GRA said:
I think the CWP is quite useful in many parts of California. The heated wheel and seats most anywhere, but I think the Leaf would be ideal as a Lake Tahoe local car (AWD would help for winter), and the battery heater would come in handy there if you didn't have a heated garage or kept it outside. It's only 70 miles or so completely around the Lake with little elevation gain or loss and slowish max. speeds, plus thin air to decrease drag. The problem is getting one there right now by any method other than towing or trailering.
Unfortunately, I don't think the Leaf is an ideal car for someone living in Lake Tahoe. A resident rarely drives around the lake, but if you do, there actually are thousands of feet of elevation change. It would be a challenge to circle the lake in a Leaf, possibly doable under the most ideal conditions, but very challenging.
People who live around Lake Tahoe actually regularly travel to places like Carson City, Reno, and Sacramento. Certainly one would understand that Sacramento/Placerville is a non-returnable trip from anywhere around the lake. Being able to get to Reno from anywhere but the northern parts of the lake is very difficult with the Leaf's range, and similarly with Carson City. Even with the fabulous FedEx service in the basin, one still needs to leave town regularly. Just a fact of life when living in the middle of nowhere.
There are a few chargers now in Reno, so if you are willing to eat Einstein bagels for most of the afternoon, you might make the trip to and from Reno from the north. No such luck in Carson or Garderville. The only Nissan dealer is in Reno. Carson City Nissan closed about a year ago, and the closest in California is in Shingle Springs - which is way to far down the hill to return from.
It's hard to justify spending $30k+ on a car that you are only going to use to go places you could bike or walk to. You tend to either shop in town, or leave the basin. It's very rare that you forego your tourist traps to frequent the tourist traps in another town around the lake.
In the winter (well, most winters - but certainly not *this* winter) the temperatures can get downright frigid. This just reduces the usable range all that more. Absolutely no chance of leaving and returning to the basin in the winter. If you are going to use the Leaf for your primary (i.e. commute to work and have to get there despite the snow) car, you require studded tires - which kill the range even more. Can't be in a position to put on and take off chains and expect to keep a time schedule. With the under carriage of the car - it is also very easy to have the car just lift itself off the snow (which the Prius's do from time to time also). The front of the car just catches the snow and packs it under the car while you drive and it can build over a few tens of feet and lift your tires enough off the road that they have no more traction. When you get dozens of feet of snow in a winter, you can't always count on the snowplows having your trip route cleared.
Most of us locals like to hit the slopes regularly. Getting back in your car after a day on the slopes, you tend to be rather moist and need to spend significant energy to keep the windows clear. Even an ICE sometimes has trouble keeping things clear to see well enough to drive.
I spent quite a bit of time trying to get Nissan, the EV Project, local governments and businesses interested in putting in a QC highway from the Bay Area to Tahoe, as we would seem to be the ideal EV tourist destination, but could not get any interest what so ever. Having an array of QC's around the basin would certainly be helpful in the efforts to bring the Leaf to the basin.
