Nissan LEAF - General

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#1808378 28-Jun-2017 17:08

gzt: Eco mode, does that limit the maximum current and that's all?

No it also increases the amount of regeneration that occurs when you take your foot off the accelerator.

IE it's like engine braking except it generates electricity.

All UK models have eco mode, but higher specs have aggressive regenerative breaking so that in usual driving you might not need to press the brake to slow down, instead just lift foot off accelerator.

A.

afe66

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#1808381 28-Jun-2017 17:10

RunningMan:
The base model (S) spec JDM doesn't have eco mode IIRC.

Base UK model does have eco mode.

PhantomNVD

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#1809240 29-Jun-2017 21:48

So I'm now seriously looking at getting a leaf myself, but am only in the 10-12k range, so seemingly stuck with the option of a Gen1 at this point...

Any majour "Gotcha's" for me to beware of? Does an 80% SOC still have a good deal of wear in it?

RUKI

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#1809619 30-Jun-2017 14:15

PhantomNVD: So I'm now seriously looking at getting a leaf myself, but am only in the 10-12k range, so seemingly stuck with the option of a Gen1 at this point...Any majour "Gotcha's" for me to beware of? .....

If transportation of bulky goods is anticipated - then be aware - GEN1 has charger in the rear, reducing usable space. Gen2 has charger under the hood.

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#1812391 4-Jul-2017 10:19

PhantomNVD: So I'm now seriously looking at getting a leaf myself, but am only in the 10-12k range, so seemingly stuck with the option of a Gen1 at this point...

Any majour "Gotcha's" for me to beware of? Does an 80% SOC still have a good deal of wear in it?

This 2015 LEAF X looks good good at $19,980.

You'd want to see a LeafSpy done on it.....with LEAF Spy Pro so the VIN numbers match the car for sale.

Unlike regular cars, an EV with very low kms can be a bad thing as the battery isn't being used much. They like to be used. But if it sat for a while at about 50% battery then it would be OK.....

Worth a look.

Trademe lets you search for LEAFs specifically and by year. Avoid anything 2011 and 2012....and careful about any bought in NZ new from Nissan as they may have been sold as "2014" or whatever but they are actually 2011 or 2012 unsold stock from Australia.

Lift the bonnet. If the Battery Management System box is square-ish, you're looking at a Gen 2. That's better. If the BMS is rectangular and looks like a regular engine block, then that a Gen 1....and that's what you want to try to avoid.

80% SoH for a Gen 1 is about 100km city and 70-80km on the highway in the rain. Their top range was only ever 120km anyway. The Gen 2 was closer to 160km in the city and 120km on the highway in the rain.

30kWh LEAF is 200-220km in the city and 160km-170km on the highway in the rain. My 30kWh LEAF now has over 31,000km on it and the battery is still 100% SoH. The newer batteries are better...and more durable. I did another week of Ubering last week around Auckland and the mixed city / motorway driving saw my range running at an even 200km....(rate). Of course I charged up to 80% when I got to about 30-40% just in case someone in Papatoetoe wants to go to Riverhead, as happened on Tuesday.

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Linuxluver

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#1812396 4-Jul-2017 10:35

jonathan18:

Linuxluver:

English for the dash? GVI (EV vendor as well as other cars) in Penrose (Auckland) have worked out how to convert the Japanese dash to English. They will do it for any LEAF owner.

Does the conversion convert all Japanese text, or just select menus? And any idea of the cost of the conversion? And what about GPS if present - can NZ maps be added?

I'd been planning on looking at the lowest-spec Japanese model, primarily for the ability to switch the head unit out, but it seems like there's an alternative now.

Thanks!

I think GVI have worked out how to re-flash the firmware to show English instead of Japanese on the dash. The head unit is a separate thing. I'm talking about the dashboard display over the steering wheel.

Give them a call.

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Linuxluver

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#1812403 4-Jul-2017 10:40

afe66:
RunningMan:

The base model (S) spec JDM doesn't have eco mode IIRC.

Base UK model does have eco mode.

There may be confusion here. I think all LEAFs have D and D-"ECO" mode, but not all LEAFs have "B" mode. B mode is basically more aggressive regen than you get in D-ECO ....which makes it easier to do one-pedal driving (regen does most of the braking when you likft your foot off the accelerator). But not like the BMW i3, which will come to a complete stop if you lift your foot off the accelerator. LEAF keeps rolling slowly until you brake.

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Linuxluver

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#1812406 4-Jul-2017 10:45

Has anyone posted this from the NZ Nissan web site?

"Intelligent Power" is talking about electric vehicles....and we should watch for local developments soon.

The 2018 LEAF is due out in September....and Nissan will now (apparently) be talking about usable battery capacity instead of total battery capacity. This is relevant as the 30kWh LEAF only lets you use 28.1kWh at most on a full charge.....reserving the last 1.9KWh to prevent damage to the battery by draining it completely. The new LEAF will, therefore, have a "38kWh" battery.....(a 40kWh battery you can't use all of). That should get the around-town range much closer to 300km. Probably a real-world 250km on the highway in the rain.

A larger battery also means you charge it less often, so reducing the number of cycles....and it will be good for longer.

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Linuxluver

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#1812410 4-Jul-2017 10:53

jonathan18:

jonathan18:

Or isn't the other option to select the lowest-spec Japanese-sourced Leaf and replace the replaceable head unit with a local one, which can also have GPS? Or are companies not doing this anymore?

My thinking is I'd rather have a fully NZ-compatible head unit and forgo the upgraded features of the other models such as the heatpump heater, or are there other key advantages to the higher specs?

Well, it seems like a few retailers are still selling Leafs with the replaced NZ-sourced head unit; most are being sold by Autolink Cars. Here are a couple of examples:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/auction-1353040967.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/auction-1352958668.htm

Does anyone here have any direct experience of this type of conversion, and can therefore comment on it?

Last year, any conversion of the Japanese head unit to English could only be done for the Model S (lowest) as it did not integrate with the car's battery management. The Model X and Model G needed to remain Japanese. I think this part is still the case.

But for the dash display, GVI have worked out how to change it to English from Japanese. I spoke to a guy from Autolink last Tuesday and he said they were working with GVI to get this done. So they can legit offer it and it's real. But the issue with the head unit remains....though using Google Translate on youer phone in real-time via the camera more or less addresses that for $0.

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Cybnate

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#1812840 4-Jul-2017 19:49

Linuxluver:

30kWh LEAF is 200-220km in the city and 160km-170km on the highway in the rain. My 30kWh LEAF now has over 31,000km on it and the battery is still 100% SoH. The newer batteries are better...and more durable. I did another week of Ubering last week around Auckland and the mixed city / motorway driving saw my range running at an even 200km....(rate). Of course I charged up to 80% when I got to about 30-40% just in case someone in Papatoetoe wants to go to Riverhead, as happened on Tuesday.

Lucky you, my 30kWh Leaf (Jan-2016) went back to 97% SoH with only just over 15,000km. I bought it with 100% SoH at 13,500km. Will see how this develops.

160-170km is probably without the heater or airco on. Only got barely 150km out of it on two drives from and to Auckland from the North with heater on. Guess I have to use the seat heater more and dress warmer during winter.

City travel (<65km/h) without heater is around 200km indeed.

Linuxluver

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#1812844 4-Jul-2017 19:59

Cybnate:

Linuxluver:

30kWh LEAF is 200-220km in the city and 160km-170km on the highway in the rain. My 30kWh LEAF now has over 31,000km on it and the battery is still 100% SoH. The newer batteries are better...and more durable. I did another week of Ubering last week around Auckland and the mixed city / motorway driving saw my range running at an even 200km....(rate). Of course I charged up to 80% when I got to about 30-40% just in case someone in Papatoetoe wants to go to Riverhead, as happened on Tuesday.

Lucky you, my 30kWh Leaf (Jan-2016) went back to 97% SoH with only just over 15,000km. I bought it with 100% SoH at 13,500km. Will see how this develops.

160-170km is probably without the heater or airco on. Only got barely 150km out of it on two drives from and to Auckland from the North with heater on. Guess I have to use the seat heater more and dress warmer during winter.

City travel (<65km/h) without heater is around 200km indeed.

Winter will drag your SoH down. A cold battery has a lower Amp Hour capacity....and that drags down the SoH. Mine dropped to 95% a week ago after I'd been to Brisbane and it hadn't been driven at all for a few days.....letting it get properly chilled in the car port.

I took it out over the next few days (had things to do) and fast charged it a few times...which warms it up nicely....and Monday the SoH was 98%, Tuesday it was 99% and by Wednesday it was back to 100%.

See what happens when the weather warms up.....you should (fingers crossed) see some improvement there.

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Linuxluver

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#1812865 4-Jul-2017 20:40

Interesting fact: Jan 1 to June 30 this year saw 717 LEAFs registered for the first time in NZ. Every last one is a used import.

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RUKI

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#1812988 5-Jul-2017 00:38

Right now there are few Leaf wrecks in the country. People who have parts from those are holding onto them, some dreaming about "most likely never-to-be realized projects".

What I am after is as follows: all wires coming from the car to the battery pack and mating part from the battery pack - for both GEN1 and GEN2.

Anyone?

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PhantomNVD

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#1812995 5-Jul-2017 02:09

Linuxluver:
PhantomNVD: So I'm now seriously looking at getting a leaf myself, but am only in the 10-12k range, so seemingly stuck with the option of a Gen1 at this point...

Any majour "Gotcha's" for me to beware of? Does an 80% SOC still have a good deal of wear in it?

This 2015 LEAF X looks good good at $19,980.

You'd want to see a LeafSpy done on it.....with LEAF Spy Pro so the VIN numbers match the car for sale.

Unlike regular cars, an EV with very low kms can be a bad thing as the battery isn't being used much. They like to be used. But if it sat for a while at about 50% battery then it would be OK.....

Worth a look.

Trademe lets you search for LEAFs specifically and by year. Avoid anything 2011 and 2012....and careful about any bought in NZ new from Nissan as they may have been sold as "2014" or whatever but they are actually 2011 or 2012 unsold stock from Australia.

Lift the bonnet. If the Battery Management System box is square-ish, you're looking at a Gen 2. That's better. If the BMS is rectangular and looks like a regular engine block, then that a Gen 1....and that's what you want to try to avoid.

80% SoH for a Gen 1 is about 100km city and 70-80km on the highway in the rain. Their top range was only ever 120km anyway. The Gen 2 was closer to 160km in the city and 120km on the highway in the rain.

30kWh LEAF is 200-220km in the city and 160km-170km on the highway in the rain. My 30kWh LEAF now has over 31,000km on it and the battery is still 100% SoH. The newer batteries are better...and more durable. I did another week of Ubering last week around Auckland and the mixed city / motorway driving saw my range running at an even 200km....(rate). Of course I charged up to 80% when I got to about 30-40% just in case someone in Papatoetoe wants to go to Riverhead, as happened on Tuesday.

Thanks for the detailed reply... unfortunately we're in the lower price range, hoping to squeeze <$12,000 out our budget to go electric. SWMBO has a 35km each way daily commute with rural driving (no freeway, low hills) so a 100km limit should still work out ok from an 80% (recommended?) charge each night?

We'll still have my trusty Corolla ICE to do longer trips in, and a converted bus for the family holidays (still trying to work out how to use a Leaf for the 'toad') so range anxiety is not an issue yet... hopefully by my turn for a 'new-for-you' car in about 5 years I can get a good 'old' Leaf Gen 3 for around $10/15K 😆

Linuxluver

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#1813190 5-Jul-2017 13:27

PhantomNVD:

Thanks for the detailed reply... unfortunately we're in the lower price range, hoping to squeeze <$12,000 out our budget to go electric. SWMBO has a 35km each way daily commute with rural driving (no freeway, low hills) so a 100km limit should still work out ok from an 80% (recommended?) charge each night?

We'll still have my trusty Corolla ICE to do longer trips in, and a converted bus for the family holidays (still trying to work out how to use a Leaf for the 'toad') so range anxiety is not an issue yet... hopefully by my turn for a 'new-for-you' car in about 5 years I can get a good 'old' Leaf Gen 3 for around $10/15K 😆

Then it's Gen 1 for the win. :-) (Sorry - misread your price range as $10k to $20k.....not $12k.)

They are very nice cars and typically well loved. The range should still easily do what you need it to do. If you topped it up to about 80% each night that would be perfect. More if you need it. Ideally, there would be a charger not far from where your wife works for those unexpected detours that come up from time to time. Maybe a couple of hours charging at work might be possible. Just needs an extension to the nearest power point, plus the EVSE that comes with the car - hopefully compatible with a 3112 household power outlet. Sometimes they give you blue commando (50% faster), but those outlets tend to be car ports and campgrounds. Shouldn't really matter if you have a fast charger not too far away. They are great for adding range in 10-15 minutes if you need it.

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