Nissan Leaf

[mikey4444]

I have not noticed these cars much before but three times this week, I have seen them on the M4 in South Wales, driving very slowly along the inside lane. They were three different cars on three different days.

So, I am presuming that the drivers were all trying to conserve power. As these are pure electric cars and not hybrids, can anyone tell me the point of owning one ? I have googled them and they have a range of about 124 miles, which is only about a third to a fourth of the normal range of a diesel or petrol powered car.

Seems daft to me to own a car that you have to drive so slowly, that it takes you ages to get anywhere !

[Zacs-Master]

Could have been testing them.

[EDDIE51]

The 124 mile range is only in good weather ,if you use headlights,heater, screen heat the range drops . It can be as low as 50 miles, so to go anywhere over 25 miles away is out of the question unless you can charge up when you get there.
They are really only of use as 'town cars' you go to the shops, school run or such and come back home .
One house near me has one, they also have solar panels for electricity so they effectively run the car on sunlight.
Another disadvantage is that you need to live in a house with a garage or private drive so that you can have a charging point for the car. No use to me in my terraced house with a parking area 50 yards away!

[mikey4444]

Yes...that did occur to me as well Zacs. The Nissan dealer is not far away from that section of the M4.

But I am still doubtful of the usefulness of these 100% electric cars. The first thing I do when I get in the car in the morning and start the engine, is to look at the fuel gauge. These poor people must be staring at the equivalent all day !

I can just about see the use for a hybrid car, but I get about 55 mpg out of my little Fiesta, and a full tank range of about 480 miles. I am going down to Cornwall for Easter and if I was driving there in a Leaf, it would take hours and hours, what with having to stop and re-charge the ruddy thing.

Electric engines were OK for milk floats but I am unsure about their general use.

[bhg481]

Such vehicles would be ideal for someone who commutes to or from somewhere with very poor public transport available but has no other use for their own transport.
Having said that there is no way that I would feel safe travelling at anything less than 50mph on a motorway.

[EDDIE51]

Diesel or petrol cars can refuel at any petrol station so the range is limitless.
There are very few electric car recharge points and a full recharge takes several hours making them even more limited.

[mikey4444]

I agree at 08:39...(sorry, the ruddy avatars are playing up again)

In an area like South Wales, I am not sure if re-charging them from sunlight would be much good, as its a rare commodity here !

But what is the point of these electric cars, if they are only effectively shopping trolleys ?

According to the Nissan website, a Leaf will cost from £16,490 ! This is for a car that you really can't drive anywhere very much ....whats the ruddy point ?

Still doesn't make any sense to me at all.

[mikey4444]

08:43...and that is why I noticed them on the M4 this week. They were driving at about 25-30 mph. Everybody was having to pull out to overtake, and I think that is positively dangerous.

Do we have any Leaf owners here on AB ?

[bhg481]

There are a lot of people who only want a "shopping trolley" Mikey (not me). I think people are attracted by what they think is (almost) free fuel, RFL etc and how "green" they are. They are only green at the point of usage (the power is generated somewhere else) and I'm waiting for them to discover what the cost of a replacement battery will be.

[EDDIE51]

This review says it all , and look at the price ! over double the cost of a similar conventional car.
http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/nissan/leaf-hatchback/summary/25960-5
8 hours for full recharge, it really would take about 3 days for you to drive to Cornwall mikey and that is assuming there are recharge points along the way which I dought!

[EDDIE51]

Replacement battery just under £5000 and they last less than 2 years according to how often it is used and charged
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/nissan/89694/nissan-leaf-battery-replacement-to-cost-4920

[EDDIE51]

Sorry 'Can' last as under 2 years.

[mikey4444]

As I thought Eddie...next to useless !

[bhg481]

Ah, you're missing a trick Mikey and Eddie. You set off to Cornwall. After a couple of hours you run out of "fuel". Call your breakdown service (you've paid extra for get-you-home/to-your-destination cover) and they take you the rest of the way. Same on the way back. How cheap is that.

[mikey4444]

BHG...never thought of that !

[EDDIE51]

The batteries use Lithium which is only mined in 2 places in South America.
Lithium mining is one of the most polluting industries in the world so not as environmentally friendly as the drivers would like to think

[mikey4444]

Eddie...I think we can all agree that the Leaf is a bit of a knob then !

[EDDIE51]

^ Hybrids are ok but all electric are a false economy.

[hc4361]

I think hybrids cost more to run on petrol than the non-hybrid equivalent

[Baldric]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/drivers-claim-government-subsidy-nissan-8532202

///Eco-friendly motorists have driven the North East built Nissan Leaf to number one in Britain’s electric car market, new figures show.
Almost 6,400 people have claimed the Government’s £5,000 plug-in car subsidy to buy the vehicle - more than a third of all the grants given out.///