In many ways I agree with what you say... I wouldn't really care to ride around in a car needing down pants, down jacket, winter boots, etc. And I especially agree about a bright future of EVs...EatsShootsandLeafs said:I am 16 months in. Overall I still really like the car. I don't love it. I am less committed to the idea of getting another one when its lease is up this summer. What tipped me over was how catastrophic its range hit was recently during the cold spell. It helped put it in perspective for me. Then I see that a lot of us are driving around in the winter with the heat either off or on low. This is savage, it's how cavemen live, and we shouldn't put up with it.
When people ask me about the car I generally say something like this:
"I like it a lot, it drives very well and has great low-end power. I'm getting the equivalent cost of a gas car with at least 90 MPG. However, its heating isn't great, and its range in the winter is really poor. Even on a full charge it can be as low as 40 miles." That's true, it can be, and it's also enough to convince every person I've spoken to that it's more a scientific curiosity at this point. And hell, it can be 10 F out with the heat on bust at 90 F and it STILL cycles on and off; it will go from hot and 4.5 kWh drain down to 1 kWh for half a minute pumping out cool air, then back on again, just as the steering wheel does. This frankly drives me mad.
I like tech and I got the car as something interesting. I don't regret that at all, and I do love its power train. I will never drive a 107 horsepower car that feels as nice as this. Honestly, I'm considering going back to a non-hybrid sedan for my next vehicle (e.g. 4 cylinder Altima). My previous car was a Prius, but I am a "deal whore". If I can't get a great lease on another Leaf or Prius, I will get an Altima. Even the 4 cylinder is quite quick now (mid 7's 0-60 believe it or not) and its gas economy is pretty good. I only drive about 10-11k/year anyway, so spending more money on a hybrid doesn't always make sense. Even if I could find a good Volt deal, it is a 4 seater, so unusable to me.
There's zero chance I buy out the lease on this. It's too much and owning this car when its battery starts to go would just suffer me in the winter further.
EV's future remains pretty bright and things are improving.
I guess I'm surprised how many care about charging infrastructure. I don't rely on it and don't think others should, either. It is far too weak and will be for a long time, and/or cars are in the way. IMO if you cannot make an EV work using only your own home, then don't get one. Unlike gas stations, which are 99.999999 accessible all the time, charging won't be like that for many years.
BraveLittleToaster said:Well, that's just not me.
Maybe that's just the hardcore crazy environmentalist and all, but having a *car* is the compromise. Before we bought our Leaf, we had *no* car. I would bike my kids to and from school and daycare every day, rain or shine, and the only thing stopping me would be if I was laid up with some nasty illness or other. I lived three blocks from work and three from the grocery store. We made a conscious decision to just not need a car to begin with. The difference between you and I is that you made an unconscious decision to live where a gas car was absolutely necessary, and nothing else would do. I highly doubt that it even entered your mind that you *could* live without a car. Most people think that it's a completely insane idea, but I found it to be quite practical, because I designed my whole life around not owning a car, much like you designed your whole life around owning one. It's just the default for so many people that it's like bizarro world to be any different, and so they say "that's not practical".
Buying a car - even an EV - is still one of those things we do that damages the environment (and don't kid yourself, it's a lot). It just does *less* damage (and where we live, electricity is especially clean). So when we made the decision to move, it was electric or nothing. Or not move. Some days I still wish we hadn't moved, but it has nothing to do with the car.
Agreed. When my battery pack gets too low (? 3 more years) I will either buy a new pack (if available for purchase and with a more heat tolerant separator/electrolyte) or a BEV with a longer range. At present I am leaning towards a Tesla as Nissan has really blown it on battery longevity. If not for that major flaw I would consider Gen 1 Leaf amazing.KJD said:As for giving up on electric. That will never happen. I might give up on Nissan but I will always drive electric.
BraveLittleToaster said:....having a *car* is the compromise. Before we bought our Leaf, we had *no* car. I would bike my kids to and from school and daycare every day, rain or shine, and the only thing stopping me would be if I was laid up with some nasty illness or other. I lived three blocks from work and three from the grocery store. We made a conscious decision to just not need a car to begin with. The difference between you and I is that you made an unconscious decision to live where a gas car was absolutely necessary, and nothing else would do. I highly doubt that it even entered your mind that you *could* live without a car. Most people think that it's a completely insane idea, but I found it to be quite practical, because I designed my whole life around not owning a car, much like you designed your whole life around owning one. ...
+1. In my next EV, I'm definitely looking for more range, longer battery life, and better regen. However, I do thank Nissan for getting me into an EV to start with.KJD said:As for giving up on electric. That will never happen. I might give up on Nissan but I will always drive electric.
Same here. Even when it is cold out (20s, 30s), we generally do not feel much need to have the heater on except when it's necessary to defog the windows. Just being in the shelter of a car is a luxury compared to bicycling in the cold. I generally find that, even when I am not at all range limited, I prefer leaving the heater off just to have a quieter cabin, another perk of driving electric.Nubo said:As far as heat, I'm not all that bothered.
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