Hi there from the UK!

Hi to all,

This is my first car with an engine smaller than 3.0L so be gentle.

I am really looking forward to my 24 months of leasing this unique and quirky fella and hope that with help I will get the most out of it.

So, for starters can anyone help and give me the heads up on the most important 5 things I should know about my Leaf?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

For me it is the following (at least I will try):

1. I find myself constantly monitoring my efficiency and drive accordingly.
2. I pre-plan all my driving, if only in my head, for how much of my charge I will need, where to recharge, if needed, with one or two back-up plans. If I will need the recharge on the trip, I plan for what I will do with my time during the charge so I do not think of this time as wasted.
3. I have a single fixed electricity rate at home 24/7 so I almost always charge to 80% and will plug in as soon as I park the Leaf in the garage. Sometime it is ready in 30 minutes, sometime over an hour, but I always keep it ready in case I need to go somewhere. As it is I am on track for using the 15,000 miles per year allowed on my lease. Maybe a little more, but I will deal with that when the time comes.
4. I have the Level 2 charging at home and have only used the Level 1 from the car one time (other than the first two weeks awaiting the L2 being installed. Find out what you need for all your away from home charging and prepare for it. If public charging is available in your area at a reasonable cost then plan for it. If not, make arrangements for alternative charging spots and have the EVSE and all the various adaptors ready to use. There is a very big advantage to using L2 over L1, and another big advantage of using L3 over L2 (approximately 5 miles each hours L1, 25 miles each hours L2, and 125 miles each hour L3). Please remember that the closer to 100% charge you get the rate will slow down.
5. Once you get used to driving an EV you may never want to go back to and ICE.

That might depend on your expectations of it! What will your routine use of it be? Commuting? How many miles? Will you be attempting longer journeys?

My advice is never loan your car to anyone. Owning and driving a Leaf is a different way of life. You can't expect the average person to appreciate that, and they will be really upset with you when they run out of electricity.

Bob

One thing I would advise to is not rely on the distance to empty meter, often referred to as the "Guess-O-Meter" or "GOM" in this forum. To do so will eventually leave you stranded. After a while, you'll get accustomed to how much battery you'll use up for given conditions, just like with a conventional car.

Hopefully your dealer did not tell you that the car will go 100 miles on a single charge, because it's generally not true. People have done it, but the steps needed to do so are not practical for most people. It would be difficult in the UK's cool, rainy climate.

Graffi said:

I have the Level 2 charging at home and have only used the Level 1 from the car one time (other than the first two weeks awaiting the L2 being installed. Find out what you need for all your away from home charging and prepare for it. If public charging is available in your area at a reasonable cost then plan for it. If not, make arrangements for alternative charging spots and have the EVSE and all the various adaptors ready to use. There is a very big advantage to using L2 over L1, and another big advantage of using L3 over L2 (approximately 5 miles each hours L1, 25 miles each hours L2, and 125 miles each hour L3). Please remember that the closer to 100% charge you get the rate will slow down.

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The OP is in the UK so he doesn't have access to 120 volt. It's all 230V/50Hz over there.

Welcome to the future.

Check out http://www.leaftalk.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for local info.