Nissan Leaf: potential buyer questions...

The problem with the U.K seems to be the fact there are different cards for different companies, where as here there is one card for all chargers.

There seems to be 0 companies other than the ESB interested in installing charge points and fast chargers, when the current batch of chargers are installed and afaik 0 Government funding.

Scottie99

Deleted User wrote: »

The problem with the U.K seems to be the fact there are different cards for different companies, where as here there is one card for all chargers.

There seems to be 0 companies other than the ESB interested in installing charge points and fast chargers, when the current batch of chargers are installed and afaik 0 Government funding.

CYC seems to be very good and covers most

http://chargeyourcar.org.uk

I didn't finish my sentence above because I got distracted.

What I meant to say is that when the ESB complete the charger roll out this year there will be no more chargers installed until there is much greater demand.

The Irish Government afaik do not fund charger installation ? and we need much much more fast chargers installed.

I know there'll be pretty good coverage at the end of 2014 after the E.U funding is gone, but it's not enough.

I wonder what happens when Electrics can charge faster ? will they then install or upgrade existing chargers to 100 kw for example ?

Scottie99

Scottie99 wrote: »

CYC seems to be very good and covers most

http://chargeyourcar.org.uk

They've got very poor 50 kw QC coverage ?

Scottie99

Deleted User wrote: »

They've got very poor 50 kw QC coverage ?

For me CYC and Ecotricity are the ones that'll get me "home".

reboot

jayjay2010 wrote: »

Hi guys

I will try to keep this short. Basically I'm on the market for a new car and one that I've been considering is a Nissan Leaf. The idea of a car that is cheap to run and that is very high tec seems very interesting to me. Also these cars are much, much cheaper to buy in the UK and VRT is free.

My most important question is obviously about the range but also the ease of charging and length of time that it takes from a standard house socket. I don't drive long distances but I do drive every day. An overnight charge wouldn't be a problem but is there anything that I should be made aware of in terms of charging it at home? I don't think I'd ever use a public charging station as I would prefer to charge it from my home.

Is charging an issue for any current owners? I can barely keep my iPhone charged so I do have a few concerns...

Thanks a mil

If you are thinking UK ,think Zoe. I find that because the Leaf has been available in the South,some say these various Forums may look like the" Leafy Valley Country Club" Sure at one time every one bought the Model T (In Black)!There is a lot more to chose from out there don't be rushed into the wrong decision.

reboot

Deleted User wrote: »

The fixed wall box is called the evse and allows for faster charging, the granny cable provides about 10-12 amps and can be used in a normal socket via extension cable fully extended V 16 amps with the fixed evse or 32 amps for the MK 1.5 with optional 6.6 kw charger.

Beware extension cables!

reboot

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

Wasn't knocking the concept, at all, as it happens. I deal with EVs daily, the industrial versions - my company is the largest installer of EV guidance equipment and one of the largest installers of charging areas, in Ireland. And we're at it years. If there is an EV guidance system in a factory or warehouse in Ireland, chances are we installed it. Our charging areas are smaller, better and more efficient than others.:)


My point was simply this, it is early days. The technology is evolving so rapidly, there is just no knowing where the advances will take us in the next five years - for example, within a year, the roll-out of new-generation commercial EV Lithium ion batteries will be well under way. These offer absolutely radical advantages in weight, charging time, regenerative energy recovery and power delivery. They are a game changer and that technology will cross-over to road vehicles.

So, basically, the technology is new, evolving and constantly improving in leaps and bounds. Early adopters are driving the EV Model Ts, there's better on the way. That was my point, in a nutshell.

Sounds reasonable?

reboot

loinnsigh wrote: »

Look for 'IrishEVOwners' on Facebook, you'll find a lot of good info there.

Thats the Country Club?

reboot

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

Well, seeing as these are as popular as the clap, there isn't a queue for the charging point(how many are there at the filling stations again?). Lets see how it works when there are twenty lined up waiting to get a charge. You'll need bigger coffee and donuts. Last post on this as I know there is an evangelical zeal to those running EVs and they have a fixed opinion, so I'd rather go read the papers.

Off Thread?

reboot

Deleted User wrote: »

Battery life is not fully known yet, there is a guy called Steve Marsh from Seattle and he lost 20% capacity after 2 years and 100,000 miles he needed daily full fast charges.

It's not known yet though how long the battery will last in Ireland, 130 miles a day is extreme by most standards anyway, considering my commute is about 84 miles a day to think of doing 50 more would just kill me, life's too short for spending so much time commuting.

There is no battery rental option in Ireland but maybe you can rent it if you ask ?

IMO battery rental isn't necessary as they will only replace it when it reaches 70% capacity which IMO is too low! it should be replaced at 80 %

You can not currently replace the battery in any leaf that has not the battery leased , you can repair it but only back to 70%.

Rumour has it that VW will allow the battery to be replaced, but it may last longer than that in the leaf anyway, who knows too early yet to tell about either.

No battery rental,even in N.Ireland? Are the 3 phase SC points not 415Volts?

reboot

deandean wrote: »

The uk cars, do they come with an evse cable as standard?

I know that many of the uk cars come with a granny cable, but would a buyer need to budget 600 euro or whatever for an evse cable so he can use fast charge points here?

Renault supplied me with a free home charge point,the cable is teathered and you specify the length,mine reaches outside the garage in Summer, (In N.Ireland)

reboot

Scottie99 wrote: »

Anyone heading to the Uk should sign up for a card from "charge your car". You can use Parcel Motel for delivery

Same Ecar card works North and South,Afaik.

Dexter1979

reboot wrote: »

Are the 3 phase SC points not 415Volts?

No, 3 phase charge points just provide more power at the same amount of amps than single phase points but all still have the same charge (230 Volts).

The 3 phase charge points in Ireland are 22kW but not all SCP's are 3 phase. Currently hard to tell the difference since ESB don't show the kW on their map.

The Leaf can only handle single phase charging. The older model Leaf or the newer Leaf XE can only handle single phase at a lower current (16A). Newer Leaf or the Leaf XE with 6.6 kW charger extra can handle single phase at a higher current (32A).

Leaf has the Quick Charge DC option standard on most models except the XE. Which I think is 50A at 400V. A lot anyway.

Zoe can handle single and 3 phase charging at currents from 16A to 63A but all still at 230V.

Confused yet?

Currently Zoe is the best car to use the existing charging infrastructure,

It will charge in 1 hr from the scp 3 phase chargers and 30 mins from the qc 3 phase chargers.

It's not a bad car to drive, it's just like another Renault with a lot of extra kit and a hell of a lot better drive train.

It's a lot better to drive than the usual crappy 1.2-1.4 engines you'd typically find in such a car.

The battery rental means you'll never have to worry about it.

reboot

Dexter1979 wrote: »

No, 3 phase charge points just provide more power at the same amount of amps than single phase points but all still have the same charge (230 Volts).

The 3 phase charge points in Ireland are 22kW but not all SCP's are 3 phase. Currently hard to tell the difference since ESB don't show the kW on their map.

The Leaf can only handle single phase charging. The older model Leaf or the newer Leaf XE can only handle single phase at a lower current (16A). Newer Leaf or the Leaf XE with 6.6 kW charger extra can handle single phase at a higher current (32A).

Leaf has the Quick Charge DC option standard on most models except the XE. Which I think is 50A at 400V. A lot anyway.

Zoe can handle single and 3 phase charging at currents from 16A to 63A but all still at 230V.

Confused yet?

Not at all,the SC chargers installed by EBG in my area all have written on their base,415 Volts.Confused?