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We bought a used 2012 Leaf last of June . Drove it 2 - 3 months until some one rear ended my wife ( while she was parked for a traffic signal ) .
We went into it ( my case of the want to for an EV ) with the knowledge it was an in town only car . ( We also have a 2015 Chevy Sonic . ) For that role , it worked out OK .
If she went out in the AM , she would plug it in to our Level 2 EVSE when she came home at noon . If she had errands in the PM , she would charge it again when she returned home . The Leaf could charge all night if need be , but would finish charging & shut off long before sunrise .
We did not own it long enough to need heat . It had an electrical resistance heater . I think latter Leafs have heat pumps . All the Leafs we looked at had heated steering wheel & seats .
If you leave it plugged in all night , I think you can program the Leaf to come on early in the morning ( before you need to drive to work or errands ) , pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin using house current . Personally never tried that .
Although not free , it would not drain a freshly charged propulsion battery .
The Leaf suffers faster / larger battery degrading in hot climates ( I live in the South West USA ) . So , they might be great for you Canadians ?
The Leaf was larger than our Chevy Sonic . We enjoyed the added room and comfort . And QUIET ! . Rode good , drove good . While it lasted .
I read the 2016 Leaf has 100 - 120 mile range . That would help a lot of people , especially us southerners , as the battery degrades with time and heat .
I looked at the Chevy Volt and I think I would have chosen one , but they were more expensive ( used market ) than the Leaf . A volt would no longer be an in town only car & for many people would reduce the need for 2 cars . ( Unless you need 2 cars any way . )
The Chevy Bolt is suppose to be coming out " soon " . Projected to have over 200 mile range . But I suspect it will be several years before they hit the used car market , in my price range .
Will I buy another EV or plug in hybrid ? I do not know . May wait until this time next year to do so ? I still have the 40 amp ( really 32 amp continuous ) , potential , Level 2 EVSE . Sitting unused . This could potentially work for a 7.5 kw charging system , or less . It was very underutilized with the 3.3 kw charger in our 2012 Leaf .
One other thing , in my location , there are ZERO DCFC locations with in the range of the 24 KWH earlier Leafs . Maybe / barely with the newer 30 KWH Leafs , but they are Tesla Super Chargers . You may be able to buy an adaptor to allow their use on a Leaf . Do not know .
Another choice for an in town only EV is a Chevy Spark EV . But I think they are being discontinued , by Chevy , as they bring in the Bolt .
I thought about a used one but they were all 800 - 900 - 1000 miles away , or further . Would have to tow or truck it to my location . :-(
They were only sold new in a hand full of " compliance states " .
But the Volt and Spark EV have a fluid thermal management system , which I read holds up better , in the hot climates , than the early Leaf battery .
I read the 2015 and newer Leafs have their new / improved " Lizard " battery . It is supposed to be more tolerant of heat ( still air cooled ) . If you have an earlier Leaf & have to have the 24 KWH battery replaced , it is suppose to be with a " Lizard " battery . But it is still a 24 KWH battery .
God bless
Wyr
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