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No regrets about switching

3771 Views 24 Replies 16 Participants Last post by OkieBolt, 10 mo ago

alnvilma

Discussion Starter · Feb 20, 2022

My absurd, overvalued Toyota in this market, allowed me to trade for an equal value Leaf S Plus., nearly new 2021. I won’t argue the merits of trying GM again. [ Pacifica hybrid LG fires now too! ]
There’s enough ChadeMo chargers around if needed (rarely) and 220 mile range is plenty Even IF I lose 10% thru degradation in a couple years. Statistics on 2nd generation batteries are pretty good.
I was at first skeptical but after driving a Leaf, I now have to admit my preference for it over the Bolt!
Blasphemy on this website, I know. It handles fine and the ride is not jarring like the Bolt. If it’s slower 0-60, I sure can’t tell. Both cars fill the bill for my desire to drive an EV from now on. After owning both, I’m quite content now with the Leaf‘s fit & finish, performance, full safety suite and general value.
Anyone doing a repurchase or ”fire sale” and shopping again for a BEV shouldn’t be afraid that Leaf can’t compete, My $0.02.

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cwerdna

· #21 · Feb 21, 2022

finallygoingev said:
Would be helpful to know what state you are in. I know Leaf owners in AZ, CA who had their batteries replaced due to degradation and I don't think that's workable in very hot climates. Too much risk I feel for not much discount in price.

There's a HUGE variation in temps in California, even within just the SF Bay Area. I've posted some example Phoenix, AZ temps and some example high summer Bay Area temps:

Capacity Loss on 2011-2012 LEAFs - Page 601 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

www.mynissanleaf.com

How long 'til 4th bar drops? - Page 52 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

mynissanleaf.com

How long 'til 4th bar drops? - Page 52 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

mynissanleaf.com

How long 'til 4th bar drops? - Page 53 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

mynissanleaf.com

OP, got a Leaf Plus. I haven't heard of a single Plus (62 kWh) Leaf losing a capacity bar yet.

The 40 kWh batteries (on non-Plus '18+ Leafs) seem to be holding up pretty well too. I've only heard of very few that are down 1 capacity bar. 30, 40 and 62 kWh Leafs have 8 year/100K capacity warranties.

24 kWh only had 5 year/60K capacity warranties. In either case, you need to be down to 8 capacity bars (4 bars gone) or lower before expiration.

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finallygoingev

· #22 · Feb 21, 2022

cwerdna said:
There's a HUGE variation in temps in California, even within just the SF Bay Area. I've posted some example Phoenix, AZ temps and some example high summer Bay Area temps:

Capacity Loss on 2011-2012 LEAFs - Page 601 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

www.mynissanleaf.com

How long 'til 4th bar drops? - Page 52 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

mynissanleaf.com

How long 'til 4th bar drops? - Page 52 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

mynissanleaf.com

How long 'til 4th bar drops? - Page 53 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

mynissanleaf.com

OP, got a Leaf Plus. I haven't heard of a single Plus (62 kWh) Leaf losing a capacity bar yet.

The 40 kWh batteries (on non-Plus '18+ Leafs) seem to be holding up pretty well too. I've only heard of very few that are down 1 capacity bar. 30, 40 and 62 kWh Leafs have 8 year/100K capacity warranties.

24 kWh only had 5 year/60K capacity warranties. In either case, you need to be down to 8 capacity bars (4 bars gone) or lower before expiration.

I'm definitely talking about Southern CA, but some inland areas in northern CA can get extremely hot as well. I think with a lot of the freak weather patterns we've been getting recently (108 degrees in Portland, OR), freeze storm in TX last year, these once in a lifetime events will probably be more common moving forward.

To me, it just seems not worth the bother going with a Leaf since I don't think they're currently heavily discounted neither (why I went with a Bolt). I can see it as a good short term vehicle, but I can't see myself putting new $$ in something without active cooling.

Newer batteries may not have as big of an issue, but continued 100 degree heat can't be beneficial and as someone who drives cars to the ground (20+ years), again, the cost/discounts don't seem to be there currently neither I think for the Leaf.

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Balloondoggle

· #23 · Feb 22, 2022

We had 2 '17 Leafs and I really liked them, but the small battery proved to be insufficient for a family with 2 teens. Not a lot of CHADEMO opportunities. So one got traded in for a '19 Bolt and the other has since been turned over to the younger teen. Battery capacity is still an issue for her, but not as significant as it was when it was the family vehicle.

Other than the small battery with insufficient cooling, I really liked it. It was comfortable with a smooth ride and LeafSpy let me turn off the annoying sounds (that backup chime is a nuisance). Even the newer ones didn't fit my use case and cost vs. range was not a good value as I recall. But still, a very nice vehicle if it works for you.

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BoltEUV

· #24 · 10 mo ago (Edited)

I have some regrets about switching from a Volt to a Bolt for 2 reasons.

1. Aesthetic. I personally think the Volt looks much better and sportier
2. Range anxiety. The Volt has both electric and gas when needed. There's no trip planning necessary

However as everyone may or may not know the Volt also has some serious issues with the EGR valve and BECM and shift-to-park. I've had the EGR valve and cooler replaced out of warranty. It was just a waiting game for the BECM to fail. It may never happen or at anytime. The biggest issue was GM no longer support the Volt and Voltec. As much as I love my Volt, it's gotten 80k miles and could become a serious liability. Plus the fact that it's worth $6k more than when I bought it so it was time to move on.

2017 Volt LT Still a better looking car in my opinion.

2022 Bolt EUV Premier Launch Edition

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OkieBolt

· #25 · 10 mo ago

I am back in my Volt while the Bolt is in the shop. I still love the Volt but after driving a Bolt for almost 2 years there is very little that I miss from the Volt. Sadly, my EV range anxiety is back being limited to only 40 EV miles.

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