The reason for the limited range is because it was engineered to be a local transport/commuter vehicle. When it is used for what it was engineered for, it does an amazing job. We love our leaf but it would absolutely not work for us if it were the only car we had. My wife has an ICE vehicle that we use whenever we are going more than about 50 miles (roundtrip) This is our around town/commuter car, period. I don't know how much money it has saved us over the years but we did the math a few years ago and it was costing us about $8/week in electricity for my daily 34 mile (roundtrip) commute. We bought our 2013 almost 8 years ago for $6995. It had 12 bars when we bought it, it now has 10 bars. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the ONLY maintenance it has needed so far is tires and windshield wipers. Unbelievably, it still has the factory brake pads and rotors and my mechanic told me a couple of months ago that they are at about 50% (probably due to living in LA where bumper to bumper traffic is the norm plus I drive almost exclusively in 'B' mode). Zero emissions? I say what about zero maintenance!
This is one of the best, real world reviews I have seen, great job. I did notice that you charge all the way to 100%. If you have to, you have to but if you can keep your battery in the range between 20 - 80%, it should help with extending the life of the battery.
Might as well replace with an aftermarket upgraded battery for the same $6-7k when the original one fails. A 40kw aftermarket Leaf battery made in Mexico will have twice the range as the OEM but still costing the same.
I haven't tested my 2015 model that much yet. It still got 12 bars, but i mainly drive in the city so for me it suits me well. Thanks for the honest and great review.
If it helps anyone, I put a false floor in the cargo area of my 2013 Leaf. You don't really notice it because when you open the hatch the false floor is flush with the threshold so it doesn't draw any attention to itself. The reason I did this was so I could put one of those donut spares (if I recall, it was from a Nissan Sentra. It's been awhile so I could be mistaken but it's a standard lug pattern). I am also carrying a cheap Harbor Freight floor jack, a breaker bar with the appropriate socket, and an extension cord. (I just don't have faith in the tire foam and compressor that came with the car)
I see that you choose a good one, still all 12 bars? Nice. Don't know if it helps but about 5 years ago I decided to permanently mount the factory charger in that mostly empty space under that plastic piece in front when you open the hood. I almost exclusively use level 1 charging and I just got tired of pulling out the charger everyday. Now I just leave an extension cord that's plugged into my garage and feeds out under the door into the driveway where I park. (Yes, I have a garage but it's a single car garage and it's used primarily for storage, zero room to park a car) Anyway, it's worked well for me. I do carry an extension cord in the car just in case, but I've never used it.
The vehicle itself is well-built and should last 20 years or more, so changing the batteries after 10 years can be justified, and many people have done it and were happy with the result. The problem with that though is that the replacement batteries were not that much better and still degrade. However a company in New Zealand may have the solution to that. They will soon be offering a replacement pack with built-in active cooling (which the original lacked and was the cause of much of the degradation.) which should last longer than the vehicle's chassis. The new pack can also be LFP which have a much longer life than the original batteries. Much of the LEAF community is looking forward to it with great anticipation. ruclips.net/video/2eLe92OAeoU/видео.html I disagree that it drives like a regular gas/petrol vehicle - it has the same quietness, instant torque and smooth pickup of an EV that no petrol vehicle could match. Our ICE car is now relegated to the status of reserve car and long distance while the LEAF is the main daily driver. Not just because it's cheaper to run, but because it's just so much fun to drive.
Excellent review, thank you! Nice to see such an appropriate balance of strengths vs. weaknesses of this type of EV. ...and the censored comments were priceless! 🤣
Hi, do you still have the leaf? Just in Case: What are the SOH and range right now? What SOCs did you keep your batterie the most time (eg. between 40% and 100% or maybe 30% and 90%) I'm generally a fan of electric vehicles, but at the time it's not really economical for me. Here in Germany i found the cheapest used ones for about 6000€. Roughly calculated armotization would take around 9 to 20 years, depending on how the energy consumption is and if I can load at home(wich I probably won't be able to the next years because I live in a flat.)
Great review. How does the air conditioner effect the range? (about the same as the heater?) FYIW. Many gas cars will stop showing you a number on the guessometer when your tank gets nearly empty.
I just sold my Leaf and I'm planning to (eventually) do a summary from 3 years of ownership. AC does not effect range too much as it's offset by the battery being warmer. Heat substantially effects range, with a drop upwards of 30%. Thankfully I'm in Vancouver where I could get away with minimal heat and use the seat/steering wheel heat primarily.
Same place the battery materials come from on all ICE vehicles. Cobalt also shows up in alloys especially nickel and stainless steel. You know. Like all the other parts of the ICE vehicle other than batteries.
ICE car is more recyclable at this point in time. Also batteries in many of these electric cars are failing after 8 years. When the batteries fail, the cars are scrapped because of the high replacement cost. Lot of waste people don't see when purchasing E cars. @@tmw1063
LMAO. Are you under the impression that ICE cars aren't disposable? An ICE will eventually just break down and become literal garbage. Most ICE cars these days don't even make it much past 100k miles. An EV will just gradually lose ranger over the course of a 10-15 year lifespan until it becomes impractical. At which point it can be recycled.
The reason for the limited range is because it was engineered to be a local transport/commuter vehicle. When it is used for what it was engineered for, it does an amazing job. We love our leaf but it would absolutely not work for us if it were the only car we had. My wife has an ICE vehicle that we use whenever we are going more than about 50 miles (roundtrip) This is our around town/commuter car, period. I don't know how much money it has saved us over the years but we did the math a few years ago and it was costing us about $8/week in electricity for my daily 34 mile (roundtrip) commute. We bought our 2013 almost 8 years ago for $6995. It had 12 bars when we bought it, it now has 10 bars. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the ONLY maintenance it has needed so far is tires and windshield wipers. Unbelievably, it still has the factory brake pads and rotors and my mechanic told me a couple of months ago that they are at about 50% (probably due to living in LA where bumper to bumper traffic is the norm plus I drive almost exclusively in 'B' mode). Zero emissions? I say what about zero maintenance!
This is one of the best, real world reviews I have seen, great job. I did notice that you charge all the way to 100%. If you have to, you have to but if you can keep your battery in the range between 20 - 80%, it should help with extending the life of the battery.
Might as well replace with an aftermarket upgraded battery for the same $6-7k when the original one fails. A 40kw aftermarket Leaf battery made in Mexico will have twice the range as the OEM but still costing the same.
First one to emphasise highway driving and that it's much more suitable for routine commutes.
I haven't tested my 2015 model that much yet. It still got 12 bars, but i mainly drive in the city so for me it suits me well. Thanks for the honest and great review.
it's been a good car but I'm looking to buy a bolt early next year
If it helps anyone, I put a false floor in the cargo area of my 2013 Leaf. You don't really notice it because when you open the hatch the false floor is flush with the threshold so it doesn't draw any attention to itself. The reason I did this was so I could put one of those donut spares (if I recall, it was from a Nissan Sentra. It's been awhile so I could be mistaken but it's a standard lug pattern). I am also carrying a cheap Harbor Freight floor jack, a breaker bar with the appropriate socket, and an extension cord. (I just don't have faith in the tire foam and compressor that came with the car)
I see that you choose a good one, still all 12 bars? Nice. Don't know if it helps but about 5 years ago I decided to permanently mount the factory charger in that mostly empty space under that plastic piece in front when you open the hood. I almost exclusively use level 1 charging and I just got tired of pulling out the charger everyday. Now I just leave an extension cord that's plugged into my garage and feeds out under the door into the driveway where I park. (Yes, I have a garage but it's a single car garage and it's used primarily for storage, zero room to park a car) Anyway, it's worked well for me. I do carry an extension cord in the car just in case, but I've never used it.
The vehicle itself is well-built and should last 20 years or more, so changing the batteries after 10 years can be justified, and many people have done it and were happy with the result. The problem with that though is that the replacement batteries were not that much better and still degrade. However a company in New Zealand may have the solution to that. They will soon be offering a replacement pack with built-in active cooling (which the original lacked and was the cause of much of the degradation.) which should last longer than the vehicle's chassis. The new pack can also be LFP which have a much longer life than the original batteries.
Much of the LEAF community is looking forward to it with great anticipation.
ruclips.net/video/2eLe92OAeoU/видео.html
I disagree that it drives like a regular gas/petrol vehicle - it has the same quietness, instant torque and smooth pickup of an EV that no petrol vehicle could match. Our ICE car is now relegated to the status of reserve car and long distance while the LEAF is the main daily driver. Not just because it's cheaper to run, but because it's just so much fun to drive.
...Ohhh he got a drone.. and didn't say a word about it!
The censoring overdubs at the end were perfect 🤣
Good job Dreki!
Thanks! It's not often I get to do a car review, only buying one every few years hah
Excellent review, thank you! Nice to see such an appropriate balance of strengths vs. weaknesses of this type of EV. ...and the censored comments were priceless! 🤣
Hi, do you still have the leaf?
Just in Case:
What are the SOH and range right now?
What SOCs did you keep your batterie the most time (eg. between 40% and 100% or maybe 30% and 90%)
I'm generally a fan of electric vehicles, but at the time it's not really economical for me.
Here in Germany i found the cheapest used ones for about 6000€.
Roughly calculated armotization would take around 9 to 20 years, depending on how the energy consumption is and if I can load at home(wich I probably won't be able to the next years because I live in a flat.)
I have got 9kwh left in my LEAF plus 2kwh eco flow heater
If it has at least 22 miles of range or 5kwh capacity you are a winner
Very good video!
EXCELLENT! Thanks a lot
Great review. How does the air conditioner effect the range? (about the same as the heater?) FYIW. Many gas cars will stop showing you a number on the guessometer when your tank gets nearly empty.
I just sold my Leaf and I'm planning to (eventually) do a summary from 3 years of ownership. AC does not effect range too much as it's offset by the battery being warmer. Heat substantially effects range, with a drop upwards of 30%. Thankfully I'm in Vancouver where I could get away with minimal heat and use the seat/steering wheel heat primarily.
5%
How long does it take to charge up
What mags are those?
New camera : Feiyu Pocket 2 !! 😍
Saving the environment xD, guess you don’t know where the battery’s come from,
u want something more useful get a mirage or Honda fit or Mazda 2
Same place the battery materials come from on all ICE vehicles. Cobalt also shows up in alloys especially nickel and stainless steel. You know. Like all the other parts of the ICE vehicle other than batteries.
Disposable cars, just what the planet needs.
ICE car is more recyclable at this point in time. Also batteries in many of these electric cars are failing after 8 years. When the batteries fail, the cars are scrapped because of the high replacement cost. Lot of waste people don't see when purchasing E cars. @@tmw1063
LMAO. Are you under the impression that ICE cars aren't disposable? An ICE will eventually just break down and become literal garbage. Most ICE cars these days don't even make it much past 100k miles. An EV will just gradually lose ranger over the course of a 10-15 year lifespan until it becomes impractical. At which point it can be recycled.
@@jojag5 Who gives a fuck.