Nissan LEAF - General

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MikeB4
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#1919819 14-Dec-2017 19:41

jonathan18:

MikeB4: Is there much to save by importing a Nissan Leaf myself and what would be the best source market to look at? Any ideas folks?

Are you looking at the gen 2 or the 'new 2018' model? If the latter, I'm sure there'll be plenty of dealers bringing them in once they become available, whether or not Nissan NZ does.

I'd be interested to know how much you may save doing it yourself. Personally, it would need to be a good amount for me to take the plunge, given one has to wear any risks. It's the same reason why I don't buy cars privately (unless the car's still under a manufacturer's warranty) - I'm too risk-averse to go without CGA or equivalent coverage.

One of my sons lives in the UK and if I were to source from there he is able to do the leg work over there fore me. I would love one of teh new ones due next year that is cited to have a range over 250kms but I think they will be quite pricey for a year or two.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

Linuxluver

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#1919943 15-Dec-2017 00:22

MikeB4:

One of my sons lives in the UK and if I were to source from there he is able to do the leg work over there fore me. I would love one of teh new ones due next year that is cited to have a range over 250kms but I think they will be quite pricey for a year or two.

To retain the purchase rebate the car would have to be in the UK for at least 6 months. So ideally, your son would buy it for you, then ship it to you after 6 months and reclaim the VAT as well. You pay NZ GST on the car and the shippinng when it arrives. This is normal.

Sally Roberts is actively ordering new 2018 Nissan LEAFs on behalf of people. She tends to deal at the higher end of the market - importing used Teslas and similar - but you get what you pay for. I've never heard a bad thing about her work and lots of praise about how easy she makes it for clearing the tax issues at the UK end, arranging shipping and insurance and then bringing through compliance here in NZ when it arrives.

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desultory

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#1919988 15-Dec-2017 08:23

Does anybody here know if there will be any battery capacity upgrades available for existing E-NV200 Nissan EV vans so that you could upgrade their small battery capacity with the larger new capacity battery in the future?

Nissan seems bad that they are not forward about offering battery capacity upgrades for their existing EV owners.

The range for the existing E-NV200 just seems too short to me, it's a pity they did not have a model with a range extender generator (like BMW i3) or with a larger battery available for the used models. Their used prices have dropped and they're now good value, it's just the short range that concerns me as you'd almost have to be plugging it back on charge every day in many cases (even if you only did 60-80km of driving) as the capacity left likely would be too small for very much distance after that, especially in summer when your likely running the AC also.

I see the new E-NV200 will have the 40kW battery and that'll be a godsend for all the tradies etc who finally want to be able to have an EV van with a reasonable range, but sadly that then means having to pay the extra $$ for a brand new one. It'll be interesting to see however once the new model with the larger battery is released whether this pushes the price down of the existing older models very much (or not).

afe66

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#1920003 15-Dec-2017 08:58

No Nissan doesn't have a battery upgrade option.

And to be fair to them I'm not sure _any_ ev manufacturers have this.

There might be private people doing this but as the 40kW version might not be yet for sale, I can't see where you would source the battery from.

If you want a bigger battery capacity, you have to buy the newer version.

(just like iPhones - scale is different but the philosophical reason probably the same 😋)

happyfunball

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#1920008 15-Dec-2017 09:16

I think part of the reason for no battery upgrades from EV manufacturers is that they want a secondary market for used EVs.

If you could upgrade the battery easily you’d hang onto it longer and there would be less EVs on the road.

PhantomNVD

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#1920131 15-Dec-2017 12:06

But in the same light, their 2nd hand battery market needs some work if they expect their 2nd hand models to retain a viable use too... there REALLY needs to be a support network, WORLDWIDE to support my Gen1 to be ‘refreshed’ every 5-10 years... even with a like-for-like approach, so it can retain its 100km “useable” range, even if they don’t want it to get a 250km ‘who needs a new one’ range.

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afe66

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#1920150 15-Dec-2017 12:51

I don't think they want you to stretch your Gen 1 leaf out for years.

They will want you to buy another car.

In time 3rd party manufacturers will make spares if the market is there.

I'd wager that some cars don't have original manufacturer spares any more and it's third party or wreckers only.

hamish225

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#1920166 15-Dec-2017 13:11

afe66: No Nissan doesn't have a battery upgrade option.

And to be fair to them I'm not sure _any_ ev manufacturers have this.

There might be private people doing this but as the 40kW version might not be yet for sale, I can't see where you would source the battery from.

If you want a bigger battery capacity, you have to buy the newer version.

(just like iPhones - scale is different but the philosophical reason probably the same 😋)

Renault will upgrade your 22kwh zoe battery to the new 41kwh one, Renault NZ have said this is in the pipeline here.

i Quite like the Zoe, I also saw something about the 2019 model possibly getting CCS DC quick charging. Hopefully they also keep the 22kw on board AC charger too because if they do that I’ll upgrade my leaf to one of them!

*Insert big spe*dtest result here*

happyfunball

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#1920271 15-Dec-2017 15:56

hamish225:

i Quite like the Zoe, I also saw something about the 2019 model possibly getting CCS DC quick charging. Hopefully they also keep the 22kw on board AC charger too because if they do that I’ll upgrade my leaf to one of them!

Isn't the Zoe a cheaper car than the LEAF, prices in NZ notwithstanding? In Europe it is a cheaper car, cheaper in price, more plasticy interior, shorter, narrower, less legroom with less features, except range. Basically its designed to be a cheap commuter car rather than a family car like the LEAF.

Its a shame it is perversely more expensive here, it really should cost less than a LEAF and be more popular with people who don't have kids to cart around.

wellygary

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#1920276 15-Dec-2017 16:09

hamish225:

i Quite like the Zoe, I also saw something about the 2019 model possibly getting CCS DC quick charging. Hopefully they also keep the 22kw on board AC charger too because if they do that I’ll upgrade my leaf to one of them!

Without fast DC charging a Zoe is effectively shackled to your home charger, any travelling will require long charging breaks as most AC options are 10-15 amp....

RunningMan

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#1920291 15-Dec-2017 16:37

happyfunball:[snip]

Isn't the Zoe a cheaper car than the LEAF, prices in NZ notwithstanding? In Europe it is a cheaper car, cheaper in price, more plasticy interior, shorter, narrower, less legroom with less features, except range. Basically its designed to be a cheap commuter car rather than a family car like the LEAF.

I'd agree with this. Specs wise, a Zoe looked very good - good range, 3 phase charger etc. etc. but looking at one in the flesh, not so impressed. Plasticy and very basic interior, no height adjustment on the driver's seat (battery cells are under there), and poor rear legroom (more an observation of a car that size, but the i3 seemed better).

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MarkH67

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#1920342 15-Dec-2017 19:04

desultory:

the short range that concerns me as you'd almost have to be plugging it back on charge every day in many cases (even if you only did 60-80km of driving) as the capacity left likely would be too small for very much distance after that, especially in summer when your likely running the AC also.

I don't see the need to charge daily as any big deal for most people, charging daily is as easy as plugging in when you get home and unplugging when you go to leave in the morning. The bigger issue would be for those that have to charge once or more during the day, especially if your need to charge doesn't coincide with being in the proximity of a fast charger. More range definitely adds more flexibility on when you stop and charge.

RUKI

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#1920390 15-Dec-2017 21:55

happyfunball: I think part of the reason for no battery upgrades from EV manufacturers is that they want a secondary market for used EVs.

If you could upgrade the battery easily you’d hang onto it longer and there would be less EVs on the road.

Agreed. I read in Japanese Sources (one of Denso's whitepapers) ages ago - they said [about hybrids and hybrid batteries] that expected vehicle life is 10 years and same applies to traction batteries. In Japan the system encourages and incentivize people to change cars after 3, 5, 7, 9 years. In New Zealand average age of the car (according to Stats NZ) is 14 years and majority are JDM second hand.

EVs are new thing but approach in JDM Auto world I believe is the same... I hear questions about battery upgrades more often than weather forecast. I need a parrot on my shoulder who would advise - "buy the fresh car (3-5 years) with low odo and good initial battery health and if you can afford to throw it away after 5 years - do not worry then about upgrades. If it lasts longer - consider it as a bonus".

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quickymart

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#1920396 15-Dec-2017 22:19

afe66:
quickymart:

I test drove a Leaf on Sunday (with my boys in the backseat). It was pretty cool! I didn't take it very far but wow what a smooth quiet ride. The boys loved it too. Sadly it was all I heard about for the rest of the afternoon.

I could see myself driving one of these things to Hamilton, but somewhere like doing a loop of the Coromandel would be a little bit more challenging - charging stations seem to be few and far between there (as far as I can tell).

Are you sure?

Plugshare.com seems to show 4 Chademo rapid chargers on the coromandel loop.

I had no idea that was the case - thanks for the info.

RUKI

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#1920398 15-Dec-2017 22:24

PhantomNVD: But in the same light, their 2nd hand battery market needs some work if they expect their 2nd hand models to retain a viable use too... there REALLY needs to be a support network, WORLDWIDE to support my Gen1 to be ‘refreshed’ every 5-10 years... even with a like-for-like approach, so it can retain its 100km “useable” range, even if they don’t want it to get a 250km ‘who needs a new one’ range.

I have initiated recently request for amendments to some NZ rules in regards to importation of the second-hand traction batteries and was told that we may expect positive outcomes... Have not received anything in black and white yet ... but it is work in progress... Big question is who on this forum has spare warehouse in Auckland - standing idle, doing nothing and wants to store piles of traction batteries (for Leafs and for Hybrids) and get into that battery rebuild business?

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