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sparky

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Apr 23, 2010
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I emailed my insurance company, State Farm, and asked about adding the LEAF to my coverage.
They understood it was an electric car and considered a 2011 model for which they did not have
enough specific info to quote. But to their credit, they checked into it and gave me an estimated amount based on the class of car; Compact, and sales price; $32780.
Then they folded in my current coverages and gave me a breakdown for Liability, Comprehensive and Collision.
The monthly rate was very reasonable considering I have 4 drivers on my policy ($72) and I suspect pretty much in line with what I would pay for a Prius with the same coverage.
 
I don't think they will care about whether it is an EV or not. I guess they will look at MSRP & crash test ratings.
 
evnow said:
I don't think they will care about whether it is an EV or not. I guess they will look at MSRP & crash test ratings.
Click to expand...


Cost to repair is a huge factor for insurance companies.
 
EVDRIVER said:
evnow said:
I don't think they will care about whether it is an EV or not. I guess they will look at MSRP & crash test ratings.
Click to expand...


Cost to repair is a factor for insurance companies, expensive parts = expensive claims.
Click to expand...
 
Since my insurance company (progressive) will let me quote policy changes online, I played around with it using several "comparable" vehicles, and found the rates didn't vary much.
 
Geico supports on-line quotes (at www.geico.com) without a VIN, but automobiles of the 2011 model year are not yet supported.

They insure my EV (motorcycle with a scooter body type).
 
EVDRIVER said:
EVDRIVER said:
evnow said:
I don't think they will care about whether it is an EV or not. I guess they will look at MSRP & crash test ratings.
Click to expand...


Cost to repair is a factor for insurance companies, expensive parts = expensive claims.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Theft risk is a biggie too. From that standpoint, leaf may have an advantage, at least initially, as there won't be a large population to sell chopped parts into.

I wonder what anti-theft features it will have?
 
Future Features:
Rear and side-view video cameras, and use them as security camera(s) with motion detection software and video recording on the included 1TB hard disc?

The RFID system includes an "immobilizer" of some sort, right?

Is there a security alarm system, at least as an option?
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
I wonder what anti-theft features it will have?
Click to expand...

Limited range. :lol:

Seriously, though, the thing has GPS and an always-on data connection. I'm sure Nissan could help police recover the vehicle easily. Also don't discount the WTF factor. Am I the only person who's already imagined how to explain the thing to a valet?
 
garygid said:
Is there a security alarm system, at least as an option?
Click to expand...

Like every new car these days it will have an immobilizer. Nobody is going to drive off without the "key." There's not much you can do to stop someone from towing it, though.

I put "key" in quotes because I am pretty sure there isn't one -- only an RFID fob.
 
Realy GREAT idea: Leaf-Locator.

The possible "live" GPS tracking could indeed be a car locator, and made part of Nissan's iPhone / Internet application.

Presummably some ID and password will allow us to check on our own vehicle's charging or SOC. Adding the car's Longitude and Latitude (if the GPS is ON) would be an easy addition to that program.

I seriously hope that Nissan thinks of it.
The only negative would be the current drain from the 12v battery when the car is OFF. But, an alarm system, if installed, would also draw some current.

Then, with another GPS (the one in the iPhone), the Locator "app" could direct you right to your car (in most cases).

Of course, "pro" Leaf-thiefs (Leaf rustlers) would quickly learn to "cover" or turn off the GPS.

User settings in the Leaf, if any, should be (optionally) password protected.

Turn on the GPS tracking, allowed radius, and/or max speed, all pwd protected, before the teen driver borrows the car?
 
Keep in mind that OnStar won't locate a vehicle for anyone but the police. A theft must be reported.

I would expect Nissan to be similarly cautious, to avoid potential privacy issues, abuse, liability, etc...
 
With the Leaf-Locator, one could have a user-setting (pwd protected) in the Leaf to enable/disable the GPS data to the locator application. That handles the privacy part, perhaps.

There could also be a user-set Locator-Pwd in the car, so even when ON, only you could get the GPS location, having to enter the Locator-Pwd into the iPhone app, which would have to send it to the car before information is returned.

One might even want to pwd-protect other access to the car, like turning on the heater or turning off the charging.

If the GPS is not ON, the reported location could be the last "known" GPS position.

No need to involve Nissan or some OnStar-like organization just to find my own car in the mall's parking lot.
 
garygid said:
With the Leaf-Locator, one could have a user-setting (pwd protected) in the Leaf to enable/disable the GPS data to the locator application. That handles the privacy part, perhaps.
Click to expand...

And if you loan the car to someone who has no knowledge of the setting? Or if you use it to secretly track your spouse? Or if you rent the car? There are a lot of reasons to leave that feature off the table. Once you start getting into passwords and advanced features, usability becomes an issue. There are all sorts of cool, geeky things that could be done, but won't be. Expect a UI experience closer to an iPhone than a Linux machine. If Nissan can't make it usable without even a thought, you can be pretty sure they'll leave it out.

Every aspect of the car should be intuitive to anyone who sits down in the driver's seat. Didn't iDrive get all kinds of hell for violating that principle?

I have a smartphone app that helps me find my car in a crowded parking lot. I suppose if you really wanted your car to be locatable, it's easy enough to install a location device (I've seen cheap ones that respond to SMS messages.) Or you could even hide an Android phone in the dash with Google Latitude enabled ;)

I expect the aftermarket to come up with all sorts of things for the 1% of us that want something different from the rest.
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
I wonder what anti-theft features it will have?
Click to expand...
It will be in my locked garage out of sight, charging. The only places I'll be driving it much are stores, library, parks, etc. while open and busy. I doubt many thieves would try it then. Car thefts are rare in my neighborhood and when they occur it happens overnight to cars on the street or maybe in a driveway. So just being in a garage reduces the chances almost to zero. The rarity of the vehicle will protect it, too, because it will be very identifiable for quite some time.
 
evnow said:
I don't think they will care about whether it is an EV or not. I guess they will look at MSRP & crash test ratings.
Click to expand...

They should deduct the cost of the batteries because I think they would survive pretty much intact in a collision, so they SHOULD give us a super low rate since they would only be basically insuring the body. How much does one of those electric motors cost (80KW)?
 

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