Feasability of going from gas to only electric

[user removed]

Originally Posted by ChewChewTrain

In the San Francisco area, I've been seeing used Leafs selling for less than $10k. I read that EVs have a horrible resale value, so a used EV is your best value.

Can't remember where I read it, but someone said that a battery replacement on a Prius is down to $1k. I would imagine a Leaf battery replacement to be around the same.

I find the Leaf fugly, but if you can get beyond the looks, an EV is a terrific way to go!

You find a $1k Leaf battery that is not bricked, I'll take it all day long.

regards
mech

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

You find a $1k Leaf battery that is not bricked, I'll take it all day long.

regards
mech

Yeah. It was fairly recently that I read that about $1k Leaf, new battery replacements.

Just did a search on the subject. Most of these links say a new Leaf battery to be $5,500. (shrug) I suppose you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet.

https://www.google.com/search?q=leaf...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[freebeard]

ChewChewTrain -- Off-lease Leafs are apparently killing the market for the new model.

...can the battery be charged directly off of another charging source, such as a solar panel, and if so, how?

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post511517

I posted in the other thread about Wolftronics' buck/boost DC-to-DC inverter for using 48v panels and OEM Prius parts.

[jray3]

Isaac, you seem to have jumped to considering the LEAF only, and after skimming the thread I don't see two of the most important scoping variables in an EV purchase- how far you go and how much you'll spend.

IMHO, for an ecomodder, no EV beats the i-MiEV's spunky simplicity. I've driven over 75,000 i-MiEV miles and many hundred LEAF miles, but am sticking with the better battery design and overall durability of the i-MiEV, not to mention it's hackability. I average 48 miles per day of driving, with lots of 100+ mile days, and have made several 300+ mile days, both with DC fast charging and without it, using a homebuilt pusher trailer.

I also have an aircooled VW conversion and a rare Grumman Kurbwatt, but for daily reliability and comfort, the i-MiEV gets many more miles.

What's better about the i-MiEV battery? From the beginning, it had a more heat-resistant chemistry with an actual thermal management system. EVery CHAdeMO session includes ventilation and active cooling if needed, plus there's a battery heater for those really frigid climates. Since the battery is air-cooled, it's also easy to hack those dampers to manually increase cooling or add heating. (The factory only heats the battery to prevent damage, not to optimize performance.) The battery is also made of 50 Ah prismatic cells that are much easier to replace and less prone to imbalances than the LEAF series/parallel arrangement. And very importantly, Mitsu under-promised and over-delivered on capacity. There's almost 20% capacity "hidden in the turtle" on a new car, so that the cars will deliver 100% of their rated range after 80,000 miles unlike a LEAF that relied on 100% of the batteries' initial capacity,and then it just gets worse.

The driving experience is like a go-cart, beating all comers across the intersection, but does require planning for highway passing up to the governed 82 mph top speed. The suspension is stiff and the wheelbase short, which makes for some bucking over old concrete roads and a LEAF feel like a bloated Buick in comparison. Maneuverability is unparalleled- allowing u-turns on a 2-lane road with ease and parking in seemingly impossible spots. The RWD drive excels in snow, plus has ABS, ASC, TC and other nanny systems that can be turned off with the touch of a button if you want to have fun and throw roostertails. Regen is far stronger than a LEAF, meaning you rarely touch the friction brakes above 12 mph, but has three different modes plus a full 'Neutral' for coasting.

The i-MiEV is also better for cargo capacity, with the flat-folding rear seats allowing a square 50 cubic feet of storage. Here's some of my loads that a LEAF can't match- two 55 gallon drums, a 50" TV, an adult bicycle, a stack of solar panels, and loads of 8' lumber.

Look at the RWD drivetrain, and you'll see how each component is in a discrete aluminum box, and all the important parts can be removed individually or as one big bolt-in assembly of transaxle, motor, charger, dc/dc converter, drive inverter, and coolant pump.

The i-MiEV is even more undervalued than the LEAF. You can pick up a low-mileage 2012 premium edition for $6500. (with heated seat, alloy wheels remote preheat/precool, satellite nav, DVD player, music hard drive, charging timer remote, etc...)

just sayin'

(that I gotta stop before running out of screen space)...

[csnyder]

I used to have an EV conversion. It was pretty low tech but would have done what you need in the summer - but not a chance in the winter in Colorado.
A friend has an E-Smart - he doesn't use it in the winter here in Ontario. Running the heater reduces the range by about 50%.
The Smart-E has a better range than the leaf, I believe.

For your 10 mile normal daily use even in the winter it would likely do OK, but with the staggered wheel track they are no fun in the snow.

[Tzfardaya]

Just a comment on the anti idle laws... We don't have those here in Alberta, but I do know that some places with them have an "exemption" written into them for sub zero weather..

That's vehicles can't be idled for more than 3 minutes while the windscreen is frost free. (allows for idling to defrost the windscreen..

So, turn the heater to floor, heat to low, fan to min, and idle away.. ;-)

(naughty me, telling people to idle on an Eco driving site)

[dremd]

My Leaf has covered 5,300 miles of my last 6,400 miles.
Before you count that as a vote against, bear in mind 850 of my ICE miles were in a single trip in a loaded Sprinter (far away from being EV at this point), about 100 of the rest was local towing (no hitch on Leaf YET!), 1! 65 mile trip that the Leaf wasn't charged for (poor planning on my part), 2 trips because I had loaned the Leaf to friends, and the remainder has been I guess I should take a short trip in the TDI to get the fluids up to temperature just because.

I absolutely LOVE the car and everyone that has been in it has been amazed. Highly recommended.

You may consider asking good friends if they would consider swapping cars if you need to go somewhere out of range, I've had several people offer me rather nice cars if I left them my Leaf to use.

As far as modifications, I really haven't done anything yet.
I have 2 Open EVSE's in my life, in addition to a EVSE upgraded stock cable. In retrospect I should have built an additional open EVSE (the 120/240 version) and sold the stock 110volt EVSE cost wise I would have ended up cheaper, programming wouldn't have involved a paperclip, it would be 24 amps VS 20 amps at 240 AND I could do 24 amps on 120 volts for those goofy high amp 120 volt RV plugs.

I decided that I wanted the heat pump, and the 6.6KW charger and I definitely recommend them, winter range sucks as it is, no reason to make it worse with the PTC always being on. Your schedule really dictates the need for 6.6 VS 3.3 KW charger, I sure do like being able to pick up meaningful range in a half hour but I would probably just drive the TDI more without it.

[dremd]

I just saw some comments about IMev's above, I got my Leaf for significantly less than the $6,500 mentioned above. My Leaf does have a battery heater, however the cooling department is completely lacking (aka it doesn't have any). I drove one and decided it wasn't going to work for me, if they work for you they are neat little cars and you should consider one.

[dremd]

Originally Posted by thingstodo

We don't have EV service close (Saskatoon, Canada). Local nissan dealer sells used leafs but has not dished out the cash to equip the shop and train their techs.

So .. if a leaf needs service and is not fully charged, I'd have to trailer it 100 miles to a dealer. That's an issue.
.

I've got no idea about Canada, but Nissan sent a tech about 70 miles to my nearest dealership (about 5 miles) to do a brake recall on my Leaf, I have no idea what that works out to if your paying for labor though.

[dremd]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

I know, right? What should I do? Drive around in circles for half an hour? And yet electric vehicles are criticized for not being good in cold weather either. What's this? The batteries shouldn't be charged at temps below 20°F? And what am I supposed to do when it reaches -40°F?!

It just means that the battery heater will be on regularly, which will not do any favors for your range. You typically set a charge timer so that the battery completes charging just before you leave which reduces time at full charge and warms the battery some as well, the either pre-heat the interior by either a timer or via the smart phone app or website. Keep in mind the network that the Leaf uses will go dark soon so you will either end up buying a new radio at an as of yet unknown cost, OR loose web connectivity probably at the end of 2016 (this year).