Thinking of EV for commute

thecommander

I am moving house in the next few months and will need a second car. The commute to my office is exactly 50km from door to door, coming from the Wicklow mountains so 100km roundtrip. The car will be use solely for that commute as we have a decent enough car for everything else and will never really do much more than that.

Wondering if anyone has any recommendations as to what I should be looking for, or is an EV even worth looking at. What sort of range should I be looking for taking the above into account, terrain, cold mornings etc. I don't really care about the look of the car either. Thanks

oppenheimer1

thecommander wrote: »

I am moving house in the next few months and will need a second car. The commute to my office is exactly 50km from door to door, coming from the Wicklow mountains so 100km roundtrip. The car will be use solely for that commute as we have a decent enough car for everything else and will never really do much more than that.

Wondering if anyone has any recommendations as to what I should be looking for, or is an EV even worth looking at. What sort of range should I be looking for taking the above into account, terrain, cold mornings etc. I don't really care about the look of the car either. Thanks

You'd be pushing it in a 24kwh leaf, 30kwh would suit.
Terrain shouldn't really matter too much because every uphill is a downhill on the way back.

isnottheword

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

You'd be pushing it in a 24kwh leaf,

I'd agree with this. I drive an 80 mile roundtrip (129km) and need 20 mins of a Fast Charge in order to do it comfortably.

Unless you have an opportunity to charge at work, then it's probably not feasible. Have work any intention of installing a chargepoint? If not, can you use a granny cable (3 pin EVSE) to top it up? You don't need much as with 100KM, you're just on the margins of what's achievable with a 24kW Leaf.

macnab

As already said here, a Nissan Leaf will do that commute. In fact I have a colleague who has been doing Wicklow to Dublin in a Leaf since 2014. You will need a 131 reg and later, these are recognised easily by their dark seats ( older cars with less range have pale interior)
However you will probably find that soon after you buy a Nissan Leaf it will become the main car. All intentions of just using it as a commuter will go out the window when you discover how practical and comfortable they are.
Which will probably leave you wishing you had bought a newer car with greater range.
I would suggest you buy the cheapest Nissan Leaf that suits your needs i.e. a €9k 2014 SV model Leaf. If after a while you feel the need to trade up then you will get close to your money back on the initial purchase.

goz83

When my 24kw Leaf is charged full, it shows a range of circa 130km. I have driven a few times now and achieved over 120km in a straight run, staying at 80-90kmph on motorway. So I would say it's close, but not quite pushing it. If there is access to charge the car at work, the 24 Leaf would be perfect for the OP. If not, 10 minutes at a fast charger would make the journey home a comfortable one. If the sole purpose of the car is a commute to work, then the Leaf will do the job and will save the OP a tidy sum in fuel costs.

mel.b

If you are going to go for a 30kwh version to give you a bit more range and security (especially in bad weather, not having to charge at work or stop on the way home etc) as a guide I recently purchased a 30kwh 6.6 leaf from the UK for £14995. There aren't a lot of 30kwh around as they were really only available from the start of 2016 so not many 2nd hand yet (and especially ones with the 6.6 charger onboard). If you would be happy with the 3.3 charger, there are a few more around, such as this
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201706026068039?onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&price-to=14000&model=LEAF&make=NISSAN&postcode=ec1a1ah&price-from=12000&advertising-location=at_cars&year-from=2016&radius=1500&sort=sponsored&page=2

There's also one for private sale that has been for sale for about a month (as I rang up about it, sadly it had the 3.3 charger. The lady was a bit strange though, but I think I rang on the day the ad went up so maybe she wasn't expecting calls or something!)
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201706016005832?postcode=ec1a1ah&advertising-location=at_cars&model=LEAF&price-from=12000&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&sort=sponsored&price-to=14000&year-from=2016&make=NISSAN&radius=1500&page=1

I've only had my leaf a week but I love it and everyone who has been in it as well loves it too If you can the 2nd route you'll also need to allow for a charging point and installation so allow another €500-600 euro for that and you should have change providing that the installation is pretty straightforward.

thecommander

Thanks for the replies. Looks like a 30kwh is the one to go for. It's going to be towards the end of the year, so some more might start appearing in the second hand market.

Soarer

macnab wrote: »

As already said here, a Nissan Leaf will do that commute. In fact I have a colleague who has been doing Wicklow to Dublin in a Leaf since 2014. You will need a 131 reg and later, these are recognised easily by their dark seats ( older cars with less range have pale interior)
However you will probably find that soon after you buy a Nissan Leaf it will become the main car. All intentions of just using it as a commuter will go out the window when you discover how practical and comfortable they are.
Which will probably leave you wishing you had bought a newer car with greater range.
I would suggest you buy the cheapest Nissan Leaf that suits your needs i.e. a €9k 2014 SV model Leaf. If after a while you feel the need to trade up then you will get close to your money back on the initial purchase.

That should be 132 and later to be sure.

Scottie99

thecommander wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Looks like a 30kwh is the one to go for. It's going to be towards the end of the year, so some more might start appearing in the second hand market.

Some great deals in the UK

Gumbo

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

You'd be pushing it in a 24kwh leaf, 30kwh would suit.
Terrain shouldn't really matter too much because every uphill is a downhill on the way back.

isnottheword wrote: »

I'd agree with this. I drive an 80 mile roundtrip (129km) and need 20 mins of a Fast Charge in order to do it comfortably.

Unless you have an opportunity to charge at work, then it's probably not feasible. Have work any intention of installing a chargepoint? If not, can you use a granny cable (3 pin EVSE) to top it up? You don't need much as with 100KM, you're just on the margins of what's achievable with a 24kW Leaf.

I get 120km on motorway at various speeds from 90-110kmh.
I think 100km is easy in the 24kwh version. But I think you'd be getting home on empty every day. 30kw would be a better/safer choice, just to clear the range anxiety.

If you had a charger at work, even a socket to use the granny cable, the 24kw car could do it easily without worry and it would be a cheaper way into the EV market.

thecommander

kceire wrote: »

I get 120km on motorway at various speeds from 90-110kmh.
I think 100km is easy in the 24kwh version. But I think you'd be getting home on empty every day. 30kw would be a better/safer choice, just to clear the range anxiety.

If you had a charger at work, even a socket to use the granny cable, the 24kw car could do it easily without worry and it would be a cheaper way into the EV market.

In an underground carpark that doesn't seem to have any points. There's an ESB charger outside on the road, but wouldn't fancy having to do that every time.

Gumbo

thecommander wrote: »

In an underground carpark that doesn't seem to have any points. There's an ESB charger outside on the road, but wouldn't fancy having to do that every time.

Then that means you should go for the 30kwh version.
You can do the commute and simply charge at home at night and have 100% every morning ready for the day/commute.

thecommander

kceire wrote: »

Then that means you should go for the 30kwh version.
You can do the commute and simply charge at home at night and have 100% every morning ready for the day/commute.

Seems to be the best option. Will start having a look.

Soarer

The end of the year could be a good time to purchase, what with the new Leaf being announced in September.

unkel

What's the budget, commander? Importing a 2016 30kWh Leaf will set you back at least EUR17k and you will have to pay for a home charger. A brand new Ioniq is a bit over EUR25k. A vastly superior car that is likely to hold its value better.

And if you can wait, there are other EVs on the way next year, probably better value again

goz83

thecommander wrote: »

In an underground carpark that doesn't seem to have any points. There's an ESB charger outside on the road, but wouldn't fancy having to do that every time.

The 30kw version is the better choice if you have the budget. You will get one for under €16k and less if you look. Here's an example.
It's basically new.


I understand the reluctance to get the 24 model, but if there was a street charger beside my work, that's what I would use. It would also half the already small cost of commuting and you could have a 24 Leaf (1.5 Gen) for under 10k.

Good luck with your search

ELM327

24kWh will do that commute fine. And for half the price of a 30kWh.
I've done it (115-120km) with just home charging for months before I got my work charger installed.
You may need to drop to <100 km/h in the colder times but it's perfectly doable.
On the wicklow to dublin roads most are limited to 100 or below anyway.

thecommander

How much do the batteries degrade over time? Would a car with a 120km range when it's new, reduce over time?

ELM327

thecommander wrote: »

How much do the batteries degrade over time? Would a car with a 120km range when it's new, reduce over time?

All Li-Ion batteries degrade.
I am at 92-94% state of health (ie 6-8% degradation) after 84k km.
I can still get 120-125-130km out of the leaf.

Mine is a gen 1.5, the gen1 cars (131/132 and back with the different battery chemistry) fare a lot worse.

goz83

thecommander wrote: »

How much do the batteries degrade over time? Would a car with a 120km range when it's new, reduce over time?

If you picked up a 141 model, it will have over 90% battery health for sure. Leafspy will confirm status of battery for the price of an OBD dongle (€15) and the free version of the app.

You are talking a few years before the battery health drops below the point you can't do 100klm in a single charge. The older batteries are different, as has been said already. You would have long sold the 24 version before it became any sort of worry on that journey. Don't rule it out and maybe consider it an experiment.

If you get a 30kw version, you should consider doing much more than just the work commute. An EV is a great drive.