Nissan Leaf--almost paying me to drive it

[forummm]

I have 2 more questions about Leafs or EV and then I'm done...really :-)!

First, is there a way to protect your plug/cord/EVSE thingie from being stolen if you are charging at a station outside for a few hours - like at the above mentioned state park or overnight parked in front of your house but not garaged? Probably not something that would be worth stealing but I know those things are expensive.

Secondly, for people who can get the tax credits and/or other incentives, are those credits or incentives considered taxable income for that year? I know with the Replace Your Ride incentives, whatever amount you get (say the max. $9500 for an EV and an additional $2,000 for the charger) is considered taxable income for both state and fed income taxes. TIA

Yes, there is a lock switch in the car and on your keyfob that locks the EVSE into your charging port until you unlock it. I've seen some people who also add a little padlock to it and lock it to the charging port lid door via the metal bracket that hangs down.

Tax credits are not taxable income--they are just decreasing the tax you owe on the income you had. Manufacturer incentives are also not income (they are a discount on the price).

[tomsang]

I have 2 more questions about Leafs or EV and then I'm done...really :-)!

First, is there a way to protect your plug/cord/EVSE thingie from being stolen if you are charging at a station outside for a few hours - like at the above mentioned state park or overnight parked in front of your house but not garaged? Probably not something that would be worth stealing but I know those things are expensive.

Secondly, for people who can get the tax credits and/or other incentives, are those credits or incentives considered taxable income for that year? I know with the Replace Your Ride incentives, whatever amount you get (say the max. $9500 for an EV and an additional $2,000 for the charger) is considered taxable income for both state and fed income taxes. TIA

Your car locks the charger in place with a few options.  One is to release the charger when your car is fully charged.  This option is when you are using a public charger, you want others to be able to use the charger if your car is charged.  The other option is to permanently lock the charger until you unlock it with you key fob.  The third option is to leave it unlocked when you are in your garage or in a protected area.  This is just quick.  So when I use my charger in public I lock it down.  I think someone would need to destroy the charger to remove it from the car.

I am pretty sure that the federal credit is a general credit and does not get added back into income, but I would need to check on this prior to committing.  I received a lease and they just reduced the purchase price by the federal rebate.

As a side note, I actually leased my car because I was not sure if it would work as stated.  I love my car and plan on keeping it into the future.  Big fan of the Leaf if your commute is under the 80 miles round trip or if there is a charging station on the other half.   

[Poopstache]

Very happy new owner of a 2015 Leaf S w/ QC as of Friday.

History: I had been looking at and test driving a Versa Note to replace her CR-V and decided to test drive a Leaf for the heck of it. I then came upon this thread and read waitbutwhy.com article on Tesla and it got me thinking in a new direction. For the same price or less after all incentives as a Versa we get to drive around in a Leaf instead.

[forummm]

Very happy new owner of a 2015 Leaf S w/ QC as of Friday.

History: I had been looking at and test driving a Versa Note to replace her CR-V and decided to test drive a Leaf for the heck of it. I then came upon this thread and read waitbutwhy.com article on Tesla and it got me thinking in a new direction. For the same price or less after all incentives as a Versa we get to drive around in a Leaf instead.

Hey congrats! I hope you love it.

[Faraday]

Hey forummm....
Can you give us an update on your own experiences with the LEAF so far? What I mean is:
- have you calculated "fuel cost" per week or per month so far?
- have you had any end-of-charge "events" with the car?
- how are the amenities and the ride quality?
- how long is your typical recharge?
- have you used any public charge points, and have they been in good condition?

(I've been trying to resist buying a LEAF, but Nissan might "get me" in 2016....)

[Poopstache]

Very happy new owner of a 2015 Leaf S w/ QC as of Friday.

History: I had been looking at and test driving a Versa Note to replace her CR-V and decided to test drive a Leaf for the heck of it. I then came upon this thread and read waitbutwhy.com article on Tesla and it got me thinking in a new direction. For the same price or less after all incentives as a Versa we get to drive around in a Leaf instead.

Hey congrats! I hope you love it.

Thanks for starting this thread about your experience with the Leaf. Thankfully I didn't have to haggle much on the price. The local dealer was pretty desperate to get rid of it I think. Took $2k off as soon as I said I was interested in the Leaf then another $6k off even though Nissan's site only mentioned $5k cash back. When your Federal gov, state gov, and dealer all give you money to drive the car you take the car! 0% on the loan so tax return will be invested instead of paying loan off right away.

[Basenji]

Read this whole awesome thread, looked up VA credits, meh. But will be thinking about EVs now seriously...thanks for this thread

[forummm]

Very happy new owner of a 2015 Leaf S w/ QC as of Friday.

History: I had been looking at and test driving a Versa Note to replace her CR-V and decided to test drive a Leaf for the heck of it. I then came upon this thread and read waitbutwhy.com article on Tesla and it got me thinking in a new direction. For the same price or less after all incentives as a Versa we get to drive around in a Leaf instead.

Hey congrats! I hope you love it.

Thanks for starting this thread about your experience with the Leaf. Thankfully I didn't have to haggle much on the price. The local dealer was pretty desperate to get rid of it I think. Took $2k off as soon as I said I was interested in the Leaf then another $6k off even though Nissan's site only mentioned $5k cash back. When your Federal gov, state gov, and dealer all give you money to drive the car you take the car! 0% on the loan so tax return will be invested instead of paying loan off right away.

Nice, I hope it's a great deal and you have a great time with it.

[forummm]

Hey forummm....
Can you give us an update on your own experiences with the LEAF so far? What I mean is:
- have you calculated "fuel cost" per week or per month so far?
- have you had any end-of-charge "events" with the car?
- how are the amenities and the ride quality?
- how long is your typical recharge?
- have you used any public charge points, and have they been in good condition?

(I've been trying to resist buying a LEAF, but Nissan might "get me" in 2016....)

We spend about $10/mo on electricity for the 2 cars combined. It's about 1 cent per mile and we don't drive a lot. We haven't come close to running out of electricity. I usually recharge about once per week. I like the backup camera and the ride is very smooth and quiet (no vibration and noise from an ICE). I have never charged anywhere except my garage, and I just do it overnight during off peak hours. I plug it in after getting home when the battery is too low to go out tomorrow, and the timer in the car starts the charging overnight. It's about 4.5 hours to fill it overnight using 6.6kW, or about 30 miles of range per hour of charging when I add a little during the day (happens some times if I want to add more but didn't plan for it to be overnight).

[tvan]

I checked with my apartment and they do not allow EV charging in the garage we have, but they are installing EV charging stations later this year. 

Having said that, if you leave your car plugged in, does it send you any key alert or anything when it is fully charged?   If a leaf takes 4.5 hours I'd imagine a few EV cars at my apartment and those spots are going to be in use a lot.

[forummm]

I checked with my apartment and they do not allow EV charging in the garage we have, but they are installing EV charging stations later this year. 

Having said that, if you leave your car plugged in, does it send you any key alert or anything when it is fully charged?   If a leaf takes 4.5 hours I'd imagine a few EV cars at my apartment and those spots are going to be in use a lot.

If you get the SL or SV level it includes CarWings and an app that lets you see what the charging level is, get alerts when it's done charging, or start charging remotely. You can also turn on the climate control remotely. There is (was?) some issue where AT&T is going to be discontinuing the 2G network on 12/31/2016 that CarWings runs on, so I'm not sure what Nissan will do (has done?) to make the functionality keep working after that occurs.

[tonysemail]

checking back in here after owning my leaf for a little over a month...

one of the side effects of signing up for EV chargers is that I've been sent two advertisements in the past week.
If you are on the fence, then maybe one of these offers would feel compelling enough to tip you over :)

offer #1 is for free installation of EV chargers in apartment complexes and office buildings in california (while supplies last).
nrg evgo is trying to expand its footprint and offering free chargers + installation.
http://www.takechargeca.com/

offer #2 is for a free chargepoint EV charger with installation of solar panels from SunEdison.
SunEdison offers several financing plans including PPA option made popular by solarcity.
http://www.chargepoint.com/livesolar/index.html

Unfortunately, neither of the offers apply to my situation, but hopefully someone else here will find them useful.

As for my experience driving the new car, it has been fantastic!
I don't know if its simply consumerism and having a shiny new toy or not.
Perhaps the good feelings will wear off eventually, but I love driving my EV and I find myself annoyed whenever I have to drive the minivan.
I drove 680 miles the first month and my electricity bill went up $11.
The equivalent number of miles driven in my minivan would have cost around $100 in gas.

I've charged at public stations about once a week and most of the time it's worked out.
I'm especially happy that the library has a station which participates in the No Charge to Charge program (NCTC) since it's a built in stop in my weekly routine.

I will say that the plugshare app has some negative comments about Nissan dealerships which I've found to be true.
Sometimes the QC is out of service and not repaired for more than a week.
One local dealership blocks their L2 chargers using leafs to prevent the public from abusing the No Charge to Charge program.
I have no problems with them withholding the L2 chargers for their own use, but it's something to know.

I did not install a L2 charger at home.
I leave my leaf plugged in overnight once a week and it gets from 20% charge to 80% charge, which is what I'm aiming for.

Overall, I've recommended the leaf to friends and family.
It fits my usage pattern perfectly and has become my primary vehicle.

[forummm]

checking back in here after owning my leaf for a little over a month...

one of the side effects of signing up for EV chargers is that I've been sent two advertisements in the past week.
If you are on the fence, then maybe one of these offers would feel compelling enough to tip you over :)

offer #1 is for free installation of EV chargers in apartment complexes and office buildings in california (while supplies last).
nrg evgo is trying to expand its footprint and offering free chargers + installation.
http://www.takechargeca.com/

offer #2 is for a free chargepoint EV charger with installation of solar panels from SunEdison.
SunEdison offers several financing plans including PPA option made popular by solarcity.
http://www.chargepoint.com/livesolar/index.html

Unfortunately, neither of the offers apply to my situation, but hopefully someone else here will find them useful.

As for my experience driving the new car, it has been fantastic!
I don't know if its simply consumerism and having a shiny new toy or not.
Perhaps the good feelings will wear off eventually, but I love driving my EV and I find myself annoyed whenever I have to drive the minivan.
I drove 680 miles the first month and my electricity bill went up $11.
The equivalent number of miles driven in my minivan would have cost around $100 in gas.

I've charged at public stations about once a week and most of the time it's worked out.
I'm especially happy that the library has a station which participates in the No Charge to Charge program (NCTC) since it's a built in stop in my weekly routine.

I will say that the plugshare app has some negative comments about Nissan dealerships which I've found to be true.
Sometimes the QC is out of service and not repaired for more than a week.
One local dealership blocks their L2 chargers using leafs to prevent the public from abusing the No Charge to Charge program.
I have no problems with them withholding the L2 chargers for their own use, but it's something to know.

I did not install a L2 charger at home.
I leave my leaf plugged in overnight once a week and it gets from 20% charge to 80% charge, which is what I'm aiming for.

Overall, I've recommended the leaf to friends and family.
It fits my usage pattern perfectly and has become my primary vehicle.

I'm glad you're loving it! I think you're starting to see why I think that virtually all new cars will be electric in the next decade or two as the battery prices drop and people start to see what driving electric is like--both the experience of it and the energy savings.

[forummm]

My utility sent me a notice they are providing $250 rebates for level 2 (240V) charging stations that you can install in your house. The URL is georgiapower.com/ev for people buying during calendar 2015. I imagine some other utilities have similar programs as well.

[Faraday]

My utility sent me a notice they are providing $250 rebates for level 2 (240V) charging stations that you can install in your house. The URL is georgiapower.com/ev for people buying during calendar 2015. I imagine some other utilities have similar programs as well.

Dude, you are so freakin lucky. I live in EV hell compared to the resources you have available. I'm thinking I need to turn politically active and get some of this goodness for North Carolina.

[forummm]

My utility sent me a notice they are providing $250 rebates for level 2 (240V) charging stations that you can install in your house. The URL is georgiapower.com/ev for people buying during calendar 2015. I imagine some other utilities have similar programs as well.

Dude, you are so freakin lucky. I live in EV hell compared to the resources you have available. I'm thinking I need to turn politically active and get some of this goodness for North Carolina.

I happened to buy my charging station in 2014, missing the power company's 2013 and 2015 rebates. Oops.

[Faraday]

My utility sent me a notice they are providing $250 rebates for level 2 (240V) charging stations that you can install in your house. The URL is georgiapower.com/ev for people buying during calendar 2015. I imagine some other utilities have similar programs as well.

Dude, you are so freakin lucky. I live in EV hell compared to the resources you have available. I'm thinking I need to turn politically active and get some of this goodness for North Carolina.

I happened to buy my charging station in 2014, missing the power company's 2013 and 2015 rebates. Oops.

Damb. Sorry to hear that. I got in on the fed's charging station rebate. It was 30% of what they cost...back then. I try not to think about the fact that a level 2 charger is cheaper now than when I bought mine. :-/

Delaying an EV purchase is one of the hardest frugal challenges I've had to do. I want one so bad I can't stand it. But I've got four other high efficiency projects ahead of the EV that require the funds I would spend on the EV, so I can't go there yet. (and when they are done, they will all produce cash flow I would need in order to buy the EV in the first place...)

I guess I should be happy: I've gotten the fuel consumption in the household down so low that swapping one of the hybrids out for an EV would not net us as much cash flow efficiency as the items ahead of it. (Even with the 0% money that Nissan offers...)

I don't mean to hijack the thread or navel gaze - I guess I'm putting that out there to see if anyone else has to sacrifice getting an EV NOW in order to get things done that are kinda higher priority.

Just keep posting your experiences into the thread - I need to keep learning from you-all's experiences so I can properly plan and execute....

[tvan]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/09/california-roads-bill-may-be-the-future-of-us-road-funding/

[forummm]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/09/california-roads-bill-may-be-the-future-of-us-road-funding/

I think a combination of gas taxes and road use charges makes sense. EV owners should pay for road maintenance too. The ideal would be a formula that charges your usage based on congestion (when/where you drive), mileage, road wear coefficient (essentially how heavy your vehicle is), and energy source (charge more for  gas). The vehicles that are hard on roads are big trucks. Fire engines just destroy roads (all that water weight). A little commuter car does almost no damage.

[MrMoneyMaxwell]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/09/california-roads-bill-may-be-the-future-of-us-road-funding/

I think a combination of gas taxes and road use charges makes sense. EV owners should pay for road maintenance too. The ideal would be a formula that charges your usage based on congestion (when/where you drive), mileage, road wear coefficient (essentially how heavy your vehicle is), and energy source (charge more for  gas). The vehicles that are hard on roads are big trucks. Fire engines just destroy roads (all that water weight). A little commuter car does almost no damage.

When I was stationed in Japan the road tax for your car was based on the size of the vehicle. I had a huge diesel SUV so it was about $300/year. A few friends had smaller cars (weird named Nissan, the "What" or something, always gave me a laugh) And they would pay about $20/year.

States should definitely take the size/weight of a vehicle into consideration for road taxes.

[forummm]

It's National Drive Electric Week. If you are interested in seeing EVs up close and talk to their owners you can see if there's an event in your area. I'll be at the Atlanta one today for a bit. Expect a lot of Leafs and a smaller number of Teslas and a handful of BMWs, Fords, etc.

https://driveelectricweek.org/index.php

[forummm]

It's National Drive Electric Week. If you are interested in seeing EVs up close and talk to their owners you can see if there's an event in your area. I'll be at the Atlanta one today for a bit. Expect a lot of Leafs and a smaller number of Teslas and a handful of BMWs, Fords, etc.

https://driveelectricweek.org/index.php

It was a good event. I talked with several Tesla owners. One guy has 108,000 miles on his and it's only 2 years old! He drives all over the country using their Supercharger stations.

[tvan]

It's National Drive Electric Week. If you are interested in seeing EVs up close and talk to their owners you can see if there's an event in your area. I'll be at the Atlanta one today for a bit. Expect a lot of Leafs and a smaller number of Teslas and a handful of BMWs, Fords, etc.

https://driveelectricweek.org/index.php

It was a good event. I talked with several Tesla owners. One guy has 108,000 miles on his and it's only 2 years old! He drives all over the country using their Supercharger stations.

Any idea what the range is on Teslas?  Must be pretty good.

I talked to a tow guy the other day and asked him about EV's. He said he wouldn't recommend a Leaf because he toes them more often than other EV's.

But that might just be because there are way more on the road. We didn't discuss it long.

[wordnerd]

It's National Drive Electric Week. If you are interested in seeing EVs up close and talk to their owners you can see if there's an event in your area. I'll be at the Atlanta one today for a bit. Expect a lot of Leafs and a smaller number of Teslas and a handful of BMWs, Fords, etc.

https://driveelectricweek.org/index.php

It was a good event. I talked with several Tesla owners. One guy has 108,000 miles on his and it's only 2 years old! He drives all over the country using their Supercharger stations.

Any idea what the range is on Teslas?  Must be pretty good.

I talked to a tow guy the other day and asked him about EV's. He said he wouldn't recommend a Leaf because he toes them more often than other EV's.

But that might just be because there are way more on the road. We didn't discuss it long.

Leafs can't be jacked (battery on the bottom of the car), so you have to get towed for a flat tire. That may be what he's seeing.

[forummm]

It's National Drive Electric Week. If you are interested in seeing EVs up close and talk to their owners you can see if there's an event in your area. I'll be at the Atlanta one today for a bit. Expect a lot of Leafs and a smaller number of Teslas and a handful of BMWs, Fords, etc.

https://driveelectricweek.org/index.php

It was a good event. I talked with several Tesla owners. One guy has 108,000 miles on his and it's only 2 years old! He drives all over the country using their Supercharger stations.

Any idea what the range is on Teslas?  Must be pretty good.

I talked to a tow guy the other day and asked him about EV's. He said he wouldn't recommend a Leaf because he toes them more often than other EV's.

But that might just be because there are way more on the road. We didn't discuss it long.

It depends on the battery. There's a 60 kWh and an 85 kWh version. I think the 60 is enough for about 175 miles and the 85 is enough for about 250 under normal driving. The 108,000 miles guy had the 60 kWh battery.

There are way more (like several times more) Leafs than any other EV besides Teslas. And Tesla (being a luxury car) runs their own towing service. Nissan provides free towing for Leafs, but it's contracted out. And Leafs do require towing to change their tire as Wordnerd says.

[forummm]

http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/releases/new-2016-nissan-leaf-now-offers-best-in-class-107-mile-range-in-affordable-fun-to-drive-package

The 2016 SV and SL models will have a bigger battery (30kWh) for a 107 mile EPA range. The S will still have the same 24kWh battery.

The 2016 Nissan LEAF has a starting price of $26,700*** after the federal tax credit of $7,500 for the SV model and $29,290*** for LEAF SL after the federal tax credit. LEAF S models continue to be equipped with a 24 kWh battery with an EPA-estimated range of 84* miles. Starting price for 2016 Nissan LEAF S grade remains $21,510** after the federal tax incentive.

Note that the prices (MSRP) pre-subtract the $7500 federal credit, but not any state credits, and don't include negotiation and options. And I don't know whether the $5k cash back and 0% financing will still be available on the 2016's (or if it will be different for each model). I believe the 2016's are available in November.

[medinaj2160]

Anyone know if there is any incentives in South Carolina? the reason I ask is because if look at the Nissan website it says that they don't have any info at the moment.... :?

[Faraday]

Anyone know if there is any incentives in South Carolina? the reason I ask is because if look at the Nissan website it says that they don't have any info at the moment.... :?

http://www.pluginamerica.org/incentives

[MrStash2000]

An electric car owner reviews a gasoline powered car

http://teslaclubsweden.se/test-drive-of-a-petrol-car/

[medinaj2160]

Anyone know if there is any incentives in South Carolina? the reason I ask is because if look at the Nissan website it says that they don't have any info at the moment.... :?

http://www.pluginamerica.org/incentives

$1500...?

$7500 Federal
$5000 rebate
$1500 State

Now I need to find a Leaf S for 25-26k out the door :p

[cerebus]

An electric car owner reviews a gasoline powered car

http://teslaclubsweden.se/test-drive-of-a-petrol-car/

Very cute.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

An electric car owner reviews a gasoline powered car

http://teslaclubsweden.se/test-drive-of-a-petrol-car/

Very cute.

Haha. I love a good piece of satire, and that was great.

[Jeremy E.]

Nissan Leafs on craigslist near where I live for only $8,000! I'm thinking when my lease is up, I'll look for another 1 bedroom apartment that is cheap, is okay with a dog, and has a garage(currently I don't have a garage) then I can buy a leaf and save tons! I wonder, to avoid needing a garage, if I could hang an extension cord out my 2nd story window down to the parking lot? lol

[gaja]

I've been part of the team working to realize this project, and am very happy to see how it turned out. We did it to show that electric cars are an option everywhere. Cool to see that foreign websites are picking it up, but the movie is my favorite part.

My car is the big blue eNV200 (Evalia) in the back when we reach the top of the mountain.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100394_norwegian-electric-car-clubs-scenic-driving-video-surprise-hit#disqus_thread

[Faraday]

I've been part of the team working to realize this project, and am very happy to see how it turned out. We did it to show that electric cars are an option everywhere. Cool to see that foreign websites are picking it up, but the movie is my favorite part.

My car is the big blue eNV200 (Evalia) in the back when we reach the top of the mountain.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100394_norwegian-electric-car-clubs-scenic-driving-video-surprise-hit#disqus_thread

gaja, I'm excitedly waiting for the eNV200 to make it to the US, it would be an ideal all-purpose vehicle.

[gaja]

I've been part of the team working to realize this project, and am very happy to see how it turned out. We did it to show that electric cars are an option everywhere. Cool to see that foreign websites are picking it up, but the movie is my favorite part.

My car is the big blue eNV200 (Evalia) in the back when we reach the top of the mountain.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1100394_norwegian-electric-car-clubs-scenic-driving-video-surprise-hit#disqus_thread

gaja, I'm excitedly waiting for the eNV200 to make it to the US, it would be an ideal all-purpose vehicle.

It is a great car, but the range is rather low. Would love to get the new 30kwh batteries. Other than that, it is both roomy and small. Easy to park and manouver.

[RelaxedGal]

I got closer to "paying me to drive it" last night.  I discovered that both ChargePoint stations within a half mile of my house are still FREE.  I was under the impression that their free drum-up-business period had passed.

So now, for the low low price of two short walks each night I can top up my car for free.  Approximate value $1-2/day.

The hourly wage is low, but I could use the exercise anyway. :-)

[zephyr911]

I'm sure the expected 48kWh+ for the next-gen LEAF will also go into the eNV200.

This just in...

[Faraday]

I'm sure the expected 48kWh+ for the next-gen LEAF will also go into the eNV200.

This just in...

Zeph, saw it mere moments before you posted. SO delicious!

[NeverLost]

I am very newly interested in the EV world.  I just looked in my area and we have a Tesla supercharge station.  Can you charge any EVs at these or just Tesla?  How much does it normally cost to do this?   Sorry if this has been answered, I went back a couple pages but not all...

[tonysemail]

I am very newly interested in the EV world.  I just looked in my area and we have a Tesla supercharge station.  Can you charge any EVs at these or just Tesla?  How much does it normally cost to do this?   Sorry if this has been answered, I went back a couple pages but not all...

Tesla supercharge station won't work for nissan leaf.

Nissan dealerships participate in the NCTC program which offers 2 years of free charging.
Over the past 3 months, I've used this about once a week, but it can be inconvenient.
I have 3 free stations close by - library, dealership, and walgreens.
The library charger went down and was out of commission for about a month.
The dealership was blocked by dealer cars one night.
Once I drove by and there were too many leafs waiting in line, so it wasn't worth my time.
NCTC is a nice perk, but you shouldn't count on it.

if you are paying to use a public quick charger, I believe the rate is $0.59/kwh so it should be used as a last resort.
on the other hand, the L2 chargers at work cost $0.18/kwh which is only a little higher than I would pay at home.
(I am charged a flat rate at home and don't want to switch to an EV rate which is lower after midnight.)

[NeverLost]

One more question.  How does it drive in the snow?

[NeverLost]

Thanks for the response.  Our dealer is in the next town over so that wouldn't be convenient.  I have a garage so I could charge at home, I was just wondering if I had other options in town just in case. 

[ReluctantMillennial]

One more question.  How does it drive in the snow?

I investigated an EV and have decided that the next car I buy will be an EV, and one of the reviews that helped me make that decision was this.  Here's the entry that discusses the winter conditions:

http://sam-koblenski.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-year-and-half-with-nissan-leaf-part-3.html

[Faraday]

Thanks for the response.  Our dealer is in the next town over so that wouldn't be convenient.  I have a garage so I could charge at home, I was just wondering if I had other options in town just in case.

Hey TB: I have a garage with a charger already on the wall, a Leviton L2 charger. Trying to own an electric car without a good charger at home can make it difficult to get the best use out of one. (Although I have a buddy who has no L2 charger at home, he uses the "wall plug cord" to keep his Smart ED charged up and it works great because he only drives six miles round trip to work....)

If you want to do the research to find charge points in your town, check this out:
http://www.plugshare.com/
It even shows you the charging stations that are currently in use.

[zephyr911]

if you are paying to use a public quick charger, I believe the rate is $0.59/kwh so it should be used as a last resort.
on the other hand, the L2 chargers at work cost $0.18/kwh which is only a little higher than I would pay at home.

That varies widely from network to network, and even station to station, just FTR.

One more question.  How does it drive in the snow?

Technique matters more than technology.
I drove my Volt to rescue DW in our last winter storm. Overconfident idiots in trucks were stuck everywhere that day.

I didn't even have good tires.... lulz

I am very newly interested in the EV world.  I just looked in my area and we have a Tesla supercharge station.  Can you charge any EVs at these or just Tesla?  How much does it normally cost to do this?   Sorry if this has been answered, I went back a couple pages but not all...

I second the PlugShare recommendation. Even Tesla Motors Roadside Assistance considers it the best source of charging location info. How do I know? I have a publicly listed station, and they sent someone to me once... ahaha

All that aside, all I can say is: most people who go electric don't go back. Life is better here.

[gaja]

One more question.  How does it drive in the snow?

Snow is no problem in an EV. although going downhill 12 degrees slope in a Tesla roadster with race track tires on sleet, is not my favorite experience. But the leaf has a low center of gravity, and handles icy hills  very well indeed.

Almost one in five of the new cars sold in Norway now are EVs. That would not happen if they couldn't handle snow. My favorite was this guy from the north, who said that an EV was the only logical choice north of the polar circle. When the temperature dipped below -40 deg C, his EV started like normal, the diesels did not.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

It seems that the announcement of the 2016 Leaf makes the 2015 ones a problem for dealers. On a hunch I checked one near me. They are offering $14,000 off MSRP on their website. If that is before updates, that means they are offering a new Leaf S for $32,100 - $14,000 = $18,100. Then, take off the $7,500 federal rebate and the $2,000 Pennsylvania rebate, and it's $8600. Makes it tempting to put in power line to my parking pad...

Edited to correct a mistake in the intermediate number

[zephyr911]

It seems that the announcement of the 2016 Leaf makes the 2015 ones a problem for dealers. On a hunch I checked one near me. They are offering $14,000 off MSRP on their website. If that is before updates, that means they are offering a new Leaf S for $32,100 - $14,000 = $28,100. Then, take off the $7,500 federal rebate and the $2,000 Pennsylvania rebate, and it's $8600. Makes it tempting to put in power line to my parking pad...

Yep - the same thing happened with the 2015 Volt, once they announced the next generation with 25% more battery range, higher mpg in range-extended mode, a whole slew of other performance upgrades, and a lower MSRP.

The primary factor there is the steady decline in lithium ion cell prices (roughly 6% annually for several years running). Range anxiety will be largely gone in 5 years, and in 10 or less, EVs will undercut the price of comparable ICE vehicles.

[Faraday]

It seems that the announcement of the 2016 Leaf makes the 2015 ones a problem for dealers. On a hunch I checked one near me. They are offering $14,000 off MSRP on their website. If that is before updates, that means they are offering a new Leaf S for $32,100 - $14,000 = $28,100. Then, take off the $7,500 federal rebate and the $2,000 Pennsylvania rebate, and it's $8600. Makes it tempting to put in power line to my parking pad...

32,100 - 14,000 = 18,100.