From a Leaf to a Bolt: Early Returns

[egizzi]

I had a Leaf S with DC quick charger for 4 years. I have had my Bolt for 1 month.

Overall a really great improvement. Torque and drive are much better. Much tighter. The Leaf handling was sloshy.

The range improvement is obviously tremendous.

The problems I have with the Bolt vs. the Leaf:

1) Interior fit and finish- too many cheap things. Cheap plastic with sharp edges in several places in the interior
2) The trickle charger cord is quite thin compared to the Leaf's. I realize this is picayune. But it represents Chevy doing things on the cheap
3) The charger port door is cheap. The Leaf one was solid. Felt like closing a safe when you closed it. And it had a light when the charger port door was opened. And it had a lock that could be set so nobody would walk off with your trickle charger

Overall, I am super happy. However, these items above to me represent Chevy's decisions to make things too cheaply in the areas that people use on a regular basis and detract from the overall quality feel for the car. In a few years when my Bolt lease is up and the Leaf has a comparable range, I will remember those differences.

[michael]

The lock is actually a very bad thing. It prevents plugsharing at, for example workplace charging. Even when you are done, the next guy can't take over the "hose".

If you are actually using the trickle charger, there are other ways to prevent its theft.

[egizzi]

I disagree. I trickle charged at home and could sleep easily with the lock mechanism. I never left it locked at public stations using the paid L2 chargers. I guess some people would put it on auto-lock which was inconsiderate.

[LeftieBiker]

The lock is actually a very bad thing. It prevents plugsharing at, for example workplace charging. Even when you are done, the next guy can't take over the "hose".

If you are actually using the trickle charger, there are other ways to prevent its theft.

The 2013+ Leaf has an "Auto" setting in which it unlocks the J-1772 plug when the charge is completed.

[GetOffYourGas]

Interesting take. Those seem like pretty minor grievances and I'm glad to hear you are "super happy" with your Bolt!

Nissan is taking the low (cost) road with the evolution of the Leaf. Even the 2018 only has a 40kWh battery. Chevy put such a large (and therefore expensive) battery in the Bolt, that I'm not surprised they cut corners elsewhere.

I'm not personally interested in the 2018 Leaf, although I hope Nissan does well with it. I'm much more interested in the 2019 Leaf (reported to be getting a Bolt-comparable 60kWh battery). That comparison will be interesting. I wonder what Nissan will have to sacrifice to get a 60kWh battery in the Leaf. And how that car will compare next to a 2019 Bolt.

[SeanNelson]

I wonder what Nissan will have to sacrifice to get a 60kWh battery in the Leaf. And how that car will compare next to a 2019 Bolt.

Given that the larger battery will be optional and the 40KWh version will still be sold, they probably won't be able to sacrifice anything. Nobody will want to pay more for the upscale model and not get everything that's in the cheaper car. So I expect that price markup will have to cover the cost of the larger battery. The question would be whether the difference in list price will reflect just the manufacturing cost differential or whether it will include the usual markups.

[GetOffYourGas]

I wonder what Nissan will have to sacrifice to get a 60kWh battery in the Leaf. And how that car will compare next to a 2019 Bolt.

Given that the larger battery will be optional and the 40KWh version will still be sold, they probably won't be able to sacrifice anything. Nobody will want to pay more for the upscale model and not get everything that's in the cheaper car. So I expect that price markup will have to cover the cost of the larger battery. The question would be whether the difference in list price will reflect just the manufacturing cost differential or whether it will include the usual markups.

If Nissan ends up at the same price point as the Bolt, then I consider that a sacrifice. They are sacrificing their price advantage. Although for the consumer it would end up being the trade-off of a fun-to-drive car with tight suspension and seats versus a boring-but-comfortable family hauler. There's room for both, IMO.

[boltage]

Regarding locking the EVSE during charging, the included EVSE allows a small padlock to be put on it to prevent it from being removed from the car when plugged in. See page 245 of the owner's manual at https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gm ... Manual.pdf .

[SeanNelson]

If Nissan ends up at the same price point as the Bolt, then I consider that a sacrifice. They are sacrificing their price advantage. Although for the consumer it would end up being the trade-off of a fun-to-drive car with tight suspension and seats versus a boring-but-comfortable family hauler. There's room for both, IMO.

Yes, there is. And the Nissan has its own advantages such as it's pro-pilot capabilities, which will be a strong motivator for the people disappointed in the Bolt's lack of adaptive cruise control. A lot of people also seem to think that the Leaf, at least the current one, has a nicer interior as well.

So it's a different set of trade-offs and if a 60kWh Leaf comes out at the same price as the Bolt then the market will decide just how much of a "sacrifice" NIssan has made. As long as they continue to produce the 40kWh model to address the most cost-conscious sector of the market I don't think the upscale model would be any real sacrifice at all.

[GernBlanston]

Interesting complaints. The charge cord is stout enough for the load it carries,
and the charging door works. I suspect they engineered the cord and door to work
well and be lightweight, not to be heavy and pleasing to the touch.
Plastic interior is just OK, and I wouldn't object to a charge port light.