Newly electrified.

[glhall2]

Purchased my 2013 LEAF SV last Thursday, January 4th and picked it up on Friday the 5th. It had a little over 57k miles on it and enough battery life indicated to fit my purposes, so I took the plunge. So far I've had to rethink its original nickname (Fugly, since I loathe black cars) since it's such a freaking blast to drive. I bought it just for local use and I'm looking forward to seeing just how much use I can get out of it. I'm also curious about future upgrades and repairs since I seem to have a CV joint a bit worse for wear. I just ordered a ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger since the 120v charger just isn't fast enough nor recommended for everyday use. I'm looking forward to many years with my acquisition.

 

[MikeinPA]

Welcome! I have got two 2013s and love them; maybe we should start a 10 year old (and older) Leaf club. Coincidentally I just got the Home Flex as well after our 10 year Siemens Versa charger started malfing.

You have very roughly 800 full charge equivalent cycles on the battery. Depending on production month it should have about a 20% reduction in battery capacity, or 2 bars lost, from original. Early 2013s had cells that aged faster. Have you acquired Leaf Spy yet?

 

[glhall2]

I have LEAF Spy PRO, but I've not plugged it in yet. I was considering plugging it in and taking a 45-50 mile ride today. The weather sucks, so the lights, wipers and climate control will all be running. My battery is indicating 9 bars, or roughly 66.25%-72.5%. My range, fully charged, is running about 68-72 miles indicated, but I've not pushed it below about 50% charged yet. I'm still just trying to get a feel for it so I'm playing it safe.

 

[Snakebitten]

LeafSpy is actually fun to learn while just sitting in the car.

In fact, a test drive of a used Leaf, by an informed potential buyer, might not even involve getting out of the parking lot of the dealership, if you know what I mean? Lol

Welcome aboard, by the way.

 

[GaleHawkins]

I have LEAF Spy PRO, but I've not plugged it in yet. I was considering plugging it in and taking a 45-50 mile ride today. The weather sucks, so the lights, wipers and climate control will all be running. My battery is indicating 9 bars, or roughly 66.25%-72.5%. My range, fully charged, is running about 68-72 miles indicated, but I've not pushed it below about 50% charged yet. I'm still just trying to get a feel for it so I'm playing it safe.

Sounds like you have the better battery chemistry. Have you checked with Nissan Leaf customer support line to check your history of work done under warranty and see if it possibly may have gotten a new battery like many of them did? Our 2016 Leaf SL 30 kWh battery triggered the battery warranty at 25K miles in 2019 five weeks after.we purchased it from dealership dealership that initially leased it. The 2020 40 kWh battery pack is holding up well. 2018+.Leaf battery chemistry seem to be longer life in areas with 90+F summer temps. Sounds like you found a good car. We plan to the Leaf and is the wife's work car when she can't ride with me. We got a 2023 Tesla Model Y Dual Motor Long Range last January and it now has 22K miles mostly charging at home. The kids moved out and are 9 and 18 hours round trip away. At 73 with arthritis FSD is like cruise control on steroids but I can't zone out or it will lock me out of the Full Self Driving mode until I park and power down and get some coffee.

 

[timgross]

Purchased my 2013 LEAF SV last Thursday, January 4th and picked it up on Friday the 5th. It had a little over 57k miles on it and enough battery life indicated to fit my purposes, so I took the plunge. So far I've had to rethink its original nickname (Fugly, since I loathe black cars) since it's such a freaking blast to drive. I bought it just for local use and I'm looking forward to seeing just how much use I can get out of it. I'm also curious about future upgrades and repairs since I seem to have a CV joint a bit worse for wear. I just ordered a ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger since the 120v charger just isn't fast enough nor recommended for everyday use. I'm looking forward to many years with my acquisition.
View attachment 3014

I am curious why you think using the 120V charger is not recommended. I thought it was ideal because it doesn't heat up the battery, especially in the summer. Based on your statement of not going below 50% charge, it shouldn't take that long to charge on 120V.

BTW, I had a black 2013 SV until it got wrecked. I drove it tons and loved it. I did hate the color though because it was such a heat magnet in the summer. I thought about getting a bumper sticker saying "Black Leafs Matter" but worried that some might not appreciate my sense of humor.

 

[dsevier]

Purchased my 2013 LEAF SV last Thursday, January 4th and picked it up on Friday the 5th. It had a little over 57k miles on it and enough battery life indicated to fit my purposes, so I took the plunge. So far I've had to rethink its original nickname (Fugly, since I loathe black cars) since it's such a freaking blast to drive. I bought it just for local use and I'm looking forward to seeing just how much use I can get out of it. I'm also curious about future upgrades and repairs since I seem to have a CV joint a bit worse for wear. I just ordered a ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger since the 120v charger just isn't fast enough nor recommended for everyday use. I'm looking forward to many years with my acquisition.
View attachment 3014

My 2014 S at 70kmiles has an axle click which is remedied with moly grease and new nuts and washers on the hub. We will invoke the Inflation Reduction Act tax credit of 30% on used EVs. Not sure if it applies beyond 2023. Must be from a dealer and you need an IRS form something or other for them to sign. When I got mine I replaced the gearbox oil, brake fluid and cabin air filter. Used Nissan fluids. Next work will be cleaning & lubing the brake calipers and fixing the axle squeak. Oh yeah, replaced the 12v, which I recommend if yours has the original battery. Ours failed the day after we bought it. Also, bought a tire and wheel for a spare to keep in garage.

 

[marshallinwash]

My 2014 S at 70kmiles has an axle click which is remedied with moly grease and new nuts and washers on the hub. We will invoke the Inflation Reduction Act tax credit of 30% on used EVs. Not sure if it applies beyond 2023. Must be from a dealer and you need an IRS form something or other for them to sign. When I got mine I replaced the gearbox oil, brake fluid and cabin air filter. Used Nissan fluids. Next work will be cleaning & lubing the brake calipers and fixing the axle squeak. Oh yeah, replaced the 12v, which I recommend if yours has the original battery. Ours failed the day after we bought it. Also, bought a tire and wheel for a spare to keep in garage.

To use the tax credit on used EVs, the car has to be two years old or older. So 2012 or older vehicles qualify. Plus you have to buy the vehicle from a dealer.

Make sure you get your money up front if you don't pay enough taxes to use up the tax credit. The IRS has said they won't try to recapture any money you get up front.

 

[dsevier]

To use the tax credit on used EVs, the car has to be two years old or older. So 2022 or older vehicles qualify. Plus you have to buy the vehicle from a dealer.

Make sure you get your money up front if you don't pay enough taxes to use up the tax credit. The IRS has said they won't try to recapture any money you get up front.

 

[glhall2]

I am curious why you think using the 120V charger is not recommended. I thought it was ideal because it doesn't heat up the battery, especially in the summer. Based on your statement of not going below 50% charge, it shouldn't take that long to charge on 120V.

BTW, I had a black 2013 SV until it got wrecked. I drove it tons and loved it. I did hate the color though because it was such a heat magnet in the summer. I thought about getting a bumper sticker saying "Black Leafs Matter" but worried that some might not appreciate my sense of humor.

I believe that I read that the 120V charging isn't recommended in the owners' manual. I was still working on my 'EV legs' when I said I'd not had it below 50%. I've now had it down to 9% and 15% due to the deep freeze everyone's experiencing. I've learned that range anxiety is a thing, especially when you've three dashes flashing at you and you're still several miles from a charger. As far as other's sense of humor, I've been cut off, brake checked and had some mouth breather roll coal on me and I'm just two weeks ownership tomorrow (19th), so I'm about completely out of f***s and thinking about "I may be slow, but I'm ahead of an a$$hole." for a bumper sticker if I can find someone to print it.

 

[glhall2]

My 2014 S at 70kmiles has an axle click which is remedied with moly grease and new nuts and washers on the hub. We will invoke the Inflation Reduction Act tax credit of 30% on used EVs. Not sure if it applies beyond 2023. Must be from a dealer and you need an IRS form something or other for them to sign. When I got mine I replaced the gearbox oil, brake fluid and cabin air filter. Used Nissan fluids. Next work will be cleaning & lubing the brake calipers and fixing the axle squeak. Oh yeah, replaced the 12v, which I recommend if yours has the original battery. Ours failed the day after we bought it. Also, bought a tire and wheel for a spare to keep in garage.

I need to look into that federal income tax credit further. Illinois EPA has a $4,000 cash rebate on used EVs, but the program has been overwhelmed with applications and I'm not counting on getting it as the program was only allocated $12 MILLION for FY2024 and they were already well beyond that in applications within three weeks of the opening date. If I manage to get both, I'll have my initial investment down to something in the neighborhood of $2,500.

 

[glhall2]

My 2014 S at 70kmiles has an axle click which is remedied with moly grease and new nuts and washers on the hub. We will invoke the Inflation Reduction Act tax credit of 30% on used EVs. Not sure if it applies beyond 2023. Must be from a dealer and you need an IRS form something or other for them to sign. When I got mine I replaced the gearbox oil, brake fluid and cabin air filter. Used Nissan fluids. Next work will be cleaning & lubing the brake calipers and fixing the axle squeak. Oh yeah, replaced the 12v, which I recommend if yours has the original battery. Ours failed the day after we bought it. Also, bought a tire and wheel for a spare to keep in garage.

I'm getting a cyclical vibration at highway speeds on my LEAF as well as pops and crunches out of the front end when it's put under stress, so I'm thinking strut/spring assemblies and CV axles will make it a much quieter/smoother ride. My car began life in Wisconsin, so while it appeared to be fairly well maintained, it still has some minor rust issues that I missed (that black car thing, again) and I'm sure the salt didn't do it any favors mechanically, either. Otherwise, I've not had any red flags from Leaf Spy Pro (when I can get it to work) and it seems to be a pretty solid car all around. I'll definitely be acquiring a Nissan factory service manual for use when the weather gets a bit warmer, say May or so?

 

[TronJockey]

According to some of the latest studies, 120V charging maybe the best option especially in cold weather (below 49F). I've attached a cold weather study conducted by the ACEP (Alaska Center for Energy and Power). They performed the study using a Nissan Leaf. Seems that below a certain temperature lithium plating becomes a very real issue when trying to charge at anything except Level 1.

 

[BillAinCT]

After reading this, the fact that there is no battery warming for these very cold periods is appalling. But it would need another power entry or to plug in the L2 with an option to NOT have it charge - just warm the battery. This article is actually quite alarming! Under 50F, with DC charging is a risk for lithium plating? In New England here the battery is 50F or more probably only 8 months of the year. I guess if you're driving and then need a DCFC the battery has warmed above 50F. Still I had to charge this week and my battery was 25F. It looks like below 32F is really key. I could have dropped to 3kW instead of 6.4kW.