Goodbye JOULEE 3 :(

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GregH

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2011
Messages
860
Location
Irvine, CA
Last Friday I was in an accident on the northbound 57 in O.C. which it turns out was fatal to my Leaf (so Mercury has informed me this morning). I was traveling in the fast moving carpool lane when someone in 10mph traffic decided to merge about 100ft in front of me. With barely enough time to reach for the break (from cruise control), before I knew it the airbag was in my face and my forward momentum was cut in half. Those airbags stink btw. The windshield fogged up and I had no power but just enough momentum to get to the right edge of the freeway. I must say I was incredibly impressed with how well the Leaf protected me. Not a scratch or bruise to be found and for that I am extremely thankful!
My Leaf on the other hand didn't fare so well. I'll try to get some pictures posted. Bumper, hood and right front quarter destroyed. Right headlamps popped out but did not break. Charge port completely intact. When I saw it at the body shop with the panels off I was impressed how little damage there was (I was very surprised they totaled it). A few dents on the AC evaporator but the power electronics were completely untouched. The motor and battery were well away from the damage zone.

I had JOULEE 3 for about 18 months and had about 17k miles on it. Blue SL. Battery charged to about 245 gids at full. It was a 39month lease. Mercury is going to pay off the car to Nissan for about $22k which is about $1500 LESS than they estimated the replacement cost at so they're sending me a check for the $1500 (!) Also they noted that if I had wanted to pay off the lease it would have only been $21k.... So why does Mercury have to pay more?? Something in the Nissan lease agreement they say. mercury suggests I should go after Nissan for the difference.

So now what? Get a great deal on a new SL? Wait a few weeks for the 2013s? (Oooh 6.6kW!) Try (gasp) a non Nissan EV? Decisions decisions....
 
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Those 2013's are looking mighty tempting, but I suppose the most important thing is that you're still around to have to make such a decision. Glad you're OK!
 
Ouch, fascinating story, glad you are OK. I'd wait for a the 2013 MY, it won't be much longer. While you wait, you could play a game with Nissan dealers. I believe it's called "Who is going to make me the most tempting offer on a 2012 LEAF" or something along those lines :)
 
I would think if the 2011 LEAF was working for you, that any current lease deal will be far better. So, then the decision might be 2012 or 2013.

I'd guess you'll still get a better deal on a 2012. Is there any reason you want a 6.6kW charger? How many miles are you traveling per day? We don't really need a heat pump in SoCal, so you just need to make a value call here on 2012 vs 2013 LEAF.

As to considering other cars, I like the Rav4, which is currently offering a $6000 discount from Toyota until Feb 4, 2013 (plus the $7500 fed tax credit and $2500 California rebate). Net price is about $35,000. If you lease, Toyota will not give you the $7500 fed tax credit; they keep it. But, a purchase will get you 0% financing, too.

1- No 3.3 or 6.6 charger... 10kW Tesla charger (40 amps)

2- No significant battery degradation issues (Roadster drivers in Phoenix are still doing well after 4 or 5 years, unlike LEAF in one year)

3- 50kWh (41.8kWh usable) battery is double the LEAF's, with about 2/3 to 3/4 more range than LEAF. At 65mph, a LEAF will go 4 miles/kWh * 21kWh usable for a new battery = 84 miles range, while the Rav4 will go the same speed at 3.4 miles/kWh * 41.8kWh usable = 142 miles range. One bad side effect is the significantly larger car gets way lower economy around town (like 2.5-2.9).

4- No heat pump on Rav4, optional on 2013 LEAF

5- No crazy GOM. But, it's not perfect either. If you reset the GOM (by disconnecting the 12v battery under the hood), it will default to 146 miles (3.5 miles/kWh) and you can sail down the freeway at 65mph and watch the GOM drop mile for mile with the odometer. Try that on a LEAF.

6- Tons of room in Rav4, both front and rear seats.

7- Beau Coup power on Rav4 (0-60mph in 7 seconds in "sport" mode... 270 ft/lbs of torque).

8- Cool burn outs at will. Yes, you'll buy new tires sooner!

9- Nobody asks about it. It just looks like a regular car, so you won't get a second look.

10- Easy to add trailer towing. Not officially approved by Toyota, but the mounting bolts for an over-the-counter, easily found and cheap trailer hitch will bolt up in 10 minutes; 3500 pound rating

11- Improved iPhone app "EnTunes" with some good included apps, and pretty good touch screen navigation (just one button on the bottom, like iPad). Of course, XM/Sirius, Bluetooth, USB, 1/8" stereo plug, et al.

12- Gigantic trunk, and even more gigantic with the rear seats folded down.

13- Windows tinted from the factory

14- If wrecked, it's just a boring old Toyota Rav4; cheap to fix, with plentiful parts.

15- Pulls like a freight train, even while accelerating at freeway speeds (thank you Tesla).

16- It's a Toyota :cool:
 
Greg, I'm just glad to know that you are uninjured. Sorry you had to go through that upsetting event, though, and sorry you're temporarily without an EV.

Tony's RAV4 suggestion sounds like a winner for you, but if that doesn't float your boat (not as efficient as a LEAF), I imagine that the technical updates on the 2013 would interest you a lot, given your thorough background with EVs.
 
TonyWilliams said:
It's a Toyota :cool:
rav4mnl

:lol:

TonyWilliams said:
I like the Rav4, which is currently offering a $6000 discount from Toyota until Feb 4, 2013.
Thanks for mentioning that. Would you know how that $6K discount would be factored into the lease? Any idea if they are offering a more attractive money factor now?

Boomer23 said:
I imagine that the technical updates on the 2013 would interest you a lot, given your thorough background with EVs.
Yes, and thank you for starting the old I want my 281 thread, where the temperature-dependent nature of Gids was exposed for the first time! Very helpful.
 
Regarding leasing, I've posted this in another thread, but I recently learned that US Bank and Ally Bank supposedly offer auto leasing. I have no idea if their terms are any good, but that might get around Toyota's crappy handling of the $7.5K Federal tax credit.
 
surfingslovak said:
TonyWilliams said:
I like the Rav4, which is currently offering a $6000 discount from Toyota until Feb 4, 2013.
Thanks for mentioning that. Would you know how that $6000 discount would be factored into the lease? Any idea of they are offering a more attractive money factor?

I think the money factor is .00020 (.48%)... almost free money. I think they offer about $3200 off the capitalization reduction, leaving more than half the $7500 fed tax credit for Toyota to party with.

As to the $6000, I don't think it applies to a lease. I still would not lease one of these unless I thought it was really going to drop in value (and I don't).
 
TonyWilliams said:
As to the $6000, I don't think it applies to a lease. I still would not lease one of these unless I thought it was really going to drop in value (and I don't).
$35K is a very good price for an EV like that. Don't laugh, but the lease payments on the ActiveE are astronomical compared to this. The sticker was $61K, I believe. Never saw the financial voodoo BMW NA pulled to arrive at the final lease terms. I like the unlimited miles though. Wish that was an option on other EV leases too ;-)
 
I'm glad you're okay. How fast were you going? There is a thread about going fast in the HOV when there is slower traffic next to it. What about the other driver and their car? What part of their car did you hit? If you hit it in the rear, it's your fault.
 
LEAFfan said:
I'm glad you're okay. How fast were you going? There is a thread about going fast in the HOV when there is slower traffic next to it. What about the other driver and their car? What part of their car did you hit? If you hit it in the rear, it's your fault.
I also wonder whether the other person illegal pulled into the HOV lane. In So Cal (haven't seen them in Nor Cal), there are double (yellow?) lines where you're not supposed to cross over to enter/exit HOV lanes. You can only do so at designated breaks.

As for the bolded part, that's what everyone says. Unfortunately, for my mother (long story), she was rear-ended by someone while turning right into the driveway of a relative's house, sending her over a curb, knocking down a tree and totaling her car. The person who rear-ended her tried to blame it on my mom... It's a long story but in the end my mom still got some of the blame. :roll: :( I even posted about it at http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3182838" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
 
Thanks all! Yes Tony I thought about the RAV4.. I'm sure the Tesla updates add some zing to the old sluggish but trusty RAV4 EV I had a decade ago. I just don't want such a big inefficient car. When I heard the little Chevy Spark had a 110kW motor that caught my eye but I'd still prefer something about the size of my Leaf.
Do I need 6.6kW? Well, the 3.3kW existing combined with a lack of ChaDeMo in SoCal makes the current vehicle somewhat of a prisoner. I used to take long trips with the EV1 with 6.6kW and even the old RAV4 with 5.2kW but I just don't have the patience for 3.3kW. It works fine for home and work.. If I just had a few strategically placed ChaDeMo units in SoCal I wouldn't need 6.6kW.
Yes I hit the other car. My front right hit his rear left (he still hadn't completed his merge into the carpool lane.. This all happened in less than a second). I was going 65 (if not a tad more) and he was accelerating into the carpool lane from 10mph traffic so maybe he got to 15 or 20mph before I gave him my momentum.. Fortunately he didn't hit anyone and from what CHP told me nobody was hurt in his car. Was I going at an unsafe speed for traffic? Yes. What would have been safe? Maybe 25 or 30mph. But then what's the point of the carpool lane? He crossed at a legal (not double yellow) area.
 
GregH said:
Last Friday I was in an accident on the northbound 57 in O.C. which it turns out was fatal to my Leaf (so Mercury has informed me this morning). I was traveling in the fast moving carpool lane when someone in 10mph traffic decided to merge about 100ft in front of me. With barely enough time to reach for the break (from cruise control), before I knew it the airbag was in my face and my forward momentum was cut in half. Those airbags stink btw. The windshield fogged up and I had no power but just enough momentum to get to the right edge of the freeway. I must say I was incredibly impressed with how well the Leaf protected me. Not a scratch or bruise to be found and for that I am extremely thankful!\.

and that story, my EV friends, is exactly why i dont drive 65+ or even 65 in the HOV lane when the number 1 lane is creeping, even if some dodo behind me is urging me on.
there are just too many idiots who do the double-line jump, and allot of them are solo drivers.
i am especially careful, and slow even more, where the double-line is gone and drivers may enter the HOV lane.
 
That honestly doesn't look that bad to me. Looks like bumper cover and it's bracketry took all the structural damage. Or is there damage to the frame further back, that isn't readily visible? Unless there is, I honestly don't see that as a vehicle I'd write off. Heck, I'd even be thinking of buying it back from the insurance company, if it were my car. Edit: Ah, I see you're a lessee...never mind.

If you were that close to the dumbass who pulled into your lane, you probably couldn't have done much about it. But if I'm on CC in the HOV lane, I always ride with my foot hovering over the brake pedal, just in case this happens. It at least gives me a fighting chance at stopping in time.
 
I tend to slow down considerably in the car pool lane when the lanes next to me are at a stop because idiots are always pulling over the double yellow to get in... Doing so is in the top four of fines, by the way, along with being in the car pool lane solo and parking in a disabled space... I generally do around 50-55 in the car pool lane when the lane next to me is stopped or barely moving...
Sometimes those behind me take expectation to that but too bad; safety rules...

mwalsh said:
If you were that close to the dumbass who pulled into your lane, you probably couldn't have done much about it. But if I'm on CC in the HOV lane, I always ride with my foot hovering over the brake pedal, just in case this happens. It at least gives me a fighting chance at stopping in time.
 
mwalsh said:
That honestly doesn't look that bad to me. Looks like bumper cover and it's bracketry took all the structural damage. Or is there damage to the frame further back, that isn't readily visible? Unless there is, I honestly don't see that as a vehicle I'd write off. Heck, I'd even be thinking of buying it back from the insurance company, if it were my car.

Agreed. This is the least damaged new car 'total loss' that I've ever seen (that wasn't flood damaged).

I've been looking at wrecked LEAFs in my area, but can't get a feel for how much they are worth.
http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/3491550376.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This guy pulled the battery... has Nissan released the cost of a replacement pack yet?
 
LEAFfan said:
I'm glad you're okay. How fast were you going? There is a thread about going fast in the HOV when there is slower traffic next to it. What about the other driver and their car? What part of their car did you hit? If you hit it in the rear, it's your fault.

If someone pulls directly in front of you, crossing the QUADRUPLE-yellow lines to boot?
 
TomT said:
I tend to slow down considerably in the car pool lane when the lanes next to me are at a stop because idiots are always pulling over the double yellow to get in... Doing so is in the top four of fines, by the way, along with being in the car pool lane solo and parking in a disabled space... I generally do around 50-55 in the car pool lane when the lane next to me is stopped or barely moving...
Sometimes those behind me take expectation to that but too bad; safety rules...

mwalsh said:
If you were that close to the dumbass who pulled into your lane, you probably couldn't have done much about it. But if I'm on CC in the HOV lane, I always ride with my foot hovering over the brake pedal, just in case this happens. It at least gives me a fighting chance at stopping in time.
I know exactly what you mean (when my yellow HOV stickers for my Prius were still valid). I'd was also very cautious and would do what mwalsh does along with trying to to stay on the left side of the lane.

Up here, we don't have those double yellow lines or anything separating the HOV lanes from the regular lanes. People can enter and exit wherever they want.

Fortunately, I almost never had to use the HOV lanes when during restricted hours (aka not open to everyone). I headed to/from work late.
 
Nubo said:
LEAFfan said:
I'm glad you're okay. How fast were you going? There is a thread about going fast in the HOV when there is slower traffic next to it. What about the other driver and their car? What part of their car did you hit? If you hit it in the rear, it's your fault.

If someone pulls directly in front of you, crossing the QUADRUPLE-yellow lines to boot?
Double Double yellow line as on the 57 north HOV is considered a "Barrier" or "Island". Only Emergency vehicles can cross them legally.
 
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