Newbie: Range Questions 34 mile one way commute

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offtosleep said:
Okay gang, back down the rabbit hole we go!

I have located a 2012 Nissan LEAF SL. It has around 37,000 miles but just had a BRAND NEW BATTERY INSTALLED under a factory warranty. It does have both the DC charger and a EVSE charging port. The guy selling it has a 240V EVSE charger he'll through in with the deal. I've got him talked down to $7500.

Opinions?
Sounds like a GREAT deal if it lives up to its billing. Ask for a LEAFSpy report
Does his reason for selling seem reasonable ?

We focus on the battery, but is the rest of the car in good shape ?
 
SageBrush said:
offtosleep said:
Okay gang, back down the rabbit hole we go!

I have located a 2012 Nissan LEAF SL. It has around 37,000 miles but just had a BRAND NEW BATTERY INSTALLED under a factory warranty. It does have both the DC charger and a EVSE charging port. The guy selling it has a 240V EVSE charger he'll through in with the deal. I've got him talked down to $7500.

Opinions?
Sounds like a GREAT deal if it lives up to its billing. Ask for a LEAFSpy report
Does his reason for selling seem reasonable ?

We focus on the battery, but is the rest of the car in good shape ?

Sage, I don't have reason to doubt the guys story. He says he has ALL the paper work front the dealer showing that the battery was replaced 2 weeks ago. The only assessment I have of the condition is the photos I posted. The guy lives 3 hours from my rural community, so the soonest I can get down to see it will be Friday.
 
In preparation to go see the car, I'd like to download the LeafSpy App. Don't mind paying for the PRO version. I already have a bluetooth OBDII reader. I also have both Apple as well as Android devices. Have a preference over one operating system vs the other?

Also, anyway to get a quick education of what to look for once I get there and hook the thing up?
 
offtosleep said:
In preparation to go see the car, I'd like to download the LeafSpy App. Don't mind paying for the PRO version. I already have a bluetooth OBDII reader. I also have both Apple as well as Android devices. Have a preference over one operating system vs the other?

Also, anyway to get a quick education of what to look for once I get there and hook the thing up?
For Android, there is the free Leaf Spy Lite app: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=14284. You can use that to make sure your set up (OBD2 dongle and Android device) work before paying for the full version. I ended up buying the Pro version.

I can't speak to the iOS version.

I personally prefer iOS and my iPhone 6 is my primary phone, but I also carry an Android phone for work (Nexus 5X) and bought an Android tablet long ago (Nexus 9) to play with.
 
LeafSpy was originally developed for Android and I think it remains the better supported version.
It worked as advertised for me once I stopped being a dummy and put it through the blueTooth handshake routine with the OBDII dongle.

Now, let's see:
1st owner (presumably?) bought the car for close to $30k 4-5 years ago. Obviously an EV advocate and early adopter type
Now selling, even though he has a like-new LEAF. A couple leading explanations occur to me:
1. The LEAF has other problems and he is dumping it
2. He has since migrated to a different EV and this one, though fine, is not being used
3. His situation is changing and even the like-new range is inadequate
4. He is disenchanted by the rapid battery deterioration and does not want to go through it again.

(2) and (3) are music to your ears; (1) is obvious what (not) to do.
(4) is interesting, and you will have to decide if his experience will be yours (newer battery tech, perhaps different climate and use) and if so whether you are OK with that scenario. I personally would not be bothered by (4), but I am quite willing to baby my LEAF, avoid the behaviors that are known to age the battery prematurely, and my climate is not harsh. This is really why the LEAF is a poor choice for the general, uninformed, 'just drive it' public and a great buy for me. Know thyself, OP
 
As to charging at work by just plugging into an available wall outlet. That will work if it does not require your cord to cross any sidewalk or other path that people will be walking on. The trip hazard is far more the objection that facility managers will have rather than any concern for the small amount of power you will be using.
 
The 2012 looks nice in the pictures and should give you a good introduction to EVs. If you try to commute with it, you will need 120-volt charging at work (especially in cold weather) and 240-volt charging at home. You can probably make the round trip when it is warm until the battery starts to deteriorate if it still has low rolling resistance tires and they are inflated to at least 40 psi. The electric parking brake is nice--I miss it on my 2015 and have already had the foot pedal parking brake fixed/adjusted twice under warranty. Someone mentioned that the ones with electric parking brake cannot be pushed if the traction battery is depleted, but that is not correct. 12-volt battery power is needed to shift any LEAF out of Park (and to release the parking brake on 2011 and 2012 models) so a booster battery is needed if the 12-volt battery is also depleted.
 
BillHolz said:
As to charging at work by just plugging into an available wall outlet. That will work if it does not require your cord to cross any sidewalk or other path that people will be walking on. The trip hazard is far more the objection that facility managers will have rather than any concern for the small amount of power you will be using.
Good point Bill!
 
GerryAZ said:
The 2012 looks nice in the pictures and should give you a good introduction to EVs. If you try to commute with it, you will need 120-volt charging at work (especially in cold weather) and 240-volt charging at home. You can probably make the round trip when it is warm until the battery starts to deteriorate if it still has low rolling resistance tires and they are inflated to at least 40 psi. The electric parking brake is nice--I miss it on my 2015 and have already had the foot pedal parking brake fixed/adjusted twice under warranty. Someone mentioned that the ones with electric parking brake cannot be pushed if the traction battery is depleted, but that is not correct.


Once I get the car, I'm going to make a couple dry runs to see how things go. Tomorrow I'm heading to the hospital in my gasser to "check" the facility out for charging options.

What low resistance tires do you recommend?
 
Bridgestone Ecopias were original equipment in 2011/2012 and are about the best for efficiency, but the sidewalls are thin so they may be more susceptible to damage. The Ecopias work much better in the rain than the Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires that came on my 2015. I put Continental sport tires on after the Energy Savers wore out and lost about 15% in highway range (probably 10% in stop/go driving), but the car handles much better and they are great in the rain. I had Michelin MXM4s after the Ecopias wore out on the 2011 and lost about 10% of range. They were much better tires than the Energy Savers. If the MXM4s had been in stock, I might have purchased them instead of the Continentals for the 2015.
 
Okay, just a quick update. I drove to the IHS facility I will be working at today. Talked with the maintenance department and they gave me a thumbs up on using. 110v outlet near the maintenance dept building. Also found another option: they have on campus RV hookups. If I brought a charger (240v L2), they would wire it in and charge me $40 a month. Either way, sounds like I'm golden.
 
While $40/mo is a bit more than the cost of electricity, it's cheap insurance for being denied necessary charging. Take it and enjoy the less expensive 24 KWh Leaf, plus never needing to worry. Oh, BTW, THANKS for driving electric!
 
Congrats. Another option may be to provide Them an L1 station to wire to a 20amp breaker. More convenient than using your own evse.

https://store.clippercreek.com/level-1-16-amp-ev-charging-station-acs-120
 
Reddy said:
While $40/mo is a bit more than the cost of electricity, it's cheap insurance for being denied necessary charging. Take it and enjoy the less expensive 24 KWh Leaf, plus never needing to worry. Oh, BTW, THANKS for driving electric!


I agree!! Cheap insurance!
 
The 2012 SL will work great for you with L2 charging at both ends if you get it. The price of $40 per month is quite reasonable for daytime power and by paying for the power you avoid the perception other employees may have of you getting something for free. You probably need an EVSE that is UL Listed or at least ETL Certified so I suggest a Clipper Creek commercial unit. I can offer some detailed recommendations based on the car you get and the circuit capacity available at the facility if you want to send me a PM.
 
GerryAZ said:
The 2012 SL will work great for you with L2 charging at both ends if you get it. The price of $40 per month is quite reasonable for daytime power and by paying for the power you avoid the perception other employees may have of you getting something for free. You probably need an EVSE that is UL Listed or at least ETL Certified so I suggest a Clipper Creek commercial unit. I can offer some detailed recommendations based on the car you get and the circuit capacity available at the facility if you want to send me a PM.


I'll reach out to you when I get to that point. Thx
 
GerryAZ said:
Bridgestone Ecopias were original equipment in 2011/2012 and are about the best for efficiency, but the sidewalls are thin so they may be more susceptible to damage. The Ecopias work much better in the rain than the Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires that came on my 2015. I put Continental sport tires on after the Energy Savers wore out and lost about 15% in highway range (probably 10% in stop/go driving), but the car handles much better and they are great in the rain. I had Michelin MXM4s after the Ecopias wore out on the 2011 and lost about 10% of range. They were much better tires than the Energy Savers. If the MXM4s had been in stock, I might have purchased them instead of the Continentals for the 2015.

The aftermarket version of the Ecopias is supposed to be much better than the OEM version.
 
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