Nissan Leaf 7 day test drive
Discussion
gottans said:
I don't think the comment is weird at all, the whole electric car thing is sold on being green but is there is solid info to back up the statements so I was hoping the OP might ask Nissan about its green credentials and how 'green' it really is. All I can see is it moves the point of pollution away from the point of consumption but nothing else.
I have no idea what the 'green' argument is about either, I swapped my 380bhp 3L twinturbo BMW 335i for a Leaf, not because all of a sudden I wanted to hugg trees...I did it because I wanted to try the EV lifstyle for my self before committing £50K+ into a Tesla, and with Nissan + the Government doing £10K off the list price + intrest free credit + free home charger, once I did the numbers the 335i that I loved for 4 years and spend £6K+ on modifications alone went straight up for sale. 2 weeks, and 300 miles on, I now wouldn't swap the Leaf for my old BMW, not unless someone pays me
The EV drivetrain is just so much better than even the best ICE setup, even in the shopping trolley that is the Leaf (0-60 in 11 seconds) its just so much a nicer driving experence compared to any of my previou ICE cars...Dare I say it, even 'fun', espeically when you smash your foot on the throttle at 15-20mph and the thing just respondes instantly, none of this 'turbo lag/power band/gearing' concerns, and the fact it's all silent is just the icing on the cake. Ofcourse the Leaf cannot deliver the same thrill as honning up the Furka pass at 7am in the 335i (an Expereince I would recommend to any 'petrolhead' before EVs comitt ICE cars to the musems), but 95% of my driving is done been stuck in traffic t <20mph, with roads full of speed cameras/bumps and pot holes....And ofcourse for every mile I drive in the Leaf, I'm saving at least 70p compared to doing the same trip in the 335i...and every single £ I save up, means I get to order one of these that bit earlier (Currently timetabled for 18 months time)
Edited by gangzoom on Monday 13th April 11:49
Edited by gangzoom on Monday 13th April 11:51
BigBen said:
rudebhoy said:
I'm basically paying my monthly payments on my leaf with the fuel savings I'm making,
Same for me and my Zoe. Nothing to do with being green, everything to do with low cost commuting.It's surprising electric cars haven't "taken off" before.
Look around, what do you see?
What we are reading this from = Your computer: electric (although the last vestige of mechanical HDD remain...for now),
How we see in the dark: electric bulb
Where our food is stored: electric refrigerator / electric freezer
How we clean the dishes: electric dishwasher
How we wash and dry our clothes: electric washing machine and electric tumble-dryer
How we communicate with the world: electric tele(mobile)phone
How we keep warm and wash: electric furnace and water heater
How we cut the grass: electric lawn mower
How we drive: combustion engine ???
Haha, I was about to make a point but I forgot the original meaning why I wrote all that. I'm too tired to think now :S
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that cars have been slow to adopt and perhaps now it is inevitable they will join the 'electric ranks'.
Anyway my commute is 38 miles each way. Rest assured the day an electric car can produce a reliable realistic range of say, 200 miles is the day I buy an EV (providing I can afford one, of course).
Look around, what do you see?
What we are reading this from = Your computer: electric (although the last vestige of mechanical HDD remain...for now),
How we see in the dark: electric bulb
Where our food is stored: electric refrigerator / electric freezer
How we clean the dishes: electric dishwasher
How we wash and dry our clothes: electric washing machine and electric tumble-dryer
How we communicate with the world: electric tele(mobile)phone
How we keep warm and wash: electric furnace and water heater
How we cut the grass: electric lawn mower
How we drive: combustion engine ???
Haha, I was about to make a point but I forgot the original meaning why I wrote all that. I'm too tired to think now :S
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that cars have been slow to adopt and perhaps now it is inevitable they will join the 'electric ranks'.
Anyway my commute is 38 miles each way. Rest assured the day an electric car can produce a reliable realistic range of say, 200 miles is the day I buy an EV (providing I can afford one, of course).
liner33 said:
And how do we generate that electricity?
I found this quite useful (and doesn't include the fuel/carbon/emissions used by tankers to deliver the fuel to the petrol stations)Also in Scotland we have up to 40% of mains grid generated by renewables so the diagram below is more 'worst case scenario' where all of electricity is deemed to be produced by coal fired power station...
I agree though that the 'EVs are zero emissions' is a false statement but even taking the emissions from source they are massively reduced compared to the most efficient diesel and petrol powered cars.
and since ph'ers like to know the detail...
Oh and I might as well declare my personal interest here's my new commuter:
My point was/is it's hardly strange to still be reliant on the ice when we generate most of our electricity from burning fossil fuels
I though it was well established than co2 emissions are largely a red herring and people buy these cars to save money.
We bought a hybrid because it was nicer to driver and no more expensive than a comparable diesel, as an asthmatic I'm far more concerned about air quality than co2, I would have bought a Leaf if it had been suitable for us
I though it was well established than co2 emissions are largely a red herring and people buy these cars to save money.
We bought a hybrid because it was nicer to driver and no more expensive than a comparable diesel, as an asthmatic I'm far more concerned about air quality than co2, I would have bought a Leaf if it had been suitable for us
PKLD said:
in Scotland we have up to 40% of mains grid generated by renewables
All massively subsidised by the English taxpayer no doubt - what happens to Scotland's income when there is no oil and no tourism because the whole country is one big wind farm ?PS this is more of a rant about wind subsidies than Scotland subsidies - honest !
liner33 said:
My point was/is it's hardly strange to still be reliant on the ice when we generate most of our electricity from burning fossil fuels
I though it was well established than co2 emissions are largely a red herring and people buy these cars to save money.
We bought a hybrid because it was nicer to driver and no more expensive than a comparable diesel, as an asthmatic I'm far more concerned about air quality than co2, I would have bought a Leaf if it had been suitable for us
You're right - people are now waking up to local air quality, local as in their driveway in the morning and when they are commuting in their town. The CO2 debate is something that is a global issue that industry and countries need to try and reduce and maintain, not increase.I though it was well established than co2 emissions are largely a red herring and people buy these cars to save money.
We bought a hybrid because it was nicer to driver and no more expensive than a comparable diesel, as an asthmatic I'm far more concerned about air quality than co2, I would have bought a Leaf if it had been suitable for us
The saving money part is and will be the main reason for a mass adoption of EV/PHEVs. Does a person buying a Porsche really want a diesel panamera? Or do they want a nice car but don't want to waste huge amount of money through tax and fuel? We they choose a petrol if it saved them thousands per year against a diesel version - of course they would!
The could thing is that the latest EV/PHEV are desirable in their own right - regardless of their environmental impact. I love the seamless power delivery of my Leaf and the first few miles in a plug-in hybrid are the nicest miles of a journey and really feel like an extra 'luxury'
johnnyreggae said:
All massively subsidised by the English taxpayer no doubt - what happens to Scotland's income when there is no oil and no tourism because the whole country is one big wind farm ?
PS this is more of a rant about wind subsidies than Scotland subsidies - honest !
You wouldn't like to know that some of 'our' electricity goes into 'your' grid then... PS this is more of a rant about wind subsidies than Scotland subsidies - honest !
And here's me thinking that we were all on the same island with electricity flowing around all of the grid. Also it's not all turbines - we have a chunk of hydro that have been around a lot longer than any of the ugly turbines...
Plus tidal and offshore are coming on stream finally after years of development.
p.s. can you lot down there stop building massive Solar farms as you are taking all the subsidies from us Scottish energy bill payers for the feed-in-tarriffs as it's not as sunny up here but it is windy
Roo said:
I don't have a single customer who has bought an EV/PHEV/hybrid on their 'green' credentials.
They've all bought them for economy.
Exactly. This is how they are going to shift these types of cars.They've all bought them for economy.
Like the poster above, I bought my Leaf as the monthly payments were a lot less than I was spending on diesel in my old car. It was a bit of gamble at the time as I don't have any facility to charge at home, but with 5 months to go I'd happily replace it with another EV if the price is right.
Culinia said:
It's surprising electric cars haven't "taken off" before.
Look around, what do you see?
What we are reading this from = Your computer: electric (although the last vestige of mechanical HDD remain...for now),
How we see in the dark: electric bulb
Where our food is stored: electric refrigerator / electric freezer
How we clean the dishes: electric dishwasher
How we wash and dry our clothes: electric washing machine and electric tumble-dryer
How we communicate with the world: electric tele(mobile)phone
How we keep warm and wash: electric furnace and water heater
How we cut the grass: electric lawn mower
How we drive: combustion engine ???
Haha, I was about to make a point but I forgot the original meaning why I wrote all that. I'm too tired to think now :S
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that cars have been slow to adopt and perhaps now it is inevitable they will join the 'electric ranks'.
Anyway my commute is 38 miles each way. Rest assured the day an electric car can produce a reliable realistic range of say, 200 miles is the day I buy an EV (providing I can afford one, of course).
Few of those are battery. Only one being the lawnmower, (the only none static device) where the battery ones are simple gimmic/novelty/expensive that appeal to early adoptors.... same as the EV cars.Look around, what do you see?
What we are reading this from = Your computer: electric (although the last vestige of mechanical HDD remain...for now),
How we see in the dark: electric bulb
Where our food is stored: electric refrigerator / electric freezer
How we clean the dishes: electric dishwasher
How we wash and dry our clothes: electric washing machine and electric tumble-dryer
How we communicate with the world: electric tele(mobile)phone
How we keep warm and wash: electric furnace and water heater
How we cut the grass: electric lawn mower
How we drive: combustion engine ???
Haha, I was about to make a point but I forgot the original meaning why I wrote all that. I'm too tired to think now :S
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that cars have been slow to adopt and perhaps now it is inevitable they will join the 'electric ranks'.
Anyway my commute is 38 miles each way. Rest assured the day an electric car can produce a reliable realistic range of say, 200 miles is the day I buy an EV (providing I can afford one, of course).
JonnyVTEC said:
Few of those are battery. Only one being the lawnmower, (the only none static device) where the battery ones are simple gimmic/novelty/expensive that appeal to early adoptors.... same as the EV cars.
I take it you have studied the subject matter well?? Do you happen to also own a company that NASA trusts to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, and to build the launch platform for the Mars missions along side Boeing??Once you have bettered those achievements than maybe I'll entertain your well thought out, logical arguments...But till than I have more faith in that Elon Musk has to say about battery EVs :P
The good bit is at about 10 minutes....You can almost see his having to stop him self from telling the reporter to shut up on the account of been too stupid to understand the science
http://youtu.be/Y_e7rA4fBAo
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 16th April 13:37
My normal commute would be ok for a Leaf, I do about 60 - 70 mile round trip, whichever base I go to. But one day (a month or two ago) I had to make an unexpected visit to another office, total for the day was 110 miles. That would give me a problem, i.e. having to go home first to swap cars.
For those in the IAM, there is an article in the latest IAM magazine about battery/electric cars, after someone took his advanced test in a Smart Electric.
One interesting item in it is the concept of battery swapping stations, instead of charging. Apparently Tesla are going that way.
er..
If batteries are easy to remove, that would worry me ...
For those in the IAM, there is an article in the latest IAM magazine about battery/electric cars, after someone took his advanced test in a Smart Electric.
One interesting item in it is the concept of battery swapping stations, instead of charging. Apparently Tesla are going that way.
er..
If batteries are easy to remove, that would worry me ...
johnnyreggae said:
PKLD said:
in Scotland we have up to 40% of mains grid generated by renewables
All massively subsidised by the English taxpayer no doubt - what happens to Scotland's income when there is no oil and no tourism because the whole country is one big wind farm ?PS this is more of a rant about wind subsidies than Scotland subsidies - honest !
JonnyVTEC said:
I got an email the other day from Nissan offering 4 day test drives in the LEAF
Have they stopped the 7 day test I wonder?Think they were being offered pretty recently.
You need the 7 days to see if it will fit in to your normal week.
ie. commute, weekend shop/trip out etc..
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