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Thommo

New member
Joined
Oct 25, 2022
Messages
2
Greetings my name is Ian and I don't have an EV and always have been a confirmed petrolhead (Triumph Stag 3.5 V8) however with a love of all things technical I have been fascinated by the development of these cars.
Confession time: I must admit that I always thought that the Leaf was a curious vehicle and although cute and quirky was not my cup of tea, I think I was seduced by the Teslerati fan club and once drove an M3 to see what the fuss was all about.
I will own up to the fact that I have not driven a Leaf yet However, I am now totally convinced that this will be my next car.

I think I am drawn to the e+ versions as my wife (who I am still to convince) is very risk averse and range anxiety wouldn't help with keeping me out of the doghouse! :D
I am particularly drawn to the Leafs bi-directional battery and want to research this ability to integrate into our home power supply.
The first step on this journey will commence in early November when dear old Octopus will install our new Smart meter.

In the mean time I would be very pleased to hear from you seasoned owners on any tips I should have to help me avoid any pitfalls.

Many thanks
Ian (Ex petrol head (well much reduced anyway!) :D
 
Rule #1, never depend on any dealership to give you a straight answer. Not so much a "Nissan" thing just more of a "All Dealerships Are That Way" thing.

Then, spend time looking at what you want to do with it. If you plan using it like a daily-driver to work, stores, school, whatever and you don't plan on driving more than 200 miles a day, that's a plus but not a show stopper if you need to drive more than that.

Next, spend some time looking at the charging network in your area. If you are blessed with QC (quick charge) stations everywhere, range issues become kind of moot.

Finally, ask us any questions you like. We aren't salespeople here. If you ask "can you drive the Leaf 300 miles", we will quickly say "No" instead of "well, technically if you drive at 40 mph....." :lol:

The Leaf can be used to tow, alternate power source, etc. but more of a custom mod and not so much "Nissan installed this trailer hitch for me" kind of stuff we do here. :D
 
Thommo said:
Greetings my name is Ian and I don't have an EV and always have been a confirmed petrolhead (Triumph Stag 3.5 V8) however with a love of all things technical I have been fascinated by the development of these cars.
Confession time: I must admit that I always thought that the Leaf was a curious vehicle and although cute and quirky was not my cup of tea, I think I was seduced by the Teslerati fan club and once drove an M3 to see what the fuss was all about.
I will own up to the fact that I have not driven a Leaf yet However, I am now totally convinced that this will be my next car.

I think I am drawn to the e+ versions as my wife (who I am still to convince) is very risk averse and range anxiety wouldn't help with keeping me out of the doghouse! :D
I am particularly drawn to the Leafs bi-directional battery and want to research this ability to integrate into our home power supply.
The first step on this journey will commence in early November when dear old Octopus will install our new Smart meter.

In the mean time I would be very pleased to hear from you seasoned owners on any tips I should have to help me avoid any pitfalls.

Many thanks
Ian (Ex petrol head (well much reduced anyway!) :D

I suspect you are in the UK, (Octopus) so perhaps https://www.speakev.com/ would be useful as well.

LEAF is a comfy commuter and city car. Quick, but not on the scale of a TM3. Handles ok if the tires are inflated to 40 PSI or so (factory suggestion is 36 PSI). If commuting, local driving and shorter overnights trips are the planned uses, the LEAF is a good choice. In multiple ways, the design is somewhat dated, and is likely to go out of production in a few years.

Longer trips, the LEAF uses a connector standard that is unlikely to survive outside Japan for quick charging, Chademo. The stations are less common, at least in the USA. Also the battery is passively cooled, which can limit charging rates on longer trips, and the charging rate is already not that fast.

Some older LEAFs (not the e+) had battery lifetime problems, see Lefty's used car guide. Are you considering new or used?
 
Hi Thank you for your reply
Yes I am indeed in the UK and as I said very late to the EV world so any shared experiences of real world use is really appreciated.
I was interested in the bidirectional battery to help power the house but I'm up for learning from others.

Many thanks
 
I'm afraid that the BiDirectional charging (usually referred to as "Leaf2Home") has not made much progress in the US. I'm not sure where it stands in the UK.
 
Thommo said:
I was interested in the bidirectional battery to help power the house but I'm up for learning from others.

Very few people in the USA have much worthwhile to say about vehicle to home (V2H) or vehicle to grid (V2G). There has not been equipment available off the shelf that meets US safety standards and is approved for home use in the USA.

There have been some installs in Japan, however, using the LEAF. Quite a while ago.

Ford and the F100 might be the first with any significant numbers of installs in the USA. starting in Spring 2023, if it doesn't slip. Not sure about UK, and I suspect you are not a truck buyer.

https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/features/intelligent-backup-power/
 
One thing that you should know about Leaf2Home is that it stresses the battery, causing extra heating. Gen I Leafs in Japan had increased rates of degradation, as if they had had multiple fast charges.
 
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