It's not news that in this age of Twitter, Facebook, blogs and forums, people are telling each other off online instead of in person. But when one 2011 Nissan Leaf owner chose to vent on a Nissan Leaf forum after another electric car owner wronged him at a charging station in Los Angeles International Airport, well it's just a good read.
Basically the Leaf owner left his car at the station to be charged for a few hours but when he returned he saw that another electric car owner unplugged his car and plugged his/her own. So rude! He then complained to a Leaf forum where its members hunted down the other driver and are now keeping watch on that other car which, after two weeks, STILL hasn't moved.
In any case, I can't believe the gall of that person and wonder if this is a common occurrence at charging stations with people unplugging each other. Can't say I'm surprised as environmentally-conscious folks have been accused of treating the environment better than they treat people.
Electric car owners, has anything like this ever happened to you?
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Many of us that work here get hit up all the time about vehicle recommendations.
My buddy Bob, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is successful in the software business, rang me up a few weeks ago.
"I'm thinking of getting a Tesla Roadster," he tells me. "How much is that?" I ask. He said he could get a used one for $60 or $70K.
Edmunds.com has the MSRP of a new 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport pegged at $128,500, to start. Wow.
I ask: why don't you get a Nissan GT-R or a Porsche or something instead?
"That won't get me in the car pool lane," he says. Oh, so that's what this is about.
He said we wants to get in that car pool lane, but also wants something that's going to be fun and that he can track occasionally.
OK, how about getting a Nissan Leaf AND a Nissan GT-R or a Mustang Boss 302, I ask him. You can get both the Leaf, which is an excellent EV commuter car, and another fun weekend/track car for the price of that Tesla.
Well, that got his attention.
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Our long-term 2011 Nissan Leaf has a photovoltaic solar panel embedded in the rear spoiler that's part of the higher-level SL trim package.
Although it doesn't charge the vehicle's lithium ion batteries used for propulsion, the solar panel does help to charge the 12V accessory battery.
Hey, it's something! And it's a good start towards further solar energy progress.
Albert Austria, Senior VE Engineer @ 3,500 miles
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Here is a video walkaround of our Nissan Leaf and it starting up. The Leaf will be leaving the fleet soon as it was only a six-month loan. I'll miss it.
Click through for two and a half minutes of Leafiness.
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Spotted this Nissan Leaf on Robertson Boulevard the other day. Prior to this one, I think I've only ever seen one other Leaf on the road -- they're not a common sight here in Los Angeles.
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Thanks to aleclance for this week's favorite caption. Here are the others that make us honk.
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL,Caption Contest
I know you can barely see the Nissan Leaf in this picture, just a bit of mirror. But how do you pass up a clown photo?
What is your caption?
We'll post our favorite this afternoon.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL,Caption Contest
This is not a picture of our Long Term 2011 Nissan Leaf. This is my own Leaf, or at least my own for the next three years of the lease. I reserved my Leaf last year thinking I might turn it down when it arrived. Since then, I've gone back on forth on my pending decision. Driving our long termer convinced me it was a comfortable and capable car, despite Dan Edmunds' recent range adventure. But it is another thing altogether to plunk down $2,000 and begin monthly payments of $440. How practical of a commuter car would it really be? Could I really expect to log 12,000 miles a year behind the wheel?
Gaining access to the car pool lanes was strong motivation. But I've always been curious about electric cars and once even considered converting a gas car to electric (YouTube is filled with such home-grown projects). So I finally decided to take the plunge and sign on the dotted line. Paul Scott, an EV proponent turned EV salesman, handled the delivery process today at Santa Monica Nissan and went over every inch of the car and every menu of the computer interface. He recommended driving it in Eco mode most of the time and switching to the normal drive only when a BMW pulls up next to you at a stop light.
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Our 2011 Nissan Leaf is safely tucked away in the Edmunds, garage, but try as I might I was unable to make the 93.2-mile round trip on a single charge. After a series of unexpected events I had to stop short of my goal and duck into the Edmunds static test lab/photo studio for 90 minutes to add in enough juice to get me through the last 3.5 miles.
It started last night, when I completed my 46.6-mile commute home with 53 miles of additional range left on the meter. Getting back to work the next day on a single charge had seemed so easy, so possible, especially since I had done it previously over a longer distance in a less-sophisticated Mini E.
And then there was our experience running the Leaf on a closed course for 132 miles, in which the predictive powers of the range gauge had been spot-on. A 6.5-mile cushion seemed like more than enough to make it back this morning.
And it might have been, too, if only I hadn't gotten a little too eager/desperate to enter the carpool lane when the 405 freeway started to bunch up around Century Blvd.
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Anyone else here following Dan Edmunds on Twitter? If you are you'd know that he intended to try a round-trip commute from office to home (46 miles) to office (another 46 miles) on one charge.
He didn't make it (I'll let him explain why in another post-- his math was right but there were, as happens in real life, some unforeseen occurrences which he's tweeted) and is currently waiting for a tow on the 405. "I should have made it with no problem. I had a 7 mile surplus and I never drove faster than 53." reads a text he sent me seconds ago.
**The tow truck driver just drove past him. And with no turtle showing, he's going to risk the 5 mile drive to our photo studio**
** He's made it to the studio-- not our office-- thanks to a sub-freeway speed and ample use of four-way flashers**
Mike Magrath, Features Editor, Inside Line @ (---) miles of range (but no flashing turtle)
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Yes, this time you get two months of fuel consumption data for the price of one. I was busy moving last month and plum forgot to update the electricity and gasoline consumption stats for our 2011 Chevrolet Volt and 2011 Nissan Leaf.
June highlights:
Our Volt went the entire month without gassing up until the bitter end. It could have gone well into July, but we called it in on the last day of June to top it up with 5.42 gallons so I could close out the month and make the calculation. Over some 604 miles, the apparent mpg worked out to 111.5 mpg. Of course only 186.4 of those miles were covered with those 5.42 gallons, so the real gasoline fuel economy was 34.4 mpg. This is possible because we plugged it in a lot in June, as evidenced by a rockin' 69% Utility Factor. These all-electric miles, 417.6 of them, came courtesy of 148 kWh of purchased electricity.
Meanwhile, the Nissan Leaf ran 262.6 miles on 74.9 kWh of juice, and that's pretty much it. Say what you will about the relative merits of these two cars, but the all-electric Leaf is a lot easier to keep tabs on because a constant 100% U.F. is guaranteed.
Now for some nice tables. July Highlights to come after the jump.
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2011 Chevrolet Volt
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Best
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Worst
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Average
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Electricity (kwh/100 mi)
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20.6
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58.4
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34.0
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Electric Range (miles)
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54.6
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23.5
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38.4
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Gasoline (mpg)
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42.6
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21.8
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33.9
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2011 Nissan Leaf
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Best
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Worst
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Average
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Electricity (kwh/100 mi)
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22.0
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53.8
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33.7
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Projected Range (miles)
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104.0
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65.8
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85.2
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Observed Range (miles)
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76.7
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Categories: 2011 Chevrolet Volt,2011 Nissan Leaf SL,Fuel Updates
The dash predicted 99 miles of total range when I left work in the 2011 Nissan Leaf this afternoon. Things look much the same now that I'm home, and it seems like I have enough remaining range to risk NOT plugging in an attempt to make the return trip on the same charge.
Should I go for it?
Before you answer, consider this:
- In normal usage, no one in the office has driven this machine more than 76.7 miles on a single charge before wussing out -- and that was me. If I am able to make it back I will smash that record with something like a 92.8-mile run.
- The Leaf's official EPA range rating is 75 miles, but that's on a combined basis; it's not a maximum.
- We have run out of juice in this machine before, and it wasn't any fun. The range meter doesn't seem to have any sort of pessimistic safety margin built in, either.
- I do have a AAA account in good standing.
- My trip home today included the perfect amount of traffic -- I was never able to go over 60 mph and I spent a lot of time going with the slightly retarded flow at 35-45 mph.
- I'll have little or no traffic tomorrow morning unless I leave later than usual in an attempt to catch a little, or I can choose to run with the trucks in the right lane to keep my speed in check.
- I will not need headlights or air conditioning tomorrow morning.
I fretted over the same scenario in our departed Mini E once upon a time, and in that instance I made it back with miles to spare.
On the one hand I'm curious. The competitive part of me wants to put the office range record safely out of reach. On the other hand I just want to get on with my morning.
I have until bedtime to decide.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 3,400 miles
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
This week is the first time I've driven our 2011 Nissan Leaf home from the office. One direction is 40 miles. I figured this was just too far and the remaining trip range (47 miles) supports my assumption. Now I could probably gamble and make it back without a refresh, but I'd rather not. I need to plug it into the wall. And according to the IP, that will cost me 11 hours. Based on this scenario I could'nt make it through a typical week without a second car.
My commute is probably longer than the average Leaf driver. But if I had a 240V charger at home and the office, the Leaf becomes a feasible mode of transportation for my weekday grind. I didn't expect that.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 3,144 miles
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
I saw this from the cockpit of our 2011 Nissan Leaf yesterday. I had to wait for traffic to reach a stop before catching this picture. It's the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell. Initially, these hydrogen-electrics were available through a California-only lease program. This one appears to be a development unit.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 3,042 miles
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Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Nissan Leaf - 1
Toyota Prius - 0
For several years the yellow clean air stickers allowed California drivers access to the HOV-carpool lane regardless of headcount. Under this program the first 85,000 applicants with qualifying hybrid vehicles received the yellow hall pass. The Prius ruled the roadways until the stickers expired at the beginning of this month. When the plague of hypermiling Prius drivers merged into the general population, the HOV lane was free.
Single-occupant vehicles now need these white clean air stickers for the carpool lane privilege. Qualifying vehicles include hydrogen, natural gas and fuel-cell electric powered vehicles. The program lasts into 2015. We patiently waited for our stickers to arrive for the Leaf. Now that they're here we plan to utilize the coveted, vacated carpool lane as much as possible.
I've added over 250 HOV-lane miles on our Leaf in the past 3 days already. Doing so shaved roughly 30 minutes a day from my commute. I can get used to this.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 3,042 miles
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
There I was, parked in our 2011 Nissan Leaf when this duo walked past. It was all I could do to find my camera in time. Awesome. Thanks clownguy, you made my day.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 3,000 miles
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Nissan Leaf's Facebook is asking its fans to come up with a greeting that Leaf drivers (or EV drivers in general) can do when encountering one another on the road. You know, how Evo drivers, Vette drivers and the like say "Hi" to each other.
The peace sign seems to be a popular suggestion with the fans, right up there with the standard honking and waving, but I bet you guys would come up with funner/funny options. I like the idea of equipping Leafs with a green rubber thumb for just such occasions.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Warning: Headline only applies to parking in Santa Monica.
Actually, it could apply in other municipalities, but I'm not familiar with the parking laws anywhere else. In Santa Monica, electric cars get free parking at any city meter. Actually, any car with a "Clean Vehicle Sticker" is afforded the same free pass but they're not handing those out anymore.
Who knows how long this little perk will last. At some point, a city official is going to add up the money being lost on free electric car parking and want that back in his/her budget. It's going to take awhile before that number is anything more than a few hundred bucks, though, so until then the Leaf has one more thing going for it.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Nissan has stated that the price increase of the 2012 Nissan Leaf is due to additional standard equipment such as a cold-weather package and an on-board rapid charging system.
But the equipment price increases may be more than meets the eyes.
Read this analysis by Senior Editor John O'Dell of Edmunds' AutoObserver.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Electric cars are different. No news there, right? You get a satisfying whoosh when you put your foot on the accelerator. Instant takeoff. But I find when I am moving along, I have no sense of how fast I am going.
Sometimes, I glance down at the speedometer and am surprised at the number I see. Because there are no gears to advance through, I don't get a feel for the increase in mph. The crescendo is smooth.
Have any of you driven an electric car?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 2,993 miles
Categories: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
