Calling all Nissan LEAF Owners in Ireland...

September1

beazee wrote: »

Your daily mileage adds up to ca. 30k kms per annum.
Can Leaf owners confirm there is no annual service charge?

There is cabin air filter and brake system that need maintenance, so service costs are lower but no zero. I think first cars were delivered in March so no services have been done yet, both here and in UK. One dealer told me that maybe 79E would be cost...

Bigus

If you preheat the Leaf with the charger still plugged in surely this shouldn't affect range or does it ?

September1

Bigus wrote: »

If you preheat the Leaf with the charger still plugged in surely this shouldn't affect range or does it ?

If cable is plugged into a car then energy to preheat would be drawn from the grid, even if car is not charging.

Bigus

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201136413684072/sort/priceasc/usedcars/model/leaf/make/nissan/radius/1500/postcode/ws111bx/quicksearch/true/page/1?logcode=p

Asking 20k sterling i'm sure open to offers?
no vrt to be paid, Any chance of a rebate ?

September1

If you buy one from UK (I did so) then you will get also EVSE worth over 1000 Euro but you will not receive EU charging cable worth about 300 Euro.

There VRT on it, but it is 0E and you still need to bring car for inspection. Car must be 6000km+ and 6months+ to avoid VAT.

Bigus

September1 wrote: »

If you buy one from UK (I did so) then you will get also EVSE worth over 1000 Euro but you will not receive EU charging cable worth about 300 Euro.

There VRT on it, but it is 0E and you still need to bring car for inspection. Car must be 6000km+ and 6months+ to avoid VAT.

Excuse my ignorance but what is EVSE ?

and "but it is OE" OE normally means original equipment

And could the british cable not be modified or get british socket ?

beazee

EVSE - Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment => charging cable

British are given 16A domestic socket charging cable which will top up your battery in like 6-7hrs while say you're visiting your parents.

No such cable is available here as per concerns this might cause house fires.
Lower rated 10A is to be offered but then you're charging your car in like 12-14hrs.

That is apart of public ESB ecars infrastructure, eg. not a single public point in Waterford to top up your battery (two existing are not compatible with LEAF and should work fine with your gf hairdryer). The choice people here are having is to use dealer fastchargers in Kilkenny, Dungarvan or Wexford (dealership opening hrs only)

Not sure what's the story with British <-> European

September1

Bigus wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what is EVSE ?

and "but it is OE" OE normally means original equipment

And could the british cable not be modified or get british socket ?

EVSE is dark side of electric motoring. It is a very expensive device that connects to your car and turns on the power when it is safe to do so. This is a box that on one side connects to mains and on other side to electric car.

In UK they use BS1363 socket types which are also used in Ireland. This means that with UK cable you are able to charge in any place where a socket can supply 10A - which means any place that conforms to regulations which actually require sockets to supply 13A. Most of public charging location in UK and about half of those in Ireland use this type of connection. Yes, that means that Irish supplied vehicle would be not able to use many existing charging points in RoI unless you buy a UK style cable for 1000+

In Ireland Nissan LEAF would supply cars with cable called "Mennekes" or IEC6196-2. This cable does not contain EVSE and thus every charging point would contain it to support this standard. This is also official EU standard for charging EVs. About half of charging stations existing would support this connection, but all new will be only build in this standard. Because this cable is dumb, it costs about 1/3 price of UK plug cable. This kind of connection also allows 30% faster charging vs regular power socket.

Having said that, it is very unusual that one would need to charge car outside of house as range is good enough for most daily travel. However if you travel intercity you would need to do very fast charging, which does not require to have any cable - it is attached to charging station.

September1

beazee wrote: »

British are given 16A domestic socket charging cable which will top up your battery in like 6-7hrs while say you're visiting your parents.

They are given 10A cable.

beazee wrote: »

Lower rated 10A is to be offered but then you're charging your car in like 12-14hrs.

It takes up to 10hours with that cable - but in practice I never had to charge more that 8 hours. Mennekes is only 14.4A despite standard supporting 32A.

beazee wrote: »

Not sure what's the story with British <-> European

Connection on LEAF is called J1772
Britsh market LEAF cable -> BS1363 to EVSE to J1772
European LEAF cable -> "Mennekes" to J1772

Bigus

EVSE

beazee

September1 wrote: »

Having said that, it is very unusual that one would need to charge car outside of house

If he was living in an apartment w/o garage charging outside of house would be his only choice.

September1 wrote: »

They are given 10A cable.

My bad. Sorry.

Our friends in the UK and in the North get a free domestic 10amp “granny” cable for charging the car from a 13amp socket (subject to some requirements). This is not Nissan UK’s recommended method for home charging and a dedicated charge point similar to what the ESB provide is generally a better and faster solution. Nevertheless the 10amp “granny” cable, in my opinion, is a necessity on those occasions when you may be staying in a friend or relatives home. Apparently in Ireland the ESB will not allow Nissan include the “granny” cable.

http://my-nissanleaf.com/blog/Welcome.html

September1

beazee wrote: »

If he was living in an apartment w/o garage charging outside of house would be his only choice.

I meant not in usual charging location. I would agree that Ireland again is being treated bad, base price of car is higher and yet we get much less value. However this time there is VRT to block us from importing.

Bigus

September1 wrote: »

I meant not in usual charging location. I would agree that Ireland again is being treated bad, base price of car is higher and yet we get much less value. However this time there is VRT to block us from importing.

no Vrt according to revenue website Quote for second hand Leaf from uk

September1

I made a type ;-) Of course there is no VRT.

BTW please support EV owners on subform request here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=75343206

thebannerroar

Hi All,

I see that this thread has been dormant for a long time but Im hoping someone out there might be able to offer some advice on the purchase of a Nissan Leaf and all the hassle that might go with it.

So, I have recently returned to Ireland after a few years living abroad. I am very interested in buying an electric car and I think I can live with the short comings typically involved with them. At the moment the Leaf looks like the best choice (until I win the lotto and can afford a Model S). Currently my thinking is to go to the UK and bring one back here. I know there is no VRT applied so I think this is the best way to get the most value for my money. Here is an example that I think I can get for around 16000 GBP.

Now this leaves me with a bunch of open questions:
- How do other Irish leaf owners feel about their car?
- Are there some serious drawbacks that I might not be aware of?
- Can I reasonably expect the 2013 model to give me around 180 Km of range per charge?
- Are there any import duties that I will have to pay?
- How can I service the leaf in Ireland?
- Will I be able to sell the car in Ireland in a few years without too much hassle?
- If I cant sell it in Ireland can I bring it back to the UK and maybe sell it back to the dealership that I bought it off?

Any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

banner

September1

thebannerroar wrote: »

Hi All,

Now this leaves me with a bunch of open questions:
- How do other Irish leaf owners feel about their car?

So far I'm very happy for last two years.

thebannerroar wrote: »

- Are there some serious drawbacks that I might not be aware of?

You need low rolling resistance tyres that are a bit more expensive.

thebannerroar wrote: »

- Can I reasonably expect the 2013 model to give me around 180 Km of range per charge?

Propably not, unless you sacrifice speed and heating.

thebannerroar wrote: »

- Are there any import duties that I will have to pay?

You need car that is 6month or more and has certain mileage (5000?) - otherwise you pay VAT. I'm pretty sure the one in your link has low mileage, fine something with more miles.

thebannerroar wrote: »

- How can I service the leaf in Ireland?

Number of Nissan dealers would be happy to help you, sometimes at prices lower than in UK.

thebannerroar wrote: »

- Will I be able to sell the car in Ireland in a few years without too much hassle?

I was to sell mine to Mad_Lad but he backed off....

Anyway average car loses half value in 3 years so I guess you would want to sell it for below 10k. I think that might be not that difficult, as running costs are very low and at 10k payoff is really quick.

thebannerroar wrote: »

- If I cant sell it in Ireland can I bring it back to the UK and maybe sell it back to the dealership that I bought it off?

I think you would do better selling in Ireland. This car has low road tax so it is always sellable. I noticed that demo models from 2011 were sold so it is not so bad.

beazee

thebannerroar wrote: »

Now this leaves me with a bunch of open questions:
- How do other Irish leaf owners feel about their car?
- Are there some serious drawbacks that I might not be aware of?
- Can I reasonably expect the 2013 model to give me around 180 Km of range per charge?
- Are there any import duties that I will have to pay?
- How can I service the leaf in Ireland?
- Will I be able to sell the car in Ireland in a few years without too much hassle?
- If I cant sell it in Ireland can I bring it back to the UK and maybe sell it back to the dealership that I bought it off?

Thanks for finding this thread.
The best place to ask such questions is: Irish EV Owners Group on FB but i'll try to address some of them here:
- not an owner but based on their experiences - they are not getting back to petrol/diesel cars
- serious drawbacks? None if you're already into buying an EV and willing to adapt to the new
- Depending on many conditions: outside temperature, type of the roads, inclines/descents, wind speed, travelling speed, no of passengers and amount of cargo; it's not unheard of but may require to drop the travelling speed to 90 km/h. 160km won't be an issue.
- no VRT and VAT only liable on cars younger than 6 months, AFAIK
- Nissan dealerships, between €29 and €100 depending of service.
- You will be able to sell any car straight away based it's priced competitively. For some reason 3 year old LEAFs "hold" their value here so you're looking into buying in UK. There's currently no used EV market in Ireland. And I myself would be interested in getting one at a good price.
- You probably could bring it back but that depends on the dealer. I've heard of one 2010 LEAF part exchanged for 2013 LEAF.

thebannerroar

September1,

Thanks for taking the time to reply with detailed answers. You give some excellent points. I would have never thought about the cost of the tires for example. I guess I can take it that you dont have any too big regrets with buying a leaf? Would you do it again?

Out of interest: how do you handle long journeys? I can see myself driving from Galway to Dublin every so often bit Ill have to factor in some way to charging when I arrive... do you have any thoughts on this?

All in all I think Im happy to proceed with buying in the UK. I hate the idea of handing over a big wad of cash for a car that I cant event drive from Cork to Dublin in but there is so much I like about this car. I hope to pull the trigger in the coming weeks.

Again many thanks, its much appreciated.

beazee

thebannerroar wrote: »

I can see myself driving from Galway to Dublin every so often bit Ill have to factor in some way to charging when I arrive...

Look for the blue tags - Fast Charging DC points (30 mins to 80% charge)
Charge Points Map Ireland

thebannerroar

beazee wrote: »

Thanks for finding this thread.
The best place to ask such questions is: Irish EV Owners Group on FB but i'll try to address some of them here:
- not an owner but based on their experiences - they are not getting back to petrol/diesel cars
- serious drawbacks? None if you're already into buying an EV and willing to adapt to the new
- Depending on many conditions: outside temperature, type of the roads, inclines/descents, wind speed, travelling speed, no of passengers and amount of cargo; it's not unheard of but may require to drop the travelling speed to 90 km/h. 160km won't be an issue.
- no VRT and VAT only liable on cars younger than 6 months, AFAIK
- Nissan dealerships, between €29 and €100 depending of service.
- You will be able to sell any car straight away based it's priced competitively. For some reason 3 year old LEAFs "hold" their value here so you're looking into buying in UK. There's currently no used EV market in Ireland. And I myself would be interested in getting one at a good price.
- You probably could bring it back but that depends on the dealer. I've heard of one 2010 LEAF part exchanged for 2013 LEAF.

Thanks beazee, Im going get in contact with Irish EV owners for their input now. Thanks for your response. What do you think about driving from Dublin to Galway in a leaf? Would I have to drive at 90 KM all the way? To be honest I was hoping that I could drive at 120, then find a charge point near the destination.

thebannerroar

beazee wrote: »

Thanks for finding this thread.
The best place to ask such questions is: Irish EV Owners Group on FB but i'll try to address some of them here:
- not an owner but based on their experiences - they are not getting back to petrol/diesel cars
- serious drawbacks? None if you're already into buying an EV and willing to adapt to the new
- Depending on many conditions: outside temperature, type of the roads, inclines/descents, wind speed, travelling speed, no of passengers and amount of cargo; it's not unheard of but may require to drop the travelling speed to 90 km/h. 160km won't be an issue.
- no VRT and VAT only liable on cars younger than 6 months, AFAIK
- Nissan dealerships, between €29 and €100 depending of service.
- You will be able to sell any car straight away based it's priced competitively. For some reason 3 year old LEAFs "hold" their value here so you're looking into buying in UK. There's currently no used EV market in Ireland. And I myself would be interested in getting one at a good price.
- You probably could bring it back but that depends on the dealer. I've heard of one 2010 LEAF part exchanged for 2013 LEAF.

beazee wrote: »

Look for the blue tags - Fast Charging DC points (30 mins to 80% charge)
Charge Points Map Ireland

Aha... it was hoping for this. I think that if there are enough of these points Ireland should be the perfect place to own an EV. Most journeys on the island are under 200k and the weather is not too extreme here. We even have good wind resources....

beazee

thebannerroar wrote: »

What do you think about driving from Dublin to Galway in a leaf?

Dublin - Kildare (J14) - Athlone (Topaz) - Galway
And you may be travelling 160km/h between the stops

thebannerroar

Do you think driving between Galway and Dublin is doable with only one 30min charge while driving at a reasonable speed ?(more like 130Km/h :-))

beazee

I would imagine this to be completely within reach:

Dublin - 125 km - Athlone (fast charge) - 85 km - Galway

There're a few trips like the above reported on the Irish EV Owners.

thebannerroar

Quality, I am feeling much better about this now. Again thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

September1

thebannerroar wrote: »

I guess I can take it that you dont have any too big regrets with buying a leaf? Would you do it again?

I would do it again, only thing is I would propably buy a new one locally rather then bringing 6 months old one from UK like I did. Back then new one in Ireland was 30k and second hand in UK about 23k so difference was massive. I think now they are 21k in Ireland?

thebannerroar wrote: »

Out of interest: how do you handle long journeys? I can see myself driving from Galway to Dublin every so often bit Ill have to factor in some way to charging when I arrive... do you have any thoughts on this?

I traveled many times between Galway and Dublin, you need to charge in Athlone and then again in Enfield M4 rest station. It adds about hour to journey. You will get better with time and new confidence. I also went once from Galway to Cork and again no complains.

thebannerroar wrote: »

All in all I think Im happy to proceed with buying in the UK. I hate the idea of handing over a big wad of cash for a car that I cant event drive from Cork to Dublin in but there is so much I like about this car. I hope to pull the trigger in the coming weeks.

When I think about it saved me about 5k in fuel, and maybe few hundred in service and motor tax - so far it beats buying another compact car with automatic gearbox. It is also pleasurable to drive, which is highly unusual in economic vehicles. You will also love feeling of freedom of motoring (unless you are so rich that you wouldn't care about petrol costs anyway).

I never did it but I think you can drive from Cork to Dublin.

Yawlboy

Don't forget if you buy an electric car through a dealer in Ireland you will get a free home charging station from the ESB - you will need to pay that cost if you import from the UK yourself.

beazee

Yawlboy wrote: »

Don't forget if you buy an electric car through a dealer in Ireland you will get a free home charging station from the ESB - you will need to pay that cost if you import from the UK yourself.

Indeed, which is ca. €700 on top.

Plus UK cars are equipped with "granny cable" which allows you to charge your car from any 3-pin domestic socket (10 hours or more - but keeps the owner at comfort). An option not being offered down South, not officially.

Sesshoumaru

thebannerroar wrote: »

Hi All,

I see that this thread has been dormant for a long time but Im hoping someone out there might be able to offer some advice on the purchase of a Nissan Leaf and all the hassle that might go with it.

So, I have recently returned to Ireland after a few years living abroad. I am very interested in buying an electric car and I think I can live with the short comings typically involved with them. At the moment the Leaf looks like the best choice (until I win the lotto and can afford a Model S). Currently my thinking is to go to the UK and bring one back here. I know there is no VRT applied so I think this is the best way to get the most value for my money. Here is an example that I think I can get for around 16000 GBP.

Now this leaves me with a bunch of open questions:
- How do other Irish leaf owners feel about their car?
- Are there some serious drawbacks that I might not be aware of?
- Can I reasonably expect the 2013 model to give me around 180 Km of range per charge?
- Are there any import duties that I will have to pay?
- How can I service the leaf in Ireland?
- Will I be able to sell the car in Ireland in a few years without too much hassle?
- If I cant sell it in Ireland can I bring it back to the UK and maybe sell it back to the dealership that I bought it off?

Any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

banner

1. My wife and I still feel quite happy about our purchase. 57k on the clock now and approaching 3 years of ownership.
2. For the average person not many drawbacks and plenty of plus points. On the October bank holiday weekend we took the 3 kids down to Kilmore Quay for a few nights. We live in Celbridge, so we had to stop in Gorey for a charge on the way down. Basically journeys over 100 kilometers usually require a stop and a fast charge, so long journeys take longer.
3. No, I would think around 120 or 130 kilometers per charge would be fine. Possibly 20 or 30 kilometers more if you were talking about mostly town driving.
4. You should probably check what the minimum mileage and age is to avoid VAT. On motorcycles I think it is 6 months and 6,000 kilometers.
5. Nissan dealer. So far my services have been around €90 to €100.
6. Irish people love low tax cars, shouldn't be an issue.
7. Sounds like a lot of hassle, I would just sell it in Ireland.

Good luck with whatever car you choose to buy!

thebannerroar

The point about the ESB charger is a good one... I would much rather buy in Ireland to save hassle and buy local. But if there is 2000 Euro difference then I will buy abroad. On a side note, anyone hear of this: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/10/4319924/bosch-449-dollar-electric-vehicle-charger-cheap
Its very cheap compared to others I have seen and Bosch are a trustworthy brand. Also do you need any modifications done to your electrical supply to fit one of these? I presume a qualified electrician is required to install it ...