Nissan LEAF - General

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#2145330 14-Dec-2018 13:11

happyfunball:
langi27:

its a tough ask to spend $649 on a nice to have.

Now my headunit is setup eg timer, bluetooth, FM presets. I hardly look at it anymore. I'd consider it for $300 but no doubt the developer has spent considerable time and energy converting this and needs to make a profit. If that's what it costs then that what it costs.

The additional costs for owning a EV are already steep, $1,000 for a new 16amp circuit and isolater, $599 for a NZ charger, $270 for a Type 1 to type 2 cable, $200 for English conversion of the dash and now $649 for head unit conversion.

It would probably be more of a decider if i was in the market for a new (old) Leaf and had the choice between a converted and non-converted head unit. I wouldn't expect to pay more for it though.

I agree with your points, but I'd like to point out a 16amp commando plug wired in should cost a lot less than $1000. We paid $550. The charging cables may come with your car already.

$800 got me a dedicated 32A cable back to switch board with an all weather caravan plug socket on outside of house. Cable ran under house, up the side of old chimney through attic an down to main board. My car came with caravan plug and an adapter to plug in wall socket. The rev has option for 10A or 16A.

While I can use 32A, I dont need to charge that fast so not need to buy wall pod (Car also came with type 2

Linuxluver

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#2145656 15-Dec-2018 08:57

LEAF Note: I'm sure some people already know this, but just in case.

I have a 30kWh LEAF and it goes that bit farther and charges that bit faster and this is 100% goodness on any 180-250km trips. But beyond that the 2nd or third 50kw fast charge can see the battery getting into the 40C+ range....and the gathering wisdom is that you really shouldn't be charging your battery at 50kw when over 38C. (aligning with the 40kWh LEAF "Rapidgate" fast charging rules manually).

30kWh LEAF rules of thumb:

1. You'll take 4 minutes to add 3kWh once the DC chrger is up to full speed. So the first 3kWh may take 4 minutes, but the second will be closer to 4 minutes......up to 85%, when it slows down to 38kw....(and then 20kw at 90% and then MUCH slower after 95%).

2. For each 2kWh at 50kw you'll gain about 1C in battery heat.

Happily, WEL (Waikato / Hamilton) and ChargeNet have been installing a growing number of Delta 25kw DC chargers. They allow you to charge the same amount at half the speed and only gain half as much heat. So instead of picking up 10C for a 50% charge at 50kw in 15-17 minutes, you'll probably find you gain 4-5C for the same charge in 30-40 minutes. That's still pretty quick.......and this allows you to effectively double your range before your battery gets too hot....and because you've only gained 4-5C you stand a good chance on a cool day of losing almost all of it before the next charge......which is the ideal, really, for charge-and-go road trip of whatever length. A hot summer day makes this less likely, but at least you can now go 400-450km without worrying about battery heat at the cost of an extra hour or so across the two additional charges you may make.

Terrain is also relevant. I've been driving Auckland to Tauranga and back roughly once / week for several months. I go direct to Waihi from my house in Greenlane on a full charge and arrive with about 10-15% remaining. Driving normal, posted highway speeds. But what happens if Waihi is broken? I have no Plan B. It's 18km to the public / free Blue Commando power points in Paeroa.....do-able....but they are frequently all full of campers. Thames (40km) is out of reach unless I go so slow I'll probably get killed.... and so is Tauranga. I could beg some power at the BP? Anyway.....I chose to go Huntly (25kw / free), Morrinsville (50kw / paid) and then 87km to Tauranga over the Kaimais. There are several other chargers nearby on this route, so very safe if any one charger is dead. But going up the Kaimais on the south side is steep and you'll add 2-3C in battery heat gliding up it. If you're planning a longer journey, you may wish to risk Waihi anyway as there aren't really any comparable hills....and the traffic tends to be slower, too, which is a good thing for all kinds of reasons. This is just an example. The rules that fall out of it are: take the flatter, slower route if you want to maximise range and heat loss and minimise heat gain.

This probably should have been two comments..... :-)

Context: I'm just under 86,000km and my battery is 91% SoH 9 days out of 10. Otherwise sometimes higher if driven a lot...or lower if not driven for several days.

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MarkH67

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#2145666 15-Dec-2018 09:30

I really like my 24kWh Leaf for my daily (35km each way, 70km total) commute, it is a great car and it is saving me a ton of money.

But for longer trips, I'm not so sure it is a good choice. Obviously, the 40kWh version now & 60kWh version next year will have much fewer problems covering longer distances, but the rumour has it that the 60kWh version will only be air cooled which probably won't be a deal breaker for most in NZ - I wouldn't buy it if I lived in Texas or Nevada though.

Currently, I'm thinking that my next car might be a Hyundai. The 64kWh Kona has a liquid cooled battery and the efficiency Hyundai is achieving is pretty impressive, they are getting a better range from the 64kWh battery than Jaguar gets from a 90kWh battery! The main downside is that it has less luggage space and less leg room for rear passengers, not a big deal for me. There is a Kia e-Nero coming out that is a longer version of the Kona (same battery & motor) so that might be an option for people that carry adult passengers in the rear or need more boot space.

I'm probably going to keep going with my 24kWh Leaf for another 4 years or so, I am having absolutely NO issues with it as a daily commuter and while driving it I should be able to save plenty of money towards the next vehicle I buy. I am unsure of what a 2-3-year-old 64kWh Kona will cost, but I should be able to save enough over the next 4 years to be able to afford one.

Auckland to Tauranga & back - depending on driving style, probably doable in a Kona without recharging at all during the trip. Regardless of driving style, very easy to only charge at each end. However - a 60kWh 2019 Nissan Leaf would also very easily get from anywhere in Auckland to Tauranga without needing to stop along the way. Temperature would not be an issue for several reasons - only 1 quick charge required for the entire trip, 50kW to a 60kWh battery is similar to 25kW to a 30kWh battery for heat inducement, there is a lot longer between charging to give the battery time to cool and of course if you are doing stuff in Tauranga then there is plenty of time for the battery to cool after fast charging. Actually, any of the newer 60kWh (or more) cars coming out over the next few years would make this trip super easy, I can't see an issue with this drive for any brand of EV that has 60+ kWh - no range anxiety at all.

Cybnate

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#2145753 15-Dec-2018 13:17

MarkH67:

Currently, I'm thinking that my next car might be a Hyundai. The 64kWh Kona has a liquid cooled battery and the efficiency Hyundai is achieving is pretty impressive, they are getting a better range from the 64kWh battery than Jaguar gets from a 90kWh battery! The main downside is that it has less luggage space and less leg room for rear passengers, not a big deal for me. There is a Kia e-Nero coming out that is a longer version of the Kona (same battery & motor) so that might be an option for people that carry adult passengers in the rear or need more boot space.

I'm probably going to keep going with my 24kWh Leaf for another 4 years or so, I am having absolutely NO issues with it as a daily commuter and while driving it I should be able to save plenty of money towards the next vehicle I buy. I am unsure of what a 2-3-year-old 64kWh Kona will cost, but I should be able to save enough over the next 4 years to be able to afford one.

For those who would not be able to afford a full car upgrade in a few years a range extender might become of interest.

Soon the guys behind (https://muxsan.com/) will deliver those extenders for the older 24kW 2011 Leafs to the newer 30kW Leafs up to 2017.
Still only available in Europe, but he is thinking of preparing kits so the extender can also be built in here in New Zealand. I believe we have even a few people on this blog who would be capable of doing that. This might take another year, but still promising.

He also has a blog on https://ssj3gohan.tweakblogs.net/blog/cat/3925. Very interesting stuff going on. Some of the blog texts are in Dutch but all videos are in English basically explaining it all. Can be pretty geeky at times (but hey we are on geekzone), but there is some hope serious life/range extenders will become available for our older Leafs.

paulchinnz

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#2145754 15-Dec-2018 13:43

This is exciting for Leaf owners. Presumably there's some significant loss of boot space.

Cybnate

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#2145762 15-Dec-2018 14:08

paulchinnz:

This is exciting for Leaf owners. Presumably there's some significant loss of boot space.

There is surely loss of boot space, but perhaps only a real problem in case you are on holiday with a family of four/five. From what I've seen in the videos it was not too bad, but these were prototypes, we'll see what the 'final' solution would look like. Definitely keeping an eye on it.

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paulchinnz

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#2145767 15-Dec-2018 14:19

Or when getting a big grocery load with kids, or picking up visitors + luggage from airport, or...

All of these can be worked around I guess. Still, when used as a pure town car, I'd favour having 100km range and the original boot space instead of 200 km range and half the boot.

iambobthefish

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#2145768 15-Dec-2018 14:25

paulchinnz:

Or when getting a big grocery load with kids, or picking up visitors + luggage from airport, or...

All of these can be worked around I guess. Still, when used as a pure town car, I'd favour having 100km range and the original boot space instead of 200 km range and half the boot.

I agree. The only real time I could see a use in having the extended range would be for long trips, usually where we're loaded to the gunnels with luggage.

GV27

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#2145825 15-Dec-2018 15:15

iambobthefish:

paulchinnz:

Or when getting a big grocery load with kids, or picking up visitors + luggage from airport, or...

All of these can be worked around I guess. Still, when used as a pure town car, I'd favour having 100km range and the original boot space instead of 200 km range and half the boot.

I agree. The only real time I could see a use in having the extended range would be for long trips, usually where we're loaded to the gunnels with luggage.

Imagine a range extender battery that could be removed from the boot and charged separately using an indoor outlet tho.

Cybnate

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#2145829 15-Dec-2018 15:24

GV27:

iambobthefish:

paulchinnz:

Or when getting a big grocery load with kids, or picking up visitors + luggage from airport, or...

All of these can be worked around I guess. Still, when used as a pure town car, I'd favour having 100km range and the original boot space instead of 200 km range and half the boot.

I agree. The only real time I could see a use in having the extended range would be for long trips, usually where we're loaded to the gunnels with luggage.

Imagine a range extender battery that could be removed from the boot and charged separately using an indoor outlet tho.

A roof rack can offset some of the space lost if that is important. Probably also decreases range somewhat due to reduce aerodynamics , but probably not as bad as the additional range gained. Anyway, everyone their own "business case". For some it works, for other not. Same with electric cars in general.

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#2146068 16-Dec-2018 11:33

Living With An Electric Car, Nissan Leaf, Changed My Mind

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#2146991 18-Dec-2018 11:32

I note that Nissan NZ are listing the Leaf. And you can register interest.

http://www.nissan.co.nz/cars-vehicles/all-new-leaf/overview

Morgenmuffel

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#2149634 23-Dec-2018 14:41

Ok a couple of Dumb questions as a charge point has been added next to my workplace.

Do these charge points around the place have plugs to attach to your car or do you need to take your own cables

What are the Tyres/wheels like on the Leafs, if I get one i'll be doing my 60k round trip and a lot of it is on the open road and there are a few patches that can be a bit slippy, I dunno i saw a leaf the other day and the wheels seemed slimmer than normal, could have been my imagination though

I am not/have not ever been the bogan/flashy car type i just want a functional car, a number of leafs seem to have "extras", i mean all i care about is a car that gets me from a-b and doesn't cost more to run than it should safety is good but flashy mags etc meh, is there a "base" model, I have tried looking but there seems to be so much variation, i have kind of given up and just started looking at year/price and battery bars/soh, is there anything else i should look at

How much does it cost to get a power point set up at home especially if the car is not kept in a shed

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#2149641 23-Dec-2018 14:58

Public chargers have their own cables. For home charging you will get a cable with the car. Typically this will plug into an ordinary 10A power point but you can also get 16A chargers if you have a 20A circuit. If you wanted 32A AC you’d need a special installation but not all cars could handle it anyway.

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paulchinnz

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#2149661 23-Dec-2018 16:47

Recommend @morgenmuffel that you use plugshare.com for information about public charging.

Some public chargers (e.g. Chargenet) have cables, others (e.g. Christchurch botanic garden) do not.

Make sure you check the front suspension struts for rusting.

Suspect you'll be ok trickle charging via household powerpoint. Say you drive aggressively and use about 12 kWh to go 60 km - you'll get that back trickle charging in about 5 hours. It becomes just one more thing to plug in when you get home.

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