2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kw - EV Newbie
Discussion
And so it came to be that my trusty 2005 Cmax needed to be replaced...
Some man maths and the budget crept from 8k to 12/13K which netted me a 30kw 2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna - and I'm absolutely loving it (on the now rare occasion it gets driven during lockdown !!). Ive had a few nice cars over the years (205 gti, Celica, Elise) but as times ticked on and family practicality has taken precedence I've moved on to diesel family wagons and now the Nissan Leaf EV.
It works well as my car as i have a local commute and i now try to use it as much as possible (we have a diesel Ford Kuga for longer journeys or where we want a little more space (not that the Leaf is compact).
I decided to document my purchase and pickup as well as my 250 mile return journey so if you fancy watching me talk guff and don't mind losing 15 mins of your life in lockdown feel free to check out the videos here (any likes, subs etc appreciated as it helps climb YouTube's algorithm mountain):
Some man maths and the budget crept from 8k to 12/13K which netted me a 30kw 2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna - and I'm absolutely loving it (on the now rare occasion it gets driven during lockdown !!). Ive had a few nice cars over the years (205 gti, Celica, Elise) but as times ticked on and family practicality has taken precedence I've moved on to diesel family wagons and now the Nissan Leaf EV.
It works well as my car as i have a local commute and i now try to use it as much as possible (we have a diesel Ford Kuga for longer journeys or where we want a little more space (not that the Leaf is compact).
I decided to document my purchase and pickup as well as my 250 mile return journey so if you fancy watching me talk guff and don't mind losing 15 mins of your life in lockdown feel free to check out the videos here (any likes, subs etc appreciated as it helps climb YouTube's algorithm mountain):
Edited by Pot Odds on Friday 28th January 18:01
had that exact model myself, in a lovely grey colour with every possible extra bar the solar panel spoiler.
Loved the car from the day I picked it up to the day it went and would wholeheartedly have another one (though currently have a Golf GTD and it's quite a fun drive).
I do remember vividly being sat at lights on numerous occasions with boy racers next to me and anything up to 50mph I would leave them standing, though after that the power just slips away from you!
Enjoy the car, and I think I'm right in saying you could charge for free as Nissan dealerships nationwide, just a handy tip with their 30 minute supercharging stations :-)
Loved the car from the day I picked it up to the day it went and would wholeheartedly have another one (though currently have a Golf GTD and it's quite a fun drive).
I do remember vividly being sat at lights on numerous occasions with boy racers next to me and anything up to 50mph I would leave them standing, though after that the power just slips away from you!
Enjoy the car, and I think I'm right in saying you could charge for free as Nissan dealerships nationwide, just a handy tip with their 30 minute supercharging stations :-)
dave_s13 said:
I'm on the market for a used leaf soon.
But.
It's slightly worrying how cars with only 40k miles on them have lost like 3 or 4 bars of battery capacity giving them a 50-60 mile max range. Which is s
t!
Hasn't any 3rd party provider sussed out how to rejuvenate the battery packs yet?
Sure, you can get the pack replaced or upgraded. But those cars are the exception, there are plenty of 40k Leafs with no lost bars. Just be patient.But.
It's slightly worrying how cars with only 40k miles on them have lost like 3 or 4 bars of battery capacity giving them a 50-60 mile max range. Which is s
t!Hasn't any 3rd party provider sussed out how to rejuvenate the battery packs yet?
What is your budget?
aestetix1 said:
dave_s13 said:
I'm on the market for a used leaf soon.
But.
It's slightly worrying how cars with only 40k miles on them have lost like 3 or 4 bars of battery capacity giving them a 50-60 mile max range. Which is st!
Hasn't any 3rd party provider sussed out how to rejuvenate the battery packs yet?
Sure, you can get the pack replaced or upgraded. But those cars are the exception, there are plenty of 40k Leafs with no lost bars. Just be patient.But.
It's slightly worrying how cars with only 40k miles on them have lost like 3 or 4 bars of battery capacity giving them a 50-60 mile max range. Which is s
t!Hasn't any 3rd party provider sussed out how to rejuvenate the battery packs yet?
What is your budget?
I could add a few grand to that however if needed but I'd rather not.
Who is replacing packs though, is it just Nissan or have specialists started doing it?
From what i understand, if you can find someone to replace / upgrade etc you are looking at anywhere between 2 and 5k which in all honesty makes it unviable - happy to be corrected.
This is why my budget crept from 8k to 12/13k.
If you are looking at a 24kw leaf then it only has a 5 year battery warranty so will likely be out of warranty on anything in the 6k budget.
The 30kw battery leafs came with an 8 year warranty which is again why i ended up with a newer 30kw leaf.
The battery warranty only kicks in if it falls below a certain number of capacitance bars within that period and even then i think it probably just gets perked up to a set level and its not a full on new battery - others may be able to shed more light though.
IMO the resale value of cars nose dives once you have lost some of the capacitance bars.
Finally if you are thinking about buying a leaf get leaf spy (as shown in my video but use at your own risk and with owners permission) as a 12 bar battery could have a 95% state of health or an 86/87% state of health and be on the brink of losing its 1st bar.
A couple of years ago seemed to be the sweet spot for buying the Gen1/2 leaf as the market was still catching up - you could have had free motoring or an appreciating car if you'd bought back then !
I seem to have swerved any harsh critique on the videos for now but maybe thats inviting trouble now !!!
This is why my budget crept from 8k to 12/13k.
If you are looking at a 24kw leaf then it only has a 5 year battery warranty so will likely be out of warranty on anything in the 6k budget.
The 30kw battery leafs came with an 8 year warranty which is again why i ended up with a newer 30kw leaf.
The battery warranty only kicks in if it falls below a certain number of capacitance bars within that period and even then i think it probably just gets perked up to a set level and its not a full on new battery - others may be able to shed more light though.
IMO the resale value of cars nose dives once you have lost some of the capacitance bars.
Finally if you are thinking about buying a leaf get leaf spy (as shown in my video but use at your own risk and with owners permission) as a 12 bar battery could have a 95% state of health or an 86/87% state of health and be on the brink of losing its 1st bar.
A couple of years ago seemed to be the sweet spot for buying the Gen1/2 leaf as the market was still catching up - you could have had free motoring or an appreciating car if you'd bought back then !
I seem to have swerved any harsh critique on the videos for now but maybe thats inviting trouble now !!!
Edited by Pot Odds on Wednesday 15th April 15:09
Hmm...it's a dilemma....some on auto trader around the 5-6k range are showing like 50miles max range which essentially makes them worthless, in my opinion.
Like you say, bought wisely they used to be free motoring essentially, a ropey one would end up being a liability you can't shift.
Need to see how things pan out with the bat flu anyway some bargains might start to surface in the coming weeks.
Like you say, bought wisely they used to be free motoring essentially, a ropey one would end up being a liability you can't shift.
Need to see how things pan out with the bat flu anyway some bargains might start to surface in the coming weeks.
dave_s13 said:
Hmm...it's a dilemma....some on auto trader around the 5-6k range are showing like 50miles max range which essentially makes them worthless, in my opinion.
Unless your daily commute is less than that and you can save a lot of money on fuel by owning one. Or turn it into a taxi and charge it at lunch time. That's why they still sell.How much range do you need?
dave_s13 said:
Hmm...it's a dilemma....some on auto trader around the 5-6k range are showing like 50miles max range which essentially makes them worthless, in my opinion.
.
Our first electric car , a BMW i3 back in 2014 , had a range of 55 miles in the winter . My wife used it on her then daily 34 round trip commute and it was never a problem ( as long as you can and remember to charge every night ) .
The 30kW Tekna I had was used to commute from South Bristol to Swindon and back daily. Through summer months I had no problem at all and often made the 85-90 mile trip (depending on which route I took) without any hassle.
When winter arrived and I needed heating for my fragile skeleton, I would initially find myself creeping home with no range left.
This was overcome by asking the employer if I could hook my 3 pin socket through the post room window and charge the car for a couple of hours each day. This worked fine, though eventually I found myself charging at work from 0800 - 1600 and only topping up when I was at home :-D
When winter arrived and I needed heating for my fragile skeleton, I would initially find myself creeping home with no range left.
This was overcome by asking the employer if I could hook my 3 pin socket through the post room window and charge the car for a couple of hours each day. This worked fine, though eventually I found myself charging at work from 0800 - 1600 and only topping up when I was at home :-D
dave_s13 said:
I'm on the market for a used leaf soon.
But.
It's slightly worrying how cars with only 40k miles on them have lost like 3 or 4 bars of battery capacity giving them a 50-60 mile max range. Which is st!
Hasn't any 3rd party provider sussed out how to rejuvenate the battery packs yet?
My Good Lady's 24kWh Leaf with c.45k has a full complement of bars and a SOH of >86% It all depends on how it has been treated apparently.But.
It's slightly worrying how cars with only 40k miles on them have lost like 3 or 4 bars of battery capacity giving them a 50-60 mile max range. Which is s
t!Hasn't any 3rd party provider sussed out how to rejuvenate the battery packs yet?
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