2015 LEAF specs - no range increase

At this juncture, I don't think it is unjust to expect both... No one else has or has had the battery degradation problem - design error, if you will - that Nissan does so I see no reason to give Nissan a free pass on this.

tailgate1234 said:

At this point I would prefer a low degradation battery with the same range as when my 2011 was new instead a modest increase in range with a big degradation curve.

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But as a compliance-only car with only 2,600 and change to ever be built, it really is just an asterisk on the EV landscape...

EVDrive said:

I upgraded to the Rav 4 EV. No more range anxiety and 120-130 Real World freeway miles on a charge.

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It IS interesting that we have not heard one word about this since the middle of last year... And I know of no one to date who has had a battery replaced that has received the "hot battery coupon" mentioned back then...

Roadburner440 said:

If they found heat resistant cells and put them in a car I am sure they would be shouting it from the roof tops, and putting it on the front page of every paper. So the 15' will probably suffer the same fate in very hot areas that all the previous generations have.

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Roadburner440 said:

If they found heat resistant cells and put them in a car I am sure they would be shouting it from the roof tops, and putting it on the front page of every paper. So the 15' will probably suffer the same fate in very hot areas that all the previous generations have.

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Highly unlikely; that would be paramount to admitting that they had a problem. Most people outside of EV forums don't even know about battery degradation problems and for Nissan the fewer people that know about it the better.

I think the class action lawsuit has already effectively publicized that...

jelloslug said:

Highly unlikely; that would be paramount to admitting that they had a problem. Most people outside of EV forums don't even know about battery degradation problems and for Nissan the fewer people that know about it the better.

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Weatherman said:

Sure, why not...

Just make the interior as black as possible so it can be as hot as possible on summer afternoons. Cook the battery even faster.

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Kind of make one wonder why they bother doing those meaningless surveys
:?

Apparently, in survey-speak, "Would you like an EPA range of ~150 miles for an extra ~$5000?" actually means "Would you like a different shade of blue?"

TomT said:

I think the class action lawsuit has already effectively publicized that...

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I stand by my statement. Very few people actually know about battery degradation problems.

EVDrive said:

I upgraded to the Rav 4 EV. No more range anxiety and 120-130 Real World freeway miles on a charge.

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One thing I will add to the above statement, I would not recommend a compliance EV to anyone I know. Why? Service. Honda, Toyota, Ford, etc., are only dabbling in EVs and therefore they don't have the trained EV mechanics and the proper diagnostics equipment to effectively service their vehicles. My colleagues with Focus Electrics, Rav4s and Fit EVs have had their share of problems with their cars and when they go into the shop, they sit there for a long time before "the trained EV guy" can fly out from who knows where to diagnose the car. My friend with a Honda Fit has spent more time waiting for repairs than he has driving the car. And I suspect this will only get worse when Honda sells their targeted 1,100 Fit EVs...are they going to keep trained people to work on such a small number of cars?

I am leasing my current Leaf but would like to buy my next one. I will only do that if I can get one that is 1) not just a compliance car (like the Leaf), 2) has a storage device that degrades much more slowly over time and 3) has more range.

NYLEAF said:

Apparently, in survey-speak, "Would you like an EPA range of ~150 miles for an extra ~$5000?" actually means "Would you like a different shade of blue?"

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Haha. I thought I checked the option to keep that shade of blue.

Increased range would be nice, but mostly I want a battery that doesn't degrade as quickly.

Questions:

-- In the market to buy a LEAF, how soon does this indicate availability of the 2015 LEAF?

-- If the Morningsky Blue is late availability of June, is that June of this year or next year?

-- Would the Blue Ocean still be available early on the 2015 while waiting for the new blue?

I'd surely regret buying now to learn later the 2015 has a better battery temperature system. I'm located in California's San Joaquin Valley, where it gets pretty hot in the summer compared with the bay area. It would be garaged most the time, and I'd try to park it in the shade at work.

brian123 said:

Questions:

... I'm located in California's San Joaquin Valley, where it gets pretty hot in the summer compared with the bay area. It would be garaged most the time, and I'd try to park it in the shade at work.

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With the local SJVAQ rebate, in addition to the federal tax credit and CARB rebate, you will probably get to drive a LEAF for several years essentially for free, whether you lease or buy.

Unless you have extreme driving patterns, such as a daily commute exceeding ~14 kWh use, I don't think you need to worry much about battery capacity in a LEAF, especially if you can often park in the shade during the day, and usually avoid hot garages at night.

edatoakrun said:

brian123 said:

Questions:

... I'm located in California's San Joaquin Valley, where it gets pretty hot in the summer compared with the bay area. It would be garaged most the time, and I'd try to park it in the shade at work.

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With the local SJVAQ rebate, in addition to the federal tax credit and CARB rebate, you will probably get to drive a LEAF for several years essentially for free, whether you lease or buy.

Unless you have extreme driving patterns, such as a daily commute exceeding ~14 kWh use, I don't think you need to worry much about battery capacity in a LEAF, especially if you can often park in the shade during the day, and usually avoid hot garages at night.

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My drive to work is 1.7 miles, I could essentially ride a bike, but not practical year round or always safe with the drivers here. I've put about 70 miles on my Mustang in town over the last week, which includes a few dealer visits across town. Due to my short burst driving, my 2012 V6 Mustang gives me only 14.6 mpg in the city. So I've essentially spent $20 on gas in one week, while I could still be on a single charge with the LEAF. This probably allows even a trickle charge for my driving, and there's a privately owned Nissan brand Quick Charge at a shop 13 miles away from my home that the owner is allowing free use of (Located in Hickman, CA)

Beyond city driving, once a month, but more likely every other month, I would need to drive 60-90 miles to the Bay Area, with a DC quick charge station available as soon as 48-60 miles. If I need to go further or no time for stops, I have family in town I could essentially swap cars with. Further, I could always install a Level 2 in one of my families garages if I'm ever living in an apartment without a garage. It could be a lot of work, needing to plug-in, but probably worth the adventure thanks to never going to a gas station again.

And I disagree. I've had many come up to me, both where I have been showing off the car at a meet and randomly on the street, and in the course of discussions they almost invariably bring up the topic of battery degradation...

jelloslug said:

TomT said:

I think the class action lawsuit has already effectively publicized that...

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I stand by my statement. Very few people actually know about battery degradation problems.

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Degradation? Ha! Most people here aren't even aware that BEVs exist at all.

The 2015 continues to have the same temperature management system as the earlier models: None.
As far as the battery itself, mums the word on whether it will have the so-called "Hot Battery..."

brian123 said:

I'd surely regret buying now to learn later the 2015 has a better battery temperature system.

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People do know about battery degradation. Every time someone inquires about my car they ask me about how long is the total battery life before you have to replace it. So that is on the forefront of peoples minds. While they many not specifically know about the Leaf's battery they do not Li batteries degrade. That being said guess I will sit on the fence and see whether it is hot weather, or at least less resistant to degradation. Granted I am not doing to bad currently with my 12'. Sitting at 89% after 2 years 1 month. Just have to wait and see what this last summer brings me when it gets in the high 90's and low 100's during the day.

This unfortunate development (or lack thereof) would seem to make my '13 SV more valuable at lease's end. I'm going to come up with an active home cooling system (read: "Fan") for the hot weather, because I'm holding out some hope that I'll be able to sell the purchase option for my super-low mileage SV with spare tire and Premium Package, to help pay for the next lease.

It will never be worth more than the lease buyout. If you want to keep it, that is one thing. If you want to make a profit on it, well, that likely won't happen... The residual values are simply too high for that. And it will only get worse with a ton of cars starting to come off of lease...

LeftieBiker said:

This unfortunate development (or lack thereof) would seem to make my '13 SV more valuable at lease's end.

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gsleaf said:

NYLEAF said:

Apparently, in survey-speak, "Would you like an EPA range of ~150 miles for an extra ~$5000?" actually means "Would you like a different shade of blue?"

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Haha. I thought I checked the option to keep that shade of blue.

Increased range would be nice, but mostly I want a battery that doesn't degrade as quickly.

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Haha, up here we don't care about the "hot" battery. I see six temperature bars for about 4 days a year.