Cheap new EVs

[c107]

My sister ordered a new Nissan Leaf the other day.

She has been building a garage at her home in the inner west, and had planned to buy a 2nd hand EV once the garage was completed. She has been driving my former Lexus GS300 for the last 6 or so years, and its hard a hard life parked on the streets of the inner west. (for example a minibus ripped off the bumper)

The massive discounting that is happening right now prompted her to buy a new Leaf as part of the EOFY year sales - $41k on the road. Even the private Japanese imports are not much cheaper.

The only thing that put her off is that Nissan no longer offer the yellow colour option which she really liked on the 2nd hand cars. So she went with the red. The Leaf is to be discontinued soon, and replaced with a small SUV which she does not fancy.

For her needs the leaf will probably work quite well, and the $41k price is pretty sharp. I think she's put something like 15-20k on the lexus in six years, and the charging will be basically free as it will run on a timer from 10am to 2pm from her solar setup. she works in the city so obviously does not drive the car in there.

 

[Styria]

Considering her circumstances and her needs, an EV such as the leaf or, for that matter, any other EV would be absolutely ideal. On the other hand, however, considering the minimal use of her car, would a conventional engined car not present a cheaper form of transport in the long run, having regard to the difference in purchase price between the two versions, the cost of Comprehensive Insurance, the much higher rate of depreciation, and the likelihood of having greater difficulty in replacing the car at sometime in the future with Dealers being reluctant to accept any EV as a trade in ?
Furthermore, she is blessed with the ideal set up of charging the car as described, but spare a thought for anyone without garaging facilities, and being restricted or being forced to utilize privately owned charging facilities that would always be on the lookout to reappraise cost of charging on a regular basis.... I believe that charging stations at Shopping Centres is somewhere near the $60.00 mark, plus plenty of waiting time. Maybe food for thought. Regards Styria

 

[Patrick_R]

Great news Bryce.
She will certainly love the Nissan, I’ve really never heard anything bad about one.
Also the Nissan powertrain is the choice of all conversion guys when converting ICE cars to BEV’s as its battery, motor and drive train are so compact and so reliable. Having no water cooling or heating makes it that much easier for them.
Styria, regarding some of your comments.
The really cheap ICE cars are no longer a thing with the new government laws coming in (ANVES) you may notice all of a sudden all the cheap cars and most diesels are gone and going being replaced by new models which are typically small capacity turbo petrol.
EG. New model Santa Fa, has no diesel option.
EG. MG3 currently the cheapest car at $18,490.00 on road in Australia is being replaced by a new model MG3, however it has the latest Chinese version powertrain in it so in line with our new laws, but will cost $24,990.00 + ORC.
The current range of BEV’s already fit within these new rules and regulations, and as Bryce said, getting cheaper all the time.
The less usage will be better as this type of usage really suits a BEV as they just hold charge what seems like forever, plus servicing is much cheaper compared to ICE, and better for the environment. Currently the GWM Ora servicing costs are $99.00 every 12 months.
People are buying BEV’s to be more environmentally friendly, so many inner city people would really not want an ICE car.
A lot of shopping centres and hospitals etc have free charging, slow chargers yes, but free none the less. If you go shopping once a week or so, just plug it in whether it needs it (low state of charge) or not, just plug it in anywhere anytime if you can. The downside, most of these free chargers are BYO cable.
Like us, Bryce’s sister has the right idea using Solar. With her low usage, even the slow 10amp granny charger will be perfect.
Our BYD, is less than $100 a year more expensive to insure than our previous Nissan Qashqai.
The comparable level Qashqai (Ti) was actually more expensive than the BYD, as Bryce said, prices can be sharp.
Depreciation (for us anyway) isn’t an issue as we always keep my wife’s car for a minimum of 10 years.
Congratulations to your sister on her new purchase, I hope we get to see some pics

 

[c107]

Considering her circumstances and her needs, an EV such as the leaf or, for that matter, any other EV would be absolutely ideal. On the other hand, however, considering the minimal use of her car, would a conventional engined car not present a cheaper form of transport in the long run, having regard to the difference in purchase price between the two versions, the cost of Comprehensive Insurance, the much higher rate of depreciation, and the likelihood of having greater difficulty in replacing the car at sometime in the future with Dealers being reluctant to accept any EV as a trade in ?
Furthermore, she is blessed with the ideal set up of charging the car as described, but spare a thought for anyone without garaging facilities, and being restricted or being forced to utilize privately owned charging facilities that would always be on the lookout to reappraise cost of charging on a regular basis.... I believe that charging stations at Shopping Centres is somewhere near the $60.00 mark, plus plenty of waiting time. Maybe food for thought. Regards Styria

Yes, it probably would.
But part of her buying decision was not totally financial, in that she is keen to own an EV for the perceived environmental benefits. It was just that she wasn't going to pay $60k for a small hatch, EV or not. So if the financial penalty above a petrol car was reasonable, she was willing to pay that.

 

[c107]

Great news Bryce.
She will certainly love the Nissan, I’ve really never heard anything bad about one.
Also the Nissan powertrain is the choice of all conversion guys when converting ICE cars to BEV’s as its battery, motor and drive train are so compact and so reliable. Having no water cooling or heating makes it that much easier for them.
(snip)
People are buying BEV’s to be more environmentally friendly, so many inner city people would really not want an ICE car.
A lot of shopping centres and hospitals etc have free charging, slow chargers yes, but free none the less. If you go shopping once a week or so, just plug it in whether it needs it (low state of charge) or not, just plug it in anywhere anytime if you can. The downside, most of these free chargers are BYO cable.
Like us, Bryce’s sister has the right idea using Solar. With her low usage, even the slow 10amp granny charger will be perfect.
Our BYD, is less than $100 a year more expensive to insure than our previous Nissan Qashqai.
The comparable level Qashqai (Ti) was actually more expensive than the BYD, as Bryce said, prices can be sharp.
Depreciation (for us anyway) isn’t an issue as we always keep my wife’s car for a minimum of 10 years.
Congratulations to your sister on her new purchase, I hope we get to see some pics

Yes, she is drawn to an EV largely for the environmental benefits. Otherwise she would have just replaced the lexus with something a bit newer and in better shape for about $10k. She doesn't really see the benefits of a new car generally, but when a privately imported car that is 7 years old is only $10k less than a brand new one with a brand new battery, it becomes a bit of a no-brainer decision.

And yes, with the low usage, the granny charger will be fine. The car is mostly used to ferry kids around the inner west where they live. The mileage is very low and all stop/go. They do a couple of weekends away per year, so I guess they will see how the EV goes with those, but worst case they can just get something else via go-get or similar for that once or twice a year.

 

[Patrick_R]

She will enjoy it for sure.
plenty of chargers around now, with a little bit of planning, trips away should be ok.

 

[c107]

Last hurrah of the old Lexus. Looks better in the photos than in real life.

 

[Patrick_R]

She has done a stellar job I’m sure.

 

[c107]

I saw the leaf for the first time yesterday.
its in a nice red colour, which I like.

It is by no means a small car, which is what I had in my mind. Its actually quite large, and more like a crossover than a hatchback. I'm not sure you can even buy an actual small car these days.

Its an ok design, but styling is a little busy. Wheels are horrible, but the rest of it isn't bad. since its actually a very big car, roomy inside.

 

[Michel]

As long as it’s red, all else is forgiven

 

[Patrick_R]

As long as it’s red, all else is forgiven

This is the only reason my wife bought a red car Michel

 

[Styria]

As long as it’s red, all else is forgiven

Michel to the rescue - good one. Regards Styria