stations at work. I do sometimes use a bit of the free public stations at a water district office ~5 miles from home. I might charge there will learning about my car or I sometimes commence a charge and walk over to a nearby Chipotle to eat.

 

[pabafree95]

Yes, we leased it and just got home! Pick up tomorrow. Didnt intend to get it today, but it is such a cool machine. I will probably go with 120v at home and then charge while at work.

Got the ocean blue SL, leased it (36months) for $309/month, $0 down. The dealer said it was their last one, and that Nissan wouldn't give them more inventory till this was out, not sure if that is true. None the less, we're stoked to have this amazing pieces of technology! The out the door was $2500 which included Virginia state tax (4.25%) , $495 dealer processing fee, $595 lease fee, + tags/registration. I think this was good deal. Wondering what others have paid. This does NOT have the 360 camera nor the Bose.

I do have 3 more questions and appreciate insight
1. The finance guy also said if I paid $329 per month instead of $309, this would include prepaid maintenance. Any thoughts on this? For today, I did not include it, but they said I could have it added on tomorrow should I change my mind.

2. While charging, is there a locking mechanism when hooked to a charging station? In other words, if you leave it at your work parking space to charge, can someone just unhook it?

3. I assume there is an anti-theft system standard on these cars, is that correct? Picking it up tomorrow.

Thank you all for the information.

 

[RonDawg]

I do have 3 more questions and appreciate insight
1. The finance guy also said if I paid $329 per month instead of $309, this would include prepaid maintenance. Any thoughts on this? For today, I did not include it, but they said I could have it added on tomorrow should I change my mind.

2. While charging, is there a locking mechanism when hooked to a charging station? In other words, if you leave it at your work parking space to charge, can someone just unhook it?

3. I assume there is an anti-theft system standard on these cars, is that correct? Picking it up tomorrow.

1. Even though it's just $240/year it might be a bit much for the Leaf. For the first year especially it's primarily tire rotations, inspections, and the mandatory annual battery check (first two are free, by the time the third one comes it's time to give back the car). In 3 years the only fluid change recommended is the brake fluid flush.

2. The 2013s have a charging handle lock feature.

3. Yes, but no different than any other modern car and it does not have motion sensing nor tracking. Nissan does sell an optional LoJack-like tracking device for the Leaf.

 

[Randy]

Leasing the EVSE in your garage is the business model that eVgo is using in Texas and soon to be in California...

 

[cwerdna]

1) That prepaid maintenance sounds overpriced, as RonDawg pointed out.
2) Yes, see your manual for the 3 modes of the charging handle lock. I don't turn it on. Even before I had the Leaf, I'd seen some of the bits that make up the locking mechanism. They look like white plastic or nylon to me and IMHO, someone could break it --> some $ to repair it.

My work has an internal voluntary (err... strongly encouraged) list of EVs and PHEVs w/info such as the make, model, color, year, owner and license plate #. We're pretty good about sharing the EVSEs and giving up our space/moving our car if someone really needs juice.

There are some informal rules like it never being normal to permanently interrupt the charging of a car that's actively charging, it being ok to swap around cables to optimize usage, etc. We also include a table of how to tell if a particular EV/PHEV is done charging (there is a list at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13481" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; but we don't have ALL of those vehicles @ my work). We can also usually tell via the displays on the Chargepoint EVSEs.

 

[pabafree95]

Thanks for the info and the advice.
Re the maintenance being free, tire rotation, inspection, mandatory battery check - is this something that is standard across all dealerships for this car?

 

[RonDawg]

Re the maintenance being free, tire rotation, inspection, mandatory battery check - is this something that is standard across all dealerships for this car?

With the reduced service requirements of the Leaf vs. the rest of Nissan's range, some dealerships may be tempted to supplement their income by recommending services that really aren't needed. Then again they've been doing that for years with their ICEVs too, and it's not limited to Nissan.

The mandatory battery check is a requirement from Nissan in order to keep the battery warranties in effect. It is to be done just after the yearly anniversary of you picking up your Leaf, regardless of mileage, and the dealer is not supposed to charge you for the first two.

There was a recent discussion about what the Leaf really needs for servicing. Nissan, like many other manufacturers, offers regular (Schedule 2) and "more severe" (Schedule 1) maintenance schedules. If you look at what Nissan defines as "more severe" service IMHO many of them won't apply to the Leaf, since they are conditions that tend to be harsh to an ICEV, specifically its fluids, but not necessarily harsher on an EV, things like driving very short distances. But even if you do the Schedule 1 service, they are almost all inspections. The only additional fluid change for Schedule 1 is a brake fluid flush every year instead of every 2 years.

Here is the link to the 2013 Leaf Maintenance Guide for you to look at and determine for yourself what is really needed. https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/ManualsAndGuides/NissanLEAF/2013/2013-NissanLEAF-service-maintenance-guide.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For my ICEVs, the only thing I did towards "severe service" was change the oil more frequently, because engine oil does take a beating in city conditions. I would otherwise decline any other services that the manufacturer recommended over the "regular" service schedule, and I have NEVER been denied a warranty claim because of this.

 

[BoHenriksson]

Just pay the $ 300 for the EVSE Upgrade!
I thought I would use this as a short term solution.
But - charges at 20 Amps from my dryer outlet, works like a charm!

 

[LeftieBiker]

3. I assume there is an anti-theft system standard on these cars, is that correct? Picking it up tomorrow.

Yes, and it's more than just a passive anti-theft system. It also sounds an alarm if the car is forcibly entered, and this qualifies it for the extra insurance discount.

 

[MGS9500]

Just my experience.

I refused to pay the lease acquisition fee. Saved "$595.

Also, check your lease. There is a deposition fee of $325.

I refused to pay that. Dealer acquiesced.

Something to think about.