Charging your Nissan LEAF. How to Charge your Electric Car.

[DnaAngel33]

hmm so its 2012..and we still cant build a electric powered car that goes more then 150miles on a charge? what ever happened to kinetic charging? you know the tech that has 2 sets of cells 1 operating while the other is being charged via wheel spin and when 1 cell gets low it switches to the other ect ect

[andgate2000]

Good start....but why cant the instument panel be less "gameboy" and more normal.

[mrjaffar]

The display needs a rethink, milage indicator is kinda useless. The 12 bar battery indicator is a better gauge of range.

I use one to commute daily 45 miles, charge 6 hours, return home. Cost £1.20 for 90 mile journey. Not visited a gas station for 3 months. You do have to think about your journey before hand, range, temparature, 30 minute fast charge access. The car does actually work. Anyone remotely interested should take a test drive. Its a game changer.

[wrprince]

lol just watched the "charging demo" video. LOL hope leaf owners don't mind shelling out $500 to $600 for every cable that is stolen.

[wrprince]

Now's a great time to invest in "charging services"  For all the electric only people that get stranded. $ to be made

[billdale1]

@ dysfermc: pfffft! U know nothing about it! Comparing a car running on lithium batteries, an ICE-powered car has to have all kinds of terrible fluids replaced every 3 months or so-- none on an EV-- a detailed analysis shows no matter how hard you wanna trash electric vehicles, they are waaaay cleaner than your car that needs big, smelly, noisy tanker trucks 2 keep it refueled-- & those tanker trucks require an army of support- drivers, dispatchers, mechanix, etc- who also drive 2 work & back!

[billdale1]

@Boxxylol: we have many EV owners in this area, the #s are increasing daily, & mny of them have solar panels on the roofs of their homes to charge them. U seem to think coal runs everything- not so! Almost all states use a variety of sources, including solar, wind, hydro & geothermal. Even in worst case scenario, using 100% coal gen, an EV is so much more efficient it still runs cleaner than your ICE car-- check the facts w/ the EPA!

[TonyWilliams123]

It would be unusual for the typical LEAF driver to get 100 miles / 160km range; more realistic numbers are 70 to 80 miles (115-130km), and that's keeping the speed below 65mph (100kmh) on the freeway. Range will decrease in cold weather and up hills, amongst other factors like weight of the cargo, wind, the amount of battery deterioration (about 20-30% after 100,000 miles / 160,000km).

[carlos1782]

what about people that don't have a garage and have to park on the street.... I guess you have to get an extension cord to charge your car... not worth the hassle.

[TheReasonWhyGuy]

@carlos1782 actually we do the extension cord thing... and it really IS worth the "hassle"

Seriously... we never have to go to any gas stations... and controlling for electric costs... we save about 100 bucks a month on gas.

[upiluften]

@carlos1782 People who can afford this car will probably own a home with a garage..

[keearun]

@malaiseguy The solar panel is for charging the on board 12 volt battery that powers the audio system, fans, power window/locks and lights. It does not charge the main battery.

[tortolini47]

you don't have to stop for gas... ...but you will stop within a 100 miles garanteed!!! :)

[TheBoxxylol]

Zero emission? except for the coal being burned in Tenessee!!!

[dusfermc]

Okay i have to say this, but people need to realize that there are still emissions associated with this car, now before i piss alot of green enthusiasts off, i understand it is a step in a better direction than oil, but electricity does not appear from no where, there are still harmfull vapors emitted from the creation of electricity. Not to mention how HORIBBLE all the batteries in the car are for the environment.

[12inchpianists]

i would love to get one of these but i just looked and it costs 35k... and that's NOT including them installing the charger at your home. great car, but ill wait till it drops in price or someone comes out with a cheaper version

[xXRoobieXx]

I wanna get tris car :) fuck the volt ! Lol

[meazi01]

I think cool this car!!

[LotusDragon09]

I really hope this car kick starts a whole bunch of other electric cars. Im genuinely happy this car is actually fully in production and available, not some concept car thats going to take 10+ years to get even close to production. Arigatou, Nissan!

[550bloodsucker]

Car basicly pais for itself!!!

[ForlornDespair]

My best bud is a mechanic for Prius'. They still use lead just not for the main drive battery, I got it mixed up. But mining for nickel still has environmental repercussions. I doubt a Hummer driver would truly care all too much about spreading lies. And I appreciate Hummer drivers more because atleast they support the American economy. And your looking more at 6k. Deff not 1.7k. and not 10k

[ForlornDespair]

Charging a cell phone. A cell phone that requires 14 hours to charge. And your alternative popular hybrid is the Toyota Prius, with a corrosive lead battery that is more harmful to the atmosphere than any gasoline emissions... Not to mention it costs 10k to replace... I'm glad we are improving technology but this just isn't practical I would have too much anxiety when driving more than 50 miles.

[adric22]

@ForlornDespair - You are very, very misinformed. The Prius uses NiMh batteries, not lead. The replacement cost of a Prius battery is currently $1,720 and less than 1% of Priuses have needed a replacement. The batteries are not harmful to the atmosphere at all. These are all myths that the oil companies and Hummer drivers have spread for years now.

[MrReaperDude]

i just love it . people just wont move forward. I heard of a battery that can charge in 20 seconds so battery tech will get better. I rarely do more than 100 miles. This would do me fine.

[ermollejuo]

I would carry a portable power generator on the roof, just in case !!!!

[9tee]

Its depressing to me that most posts so far are slightly negative ! If we could get off gas it would change the world for the betterment of all... in many ways...

"Oh well... that was just a dream some of us had" ... if I could afford a car... I would get one of these. Thanks Nissan.... for this car & I wish you well & hope you can sell alot of them & find light weight batteries.

[1000RedDragon]

@tikitxiki its a green car and it costs less than three bucks anyway

[tikitxiki]

only 100 miles? really?

[McSaggler]

@tikitxiki

Yeah, its mainly used for local commutes and such.

[doolok]

I like how it says "Its like charging your cell phone" yet they want you to install a 220 volt outlet. A regular 110 outlet takes about 14 hours to charge, versus a 220 which takes 8. Not quite like any cell phone I've heard of.

[mandy26lez]

why couldnt they just use a regular plugin why do you need this charge dock?

[marshgre]

@mandy26lez They do have a "regular" 120 volt plug in. However it would take 14 hours to charge. The 240 volt charge dock is somewhat faster at about 8 hours, therefore more practical.

[wootness3000]

Can't wait to pass one of these on the side of the road.

[Hirotoro4692]

@wootness3000 whaddya mean pass a nissan leaf on the side of the road... they aren't slow. lol. faster than most 'first cars' the typical person drives.

[wootness3000]

@Hirotoro4692 They'll be completely useless for a few hours after you run out of battery.

[hydroboy35th]

I cant wait for electric sports cars!, AWD and all that electric torque

[vunley]

@hydroboy35th Tesla Roadster. Youtube it.

[marshgre]

@hydroboy35th Search Audi e-Tron.

[mesofius]

Can't wait to see these cars on the roads.