Harry and Sue have had their Nissan Leaf for over 12 months now and are more than pleased with it. In truth, they advised me that in the event that they needed to substitute it, they’d undoubtedly purchase one other Leaf. The Nissan Leaf stands out as one of many early electrical pioneers, alongside the BMW i3 and the Renault Zoe. I don’t know why, however I’ve by no means gotten round to driving one, so it was refreshing to listen to their story. It’s great that it’s nonetheless in the marketplace.
My principal curiosity has been the importing of used Leafs from Japan by the Good Automotive Firm. You’ll be able to examine that right here and right here.
Sue and Harry initially checked out the Kia EV6, however discovered that the vendor knew much less in regards to the automotive than they did and didn’t actually need to speak to them. A youthful salesperson tried to assist, however ultimately they walked out, pissed off. They then went to Moorooka Nissan and had a very completely different expertise with Gary, the salesperson there. There was a Leaf on show they usually fell in love. Initially, they had been advised that they must wait 6 months for one. It ended up being 8 months attributable to COVID, however it was properly value it.
Once I spoke with Gary from Moorooka Nissan this morning, he advised me that the majority people who find themselves fascinated by electrical automobiles have performed a good bit of analysis earlier than they get to the dealership. His job is to substantiate the small print, present them the options, and permit them a take a look at drive. At current, the dealership is experiencing a whole lot of curiosity from fleet patrons, each authorities and personal. Sadly, inventory continues to be arduous to get. I pressed him for information on the Ariya, however sadly there isn’t a phrase on when it will likely be dropped at Australia.
Nissan Ariya. Picture by Kyle Subject.
The value for the Leaf buy was quoted as AU$45,000, however ended up at $55,000 as soon as GST (10% in Australia) was added, together with premium paint, safety cameras back and front, and the standard on-road charges. Sadly, Harry and Sue purchased earlier than the federal government rebate of $3,000 was accessible.
They requested, “What can we get if we pay with money?” Gary provided a free tank of petrol, they usually all had a very good snort. He advised them to e-mail if they’d any questions and provided loads of assist. In comparison with their Mitsubishi ASX, the Leaf is quieter and has extra pick-up. (“These long-haired louts haven’t any probability,” Sue says.) It has regenerative braking, adaptive cruise management, and lane maintaining. She nonetheless has to make use of the brakes at instances. The Leaf is a bit smaller than the ASX, however that has not been a problem.
Once I first met them, at a espresso and cake morning on the Sirromet vineyard (they’ve Tesla chargers), their dialog was round considerations that public CHAdeMO chargers could be phased out. They requested about adapters from CCS2 to CHAdeMO. I didn’t have the technical experience to reply their query. Sue and Harry are attempting to organise meetups with different Leaf house owners to broaden their information of the automotive. With solely 2150 Leafs offered in Australia over 10 years, it’s proving tough. “Manuals don’t assist!”
Charging with CHAdeMO. Picture courtesy of Harry Darby.
Nonetheless, Sue brightened up as she advised me about her discovery of the Queensland Electrical Tremendous Freeway. “Each city has one now they usually have CHAdeMO.” They’re planning a street journey north in June and hope to get so far as Townsville — 1335 km (830 miles). I invited them to the EV occasions that will probably be staged in Rockhampton, Gladstone, and Bundaberg in Queensland’s winter.
The Leaf was serviced lately and I used to be interested in what was really performed. Sue and Harry graciously despatched me a replica of the bill. The software program was up to date, refreshing the sprint show, and each conceivable a part of the automotive was checked over. Sue and Harry say having the automotive checked at common intervals offers them peace of thoughts. Value? About $250.
Sue washed and vacuumed the automotive earlier than she took it in for service, then discovered the automotive obtained a complimentary automotive wash. “Subsequent time I’ll take it in soiled,” she stated. They regularly get feedback in regards to the automotive from most people: “Ooo, an electrical automotive!” “Sure,” Sue says, “We’re pensioners and haven’t needed to pay for petrol for the final 12 months.” Earlier than they retired, Sue and Harry had been paying as much as $100 every week for petrol.
For his or her Townsville journey, they’re utilizing A Higher Route Planner. This may be set for the kind of automotive and the charger required. They prefer to preserve the battery cost above 20% and will probably be utilizing the QESH community. As soon as, on a visit, they let the battery get all the way down to 7%, however it wasn’t traumatic, as they had been near their vacation spot. And, sure, the automotive does provide you with warnings about low battery cost.
The Leaf sprint. Picture courtesy of Sue Norden.
At house, they cost through the day from their rooftop solar energy system utilizing a standard energy level (10 amps). A stage 2 charger got here with the automotive, however it’s costlier to make use of at 26¢ per kWh. Any extra energy produced by their photo voltaic system feeds again into the grid, however they solely obtain a depressing 6.6¢ per kWh. It makes good monetary sense to make use of the solar energy for the automotive.
Right here is a few background on the Leaf from Wikipedia:
“The Nissan Leaf is a compact five-door hatchback battery electrical car (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was launched in Japan and america in December 2010, and its second technology was launched in October 2017. The Leaf’s vary on a full cost has been elevated regularly from 117 km (73 miles) to 364 km (226 miles) (EPA rated), attributable to the usage of a bigger battery pack together with a number of minor enhancements.
“Amongst different awards and recognition, the Leaf has received the 2010 Inexperienced Automotive Imaginative and prescient Award, the 2011 European Automotive of the 12 months, the 2011 World Automotive of the 12 months, and the 2011–2012 Automotive of the 12 months Japan. World gross sales totalled 577,000 Leaf’s by February 2022. As of September 2021, European gross sales totalled greater than 208,000 items,[3] and, as of December 2021, over 165,000 items had been offered within the U.S., and 157,000 in JapanThe Leaf listed because the world’s all-time prime promoting plug-in electrical automotive by means of December 2019. The Tesla Mannequin 3 surpassed the Leaf in early 2020 to grow to be the all-time finest promoting electrical automotive.”
Charging up the Leaf. Picture courtesy of Harry Darby.
I sit up for listening to extra tales of Sue and Harry’s travels of their Leaf.
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