From a Leaf to a Bolt: Early Returns

[SparkE]

I consider myself a rational person who looks at things carefully and analyzes a major buying decision. I will never truly understand people who make these decisions emotionally....

Sean, I'm in your camp, and I will add that, with a few exceptions, I buy used and happily let someone else take the initial depreciation hit. Perhaps 'emotional buying' explains why there are so many perfectly good used cars available on the market? Also, I tend to keep my cars for a very long time (although they have now almost all been replaced by BEVs).

My "newest" (ICE) vehicle is 12 years old, the oldest is 22 years old - so I can relate. (My EV is just a baby!) I plan on only buying EVs from here on out, as cars wear out over time (although I love telling people that my next ICE vehicle will be an EV).

[paulgipe]

Had a fun discussion with a very nice lady looking to make the move to something with a plug. Probably environmental/efficiency reasons, but the specific reasons never came up - it was decision she'd already made. She was looking for her 3rd car - not in her "stable", but third car in her life! 1st one she had for 21 years. Her current car for 28 years (1990 Subaru). 100% electric would be a stretch and too far out of her comfort zone for the uses she described. Could she have made it work? Of course. People make it work without a car at all.

Gary,

I've been trying to help her too. I probably talked her out of the Highlander. In our last conversation I said in exasperation that she would end up with the same kind of car she was driving, a Subaru without a plug. She countered that she'd wait until it had a plug. People who haven't worked in technology, business, or industry just don't understand that you just can't get everything you want in a mass-produced vehicle. If you do, it's not mass-produced, it's custom. In the best of all possible worlds, we'd drive our Bolt up there to Portland and let her drive it up and down her potholed street. If you had day rentals or week rentals that might sway someone like her. Even so, it's taken me a couple of months to grow into the Bolt after a Leaf. It was a rocky relationship at first.

Paul

[NoMoPetrol]

We just went all-electric with the purchase of a Bolt for my wife. That one follows my CPO Tesla Model S85 that I got in Aug '17. We were in line for a Model 3, got an invitation to configure in January, but my wife wanted no part of the display screen, does not like sedans, requires a hatchback for the activities she is involved with, and is still mad at me for converting her land line phone to a flip phone.

She's extremely happy with her Bolt (except for the screen-controlled radio), and I'm extremely happy that we are an all-EV family.

A couple side notes:

1. I am guesstimating that the brakes on my Tesla will go 250K miles. The regenerative braking on her Bolt is so good, I'm wondering if she will ever need a brake job.

2. We just spent a day driving her longest distance route (about 190 mi round trip with lots of elevation changes) to scout out the most accessible charging stations in the event that she should need a quick charge on the way home. Most only have one SAE Combo port available. Makes one really appreciate what Tesla has done for its clients with its Supercharger network.

[DanDietrich]

I like this conversation. Of course different people will have different requirements. I have a 2014 Leaf right now that has good points and bad.
I have not been happy with Nissan or their dealerships. A bigger problem is that my son is a hockey goalie. I can fit his bag in the car with the seats down, but then my wife can't come with us. Ths is fine for practices, but for games we end up using our Prius V so we can all go. I'd love the range of the Bolt, although I don't always need it. I have compared it side to side with the Leaf, and it doesn't seem much larger in cargo area. I'd love user feedback about that. Maybe I am wrong. But the "perfect" EV for me would be a direct replacement of my old Honda Element, AWD and all. If I could get that with a bolt battery and a range of even 125 miles I would buy it tomorrow. I just need a bigger more flexible vehicle, and my family doesn't like to ride in my 84 F250.

[LeftieBiker]

A bigger problem is that my son is a hockey goalie. I can fit his bag in the car with the seats down, but then my wife can't come with us.

The bag won't fit with one rear seat up and one down? Yikes.

[SparkE]

A bigger problem is that my son is a hockey goalie. I can fit his bag in the car with the seats down, but then my wife can't come with us.

The bag won't fit with one rear seat up and one down? Yikes.

It's not nice to refer to his wife as "the bag" !!

[Phximiev]

A bigger problem is that my son is a hockey goalie. I can fit his bag in the car with the seats down, but then my wife can't come with us.

The bag won't fit with one rear seat up and one down? Yikes.

It's not nice to refer to his wife as "the bag" !!

LOL

[DanDietrich]

It's okay, she isn't on this forum. But in all seriousness a hockey goalie doesn't travel light. I firmly believe that people should buy as much car as they need and no more, and that gear will drive my next decision. I hope there are good options. So far that electric VW bus is nothing but vaporware.

[GetOffYourGas]

It's okay, she isn't on this forum. But in all seriousness a hockey goalie doesn't travel light. I firmly believe that people should buy as much car as they need and no more, and that gear will drive my next decision. I hope there are good options. So far that electric VW bus is nothing but vaporware.

Have you considered a roof box? The extra cargo space it affords allows me to drive a reasonably sized car, while still having the ability to carry more stuff when needed.