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I think that if you own or occasionaly have driven an electric car,preferably an ALL-ELECTRIC car,like the Nissan Leaf & the GM Volt,your experience will be very interesting & helpful...
Please comment only if you,personally,have such an experience...
Well, I guess I shall proceed to take this thread's virginity.
We reserved and ordered a Nissan Leaf back in 2010. It finally arrived on July 23, 2011. This car has been everything it was advertised to be and then some. Absolutely amazing is all I can say.
The ride is smoother and quieter than any ICE vehicle you've ever driven. Mercedes, BMW, Bentley, I don't care, this car is quieter than that. It's so quiet on the road that at 19 mph and under, it creates a sound simulating an engine for blind people, bicyclists and pedestrians. There IS an option to turn this off, however, if it proves too intrusive. Just make sure you don't hit anyone.
Range-wise? It's been great. We haven't been stranded yet following the data on the gauges. The number the algorithm gives you isn't as accurate as the number of bars left. I imagine they either fixed this already with a computer update or they will fix it in the future. Again, not a big deal.
We got the car primarily for my mom, who has a 52-mile daily commute. The car fits her commute rather well, however, she likes to go to work late and drive fast to get to work sometimes, so we charge to 100% instead of 80% these days. 80% charging results in longer battery life, according to Nissan (and the laws of battery chemistries) but with 80% charging, my mom doesn't feel quite as comfortable as with 100% charging.
There's a Nissan Leaf forum called Nissan Leaf Forum - Online forum for the Nissan Leaf Electric Car which has been an invaluable resource. It brings together Nissan Leafers from around the world, discussing problems, issues, data, range, mods, everything you can possibly think of regarding the Nissan Leaf. Anyone seriously considering the car should definitely check it out and do some research on there.
Problems with our personal Leaf? My mom once forgot to turn it off at work (since it's so quiet), so the climate control ran all day long and she had only 4 miles of range when she got off work. That was the only time we had anything resembling an issue. Other than that, it's been perfect.
San Antonio (and central Texas in general) doesn't have a highly developed electrical charging network just yet; only at the Nissan dealers and the airport (or so I heard) so it's difficult to city-hop, but it's theoretically possible for me to drive to Austin and charge there and along the way at Nissan dealers. Haven't tried it yet, but I'm not ruling it out: I know I can do it.
We installed a 240V charger in our garage. It has been absolutely remarkable. The gauge states it will take 4 hours to charge to 80% or 100%? It does it closer to 3 to 3.5 hours. It's a great car and a great system! Charge it twice a day and everyone gets its use out of it.
For the month of September or October, our electricity bill was $50. This is for the entire month....FOR THE ENTIRE HOUSE. We drove the Leaf approximately 1,200 miles or so in that time. So you can just imagine the savings we're experiencing compared to driving an ICE. Granted, upfront costs were high, but it is what it is.
That's all I can think up at the moment. If I think of anything else, I shall let you know. And of course, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, any C-Der!
Soviet, you will get the tax credit right? I believe that offsets the purchase price differential.
I am really high on the Nissan Leaf, I commend you for your courage to try something different.
I live in Minneasota so the winters are a big issue. I don't know if the Leaf would be right for me. So much of the battery would go for heat just to keep the windows clear of frost and of course batteries suffer in sub zero weather.
I wanted to try it out so I could like it and buy one.
I did not like it very much at all. It was heavy, uncomfortable, the controls were alien to me and difficult to decipher, performance and handling were abysmal, mileage was not all that exciting in real life usage. On the other hand the electric part of it was really neat. Took some getting used to when it moved without making a sound. I did not buy one. I might consider a volt for commuting, I need to try it. I also might consider a used Tesla if they are available.
What are you looking for in particular? I've driven a lot of different EV's in my course of work, but have gotten a decent amount of seat time in the Leaf and Volt recently. Overall, they are really no different to drive than any other car and whether or not it's a good choice for you will heavily depend on your personal situation and driving habits.
Between the Leaf and the Volt, I prefer the Volt. Yes, it is has less all electric range, but the onboard engine functions seemlessly with the rest of the system and you get all the benefits of both worlds. The biggest thing that scares me with them is the variability of range based on outside temperature and weather conditions. We have a charging station at our main office and have a Leaf and Volt that we use as demo cars. I've driven the Leaf fully charged on perfect 70 degree days and had a 100+ mile range. Get in it on a cold, crappy day start driving in traffic and bam, you're down to 50. The Volt experiences this too, but less dramatically and the fact that you do have a backup means no worries.
Also, the tax credit is not the same as what the home owner one was. You need to have $7,500 of tax liability in order to use it. The vast majority will see very little benefit from the credit. This is also why leasing is so attractive as the company that does the lease can use the full credit and pass that on to you in the lease rate.
I don't think it will come has a diesel option. However, I know Volvo has a diesel plug-in hybrid coming out soon.
Since you're from Greece I'm assuming you've heard of Opel? Because GM will sell the volt there as the Opel Ampera. Same car, different badge
"Everybody" is waiting for the Ford Focus,next year...
Opel Ampera still not out,even in Germany.
Volt is handicaped with the 2 separate seats in the back,instead of a 3 person bench...
But when did GM do the right thing..?
First impressions on EV are all positive.
U save a lot of money & u get a price reduction.
Still,the initial cost is steep. Better lease it...
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