US California to ban new gas cars by 2035

[thinman]

I'm watching the TV series "Long Way Up".

Actor Ewan McGregor and his friend, Charley Boorman, travel 13,000 miles around Central and South America on electric Harley Davidson motorcycles.
The production team followed Ewan and Charley’s route in prototype Rivian electric trucks built especially for the journey.

Long Way Up - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Lou]

My nephew just got a VW ID4.
He has always been a VW driver.

 

[David3]

$89 per month lease deals on the electric Nissan Leaf. $1,449 due at signing: 2021 Nissan LEAF Leases, Deals, & Incentives, Price the Best Lease Specials - CarsDirect

The 2021 Nissan Leaf electric car has a moderate range - 149 miles per battery charge - but this is enough for many people.

Nice-looking car, too:






If you have a 240V electrical outlet (for an electric clothes dryer, for instance), then the needed equipment to charge the car is not that expensive - about $200: Amazon.com: Lectron Level 2 EV Charger (240V,16 Amp) with 21ft Extension Cord J1772 Cable & NEMA 10-30 Plug : Automotive

If you don't have a 240V electrical outlet, then you will need an electrician to install one for you. This can cost several hundred dollars, but there are U.S. state/local rebates that can reduce or eliminate this cost: EVSE Rebates and Tax Credits, by State

If you are unable to charge an electric car at home (because you live in an apartment, for instance), you may be lucky enough to have a public EV fast-charger near you. You can find nearby EV fast-chargers by using a free phone app, such as PlugShare: PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

 

[Lou]

I have a friend who bought one of the first Leafs. It only had about a 100 mile range. Which was ok for him.
I always thought the having the plug in the center front was the best design.

 

[David3]

I have a friend who bought one of the first Leafs. It only had about a 100 mile range. Which was ok for him.
I always thought the having the plug in the center front was the best design.

.
The new model Leafs are substantially improved over the first, model year 2010 ones.

 

[Second Summer]

We have a Leaf! It's a great car to drive, although it's a 2015 model so it only has an effective range of approx. 80 miles.

We also don't have home charging, but we're working on getting it set up. (It turns out electricians and all kinds of builders, handymen etc are in extremely short supply after Brexit.)

 

[Jamie in Chile]

The early model Leafs struggled with 2+ rapid charges in a day, especially on a hot day, because their batteries didn´t have a decent cooling system. I´m not sure if this is still true with the modern versions. Leafs are OK for doing 200 miles in a day but if you think you might need to do 350 miles in a day I would do some further research. The early models were ugly to some people´s eyes, but the newer ones are better.

We have the Ioniq (pure EV rather than hybrid version), the first edition with a 28kWH battery. It´s a car that was never marketed much and as such is one of those underrated gems for people in the know. You can buy these cars in many places including US, UK, Europe.

To be able to afford an electric car, I got a 4 year old one from 2017.

The Ioniq and the Leaf are kind of competitors in the same sort of size (mid) and quality (also mid).

In my Ioniq I have achieved 150 miles/240 km average range, but it´s better than that driving at low speeds with no air-con, and worse on the motorway. Compared to other EVs, these are spectacular numbers for a modest 28KWH battery. On efficiency, the more aerodynamic and well built Ioniq easily beats the Leaf and most electric cars by about 20%. (Teslas are also good.)

There is a down side that there the rear visibility is compromised out of the back window, so check this carefully if you buy an Ioniq. However, I got used to it.

It is now a known fact that the Ioniqs can be driven to 100,000 kilometres or even 100,000 miles with little or no battery degradation. The early generation Leafs (2010/2011 onwards) suffered from a 4% loss of battery capacity (and consequently range) per year which meant the range on the 2011 cars in 2021 is now halved to about 40-50 miles! This compares to 2% a year loss for a typical EV. However maybe the newer Leafs will do better.

Speak EV is a good forum to get answers on EVs, and there are also many forums for specific makes and models.

 

[David3]

The early model Leafs struggled with 2+ rapid charges in a day, especially on a hot day, because their batteries didn´t have a decent cooling system. I´m not sure if this is still true with the modern versions. Leafs are OK for doing 200 miles in a day but if you think you might need to do 350 miles in a day I would do some further research. The early models were ugly to some people´s eyes, but the newer ones are better.

We have the Ioniq (pure EV rather than hybrid version), the first edition with a 28kWH battery. It´s a car that was never marketed much and as such is one of those underrated gems for people in the know. You can buy these cars in many places including US, UK, Europe.

To be able to afford an electric car, I got a 4 year old one from 2017.

The Ioniq and the Leaf are kind of competitors in the same sort of size (mid) and quality (also mid).

In my Ioniq I have achieved 150 miles/240 km average range, but it´s better than that driving at low speeds with no air-con, and worse on the motorway. Compared to other EVs, these are spectacular numbers for a modest 28KWH battery. On efficiency, the more aerodynamic and well built Ioniq easily beats the Leaf and most electric cars by about 20%. (Teslas are also good.)

There is a down side that there the rear visibility is compromised out of the back window, so check this carefully if you buy an Ioniq. However, I got used to it.

It is now a known fact that the Ioniqs can be driven to 100,000 kilometres or even 100,000 miles with little or no battery degradation. The early generation Leafs (2010/2011 onwards) suffered from a 4% loss of battery capacity (and consequently range) per year which meant the range on the 2011 cars in 2021 is now halved to about 40-50 miles! This compares to 2% a year loss for a typical EV. However maybe the newer Leafs will do better.

Speak EV is a good forum to get answers on EVs, and there are also many forums for specific makes and models.

.
Yes, Hyundai’s EV battery warranty is one of the best: 70% of original range at 10 years or 100,000 miles.
.

 

[David3]

We have a Leaf! It's a great car to drive, although it's a 2015 model so it only has an effective range of approx. 80 miles.

We also don't have home charging, but we're working on getting it set up. (It turns out electricians and all kinds of builders, handymen etc are in extremely short supply after Brexit.)

.
There are companies in the UK (and in the USA) that will replace the battery in your early model Nissan Leaf. The replacement battery is a refurbished battery, not a new battery. It can be a cost-effective way of increasing your Leaf's range. Here is one such company (not a recommendation, just an example): Battery Upgrade | Electric Vehicle Conversions | Electron Garage
.

 

[David3]

The early generation Leafs (2010/2011 onwards) suffered from a 4% loss of battery capacity (and consequently range) per year which meant the range on the 2011 cars in 2021 is now halved to about 40-50 miles! This compares to 2% a year loss for a typical EV. However maybe the newer Leafs will do better.

.
Exactly. The early Nissan Leafs had terrible battery thermal management, and they experienced a high rate of early battery degradation. On the other hand, you can buy an early model Leaf (2013) for ~ $10,000.
.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Yeah a lot of people who say "I can't afford electric cars" don't realize that you can buy one for $10,000 or less. You'll probably be able to sell it a few years later for maybe $6,000 and only spend $1000 a year on all fuel and (hopefully) maintenance.

So that works out the same as buying a $3000 conventional vehicle and then spending $2000 a year on fuel and maintenance.

So if you can afford a $3000 petrol/diesel vehicle, then you can already afford a 2010-2013 Nissan Leaf (unless you are unable to get credit for the up front cost).

However, that still leaves the question of its 40-50 mile range. But depending on your needs (e.g. can you get to work and back in under 40 miles and do you have any other regular trips of 40 miles+) you can still go to EV now and use another vehicle (share with someone else or 2-vehicle family) or the train or car hire for longer trips.