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Calling all Nissan LEAF Owners in Ireland...

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  • 24-03-2011 10:33am
    #1
    coffin
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭


    Hi. I will hopefully be taking ownership of my new Nissan LEAF next week and I am looking to connect with other Irish Leaf owners, and indeed owners of other BEVs and Plug-ins. I think that together we can help ensure that the promised infrastructure goes down in a timely fashion, and can also work together on any other issues that may arise. If you are interested, or know of another group that already connects such owners together, can you contact me via a post on this forum. Thanks.
    Tagged:


«134567

Comments

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    #2
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    I don't think there are any yet. Car enthusiasts don't buy electric cars, and car enthusiasts populate this forum. Anyway, the Irish are notoriously conservative and I wouldn't buy one until they've been proven for a few years.

    QED really.


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    #3
    Mr. Presentable
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,496 ✭✭✭Mr. Presentable


    Maybe a sub-forum will be created in the future for electric cars. It would seem an opportunity to discuss and learn about the practicalities of ownership and infrastructure issues.


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    #4
    Anan1
    Registered Users Posts: 22,818 ✭✭✭✭Anan1


    Confab wrote: »
    I don't think there are any yet. Car enthusiasts don't buy electric cars, and car enthusiasts populate this forum. Anyway, the Irish are notoriously conservative and I wouldn't buy one until they've been proven for a few years.

    QED really.
    You mean you're conservative and wouldn't buy one? I think i'm an enthusiast, and I would.:)


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    #5
    coffin
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭coffin


    Hi All. Thanks so much for your replies. I am a newbie here so apologies if I have posted this is the wrong place. I am just looking to "discuss and learn about the practicalities of ownership and infrastructure issues" as Mr. Presentable has so eloquently put it.

    Confab, I have to say that I disagree with your points. First of all I know of at least one owner, the first one in Ireland is based in Kerry. Secondly, while I would not consider myself a "piston-head" I am very enthusiastic about cars. And given that all cars have motors (but not all cars have engines) I would argue that the "Motors" forum on Boards is exactly the right place to discuss such matters. Having said that, I would be happy enough to post in an "EV" sub-forum if it exists. Perhaps I have not searched hard enough.

    One last thing Confab, have a look at this brief article. I don't suspect it will convince you to fall in love with BEVs. But it's just some food for thought: http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1056335_8-reasons-why-gearheads-shouldnt-hate-electric-cars. I really don't want to get into a "I Love EVs/I Hate EVs" argument. I just want to connect with other EV and Nissan Leaf owners. Thanks


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    #6
    Owen
    Registered Users Posts: 12,683 ✭✭✭✭Owen


    Enjoy your hotpoint :D


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    #7
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 23,339 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Confab wrote: »
    I don't think there are any yet. Car enthusiasts don't buy electric cars, and car enthusiasts populate this forum. Anyway, the Irish are notoriously conservative and I wouldn't buy one until they've been proven for a few years.

    QED really.

    Generally car enthusiasts have cars too if they are 17+ years old :P


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    #8
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    RoverJames wrote: »
    Generally car enthusiasts have cars too if they are 17+ years old :P

    Touche. Have just discovered I can tax, run & insure a Rover 75 under budget though :D


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    #9
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 23,339 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Was only joking old boy :D
    Rover 75 :rolleyes: :p


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    #10
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    RoverJames wrote: »
    Was only joking old boy :D
    Rover 75 :rolleyes: :p

    Yeah I'll get me pipe, slippers & smoking jacket.


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    #11
    Sesshoumaru
    Registered Users Posts: 2,127 ✭✭✭Sesshoumaru


    Confab wrote: »
    I don't think there are any yet. Car enthusiasts don't buy electric cars, and car enthusiasts populate this forum. Anyway, the Irish are notoriously conservative and I wouldn't buy one until they've been proven for a few years.

    QED really.

    I have one ordered and I consider myself a petrol head. I really loved my Audi A6 Avant Quattro Sport, but she's going to a good home(my old man). My new Leaf when it arrives(in the next few weeks *fingers crossed*) will hopefully serve my young family well! and when I want some fun I'll still have my Ducati Monster, which is cheaper to tax for a year than the Leaf, so it definitely won't be going anywhere :)

    @coffin

    I'd suggest an Irish forum like this UK one:

    http://www.leaftalk.co.uk/forum.php

    or maybe make a request for a subsection of motoring on Boards?


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    #12
    Mr Benevolent
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,456 ✭✭✭✭Mr Benevolent


    Sesshoumaru wrote: »
    I have one ordered and I consider myself a petrol head. I really loved my Audi A6 Avant Quattro Sport, but she's going to a good home(my old man). My new Leaf when it arrives(in the next few weeks *fingers crossed*) will hopefully serve my young family well! and when I want some fun I'll still have my Ducati Monster, which is cheaper to tax for a year than the Leaf, so it definitely won't be going anywhere :)

    @coffin

    I'd suggest an Irish forum like this UK one:

    http://www.leaftalk.co.uk/forum.php

    or maybe make a request for a subsection of motoring on Boards?

    Fair play, they're supposed to be good. Just for the record, I'm pro electric cars and electric everything else, I just think that takeup will be very slow but will rise steadily over the next few years. I'll buy one secondhand if reliability is high and tax doesn't rise out of all proportion.

    Let us know how you get on with it!


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    #13
    _Kaiser_
    Registered Users Posts: 28,741 ✭✭✭✭_Kaiser_


    Sesshoumaru wrote: »
    I have one ordered and I consider myself a petrol head. I really loved my Audi A6 Avant Quattro Sport, but she's going to a good home(my old man).

    For what it's worth all the best with the new car, but (and maybe I'll be proved wrong in time) I think your old man got the better deal there! :p

    No way would I trade a big, comfy, well-equpped quattro saloon/estate for an unproven bit of PC tech. Even if it does take off the cost to recharge them (and electricity generally) will no doubt skyrocket as well :(


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    #14
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,480 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    Must keep an eye out for clouds of SMUG over Kerry so ;)


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    #15
    Sesshoumaru
    Registered Users Posts: 2,127 ✭✭✭Sesshoumaru


    Kaiser2000 wrote: »
    For what it's worth all the best with the new car, but (and maybe I'll be proved wrong in time) I think your old man got the better deal there! :p

    No way would I trade a big, comfy, well-equpped quattro saloon/estate for an unproven bit of PC tech. Even if it does take off the cost to recharge them (and electricity generally) will no doubt skyrocket as well :(

    Thanks! :D

    I work in IT, like gadgets and can generally be considered an "early adopter" type person. I love my Audi, went to London to get just that model secondhand. But I'm reasonably confident I'm making the correct decision. Anyways the old man lives less than a kilometer from my home... He's getting the Audi on condition we can do short term swaps for when I need a long range fossil fuel powered car :)

    As for the cost of electricity, I don't think it will go up by much. The majority of people use their car during the day for short trips well within the range of the Leaf. That means night time charging would be suitable for the vast majority of people, most of the time. Our power stations don't turn off at night, so charging at night just means a lot of energy that would otherwise be wasted, gets put to good use. Hence why electricity is cheaper at night.

    But I'm not arguing against the possibility of failure for electric cars. I can't see the future, so only time will tell if I made the right choice. I'm not trying to save the planet by buying one either, although I do care about the environment. I'm buying one because of all the available technologies and possible future technologies on the horizon, I think electric is the most likely one to succeed. Also for geopolitical reasons:

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0228/1224291007206.html

    As for the car itself, I wouldn't have bought the Leaf if I thought it was a crap electric car. I've driven two different Leaf's now and I like it. I like the fact that unlike the Renault Fluence ZE or the Ford Focus Electric, it was designed from the ground up as an electric car e.g. batteries under floor giving it a 50/50 weight distribution unlike the Focus Electric and Fluence ZE which have them in the boot. All the components in the car, with the exception of the battery have been around since the dawn of the automobile (electric motors are not new technology). I'm willing to bet I'll get 3 to 5 years of happy motoring with the current battery and then hopefully I could trade it in and get a new battery with more range. Thats the plan anyway! I'll set a reminder in Outlook to remind me to check this thread again in 3 to 5 years time :D


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    #16
    Anan1
    Registered Users Posts: 22,818 ✭✭✭✭Anan1


    Kaiser2000 wrote: »
    For what it's worth all the best with the new car, but (and maybe I'll be proved wrong in time) I think your old man got the better deal there! :p

    No way would I trade a big, comfy, well-equpped quattro saloon/estate for an unproven bit of PC tech. Even if it does take off the cost to recharge them (and electricity generally) will no doubt skyrocket as well :(
    It all depends on what you need. There is no electric car now that'll do all the things I need a car to do, so it's currently out for me. What I do find silly, though, is people being opposed to EV purely because of what they think it represents. We all know the type, the ones who enjoy their big V8s because they think they're upsetting the greens. EV has huge potential for enthusiasts, it's early days yet but it seems to be coming on in leaps & bounds.


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    #17
    CarMuppet
    Registered Users Posts: 521 ✭✭✭CarMuppet


    Confab wrote: »
    I don't think there are any yet. Car enthusiasts don't buy electric cars, and car enthusiasts populate this forum. Anyway, the Irish are notoriously conservative and I wouldn't buy one until they've been proven for a few years.

    QED really.


    I'm not too sure about that... I'd be planning on going from a large number of horses to a large number of amperes in the future when/if this one hits our shores:


    http://www.teslamotors.com/models


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    #18
    Sesshoumaru
    Registered Users Posts: 2,127 ✭✭✭Sesshoumaru


    CarMuppet wrote: »
    I'm not too sure about that... I'd be planning on going from a large number of horses to a large number of amperes in the future when/if this one hits our shores:


    http://www.teslamotors.com/models

    +1

    If I had the money :D


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    #19
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Yup Tesla Model S makes me drool :D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfttXdRvIbk


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    #20
    Drummerboy08
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,102 ✭✭✭✭Drummerboy08


    Back to the original point of the OP, a call to Nissan Ireland is definately worth something. I'm sure the marketing dept would love to help out, as the Leaf is seen as an important part of Nissan's future. Explain to them what you want to do, they might even sponsor your website!

    Have you got your charging point installed at your home yet?

    AFAIK, a new battery is being tested at the minute that would increase the Leaf's range to a more respectable 600km. With what's gone on in Japan over the last few weeks I'm not sure where it will stand. I'd say it won't be too far away though.


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    #21
    Daegerty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭Daegerty


    Drummerboy08 wrote: »
    AFAIK, a new battery is being tested at the minute that would increase the Leaf's range to a more respectable 600km. With what's gone on in Japan over the last few weeks I'm not sure where it will stand. I'd say it won't be too far away though.

    When something sounds too good to be true...

    Seriously now 600km sounds way far fetched, what materials were they using to make these batteries?


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    #22
    Drummerboy08
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,102 ✭✭✭✭Drummerboy08


    Daegerty wrote: »
    When something sounds too good to be true...

    Seriously now 600km sounds way far fetched, what materials were they using to make these batteries?


    Nasa can put a man on the moon, Apple can give you all your songs in a piece of equipment smaller than the palm of your hand, but when someone builds a car that can go 600km using Electricity you call it far fetched?

    If you are such an expert, please tell me how this is impossible?


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    #23
    Absurdum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,445 ✭✭✭Absurdum


    Drummerboy08 wrote: »
    AFAIK, a new battery is being tested at the minute that would increase the Leaf's range to a more respectable 600km. With what's gone on in Japan over the last few weeks I'm not sure where it will stand. I'd say it won't be too far away though.

    now we're talking, I'd pay €30k for that if it was proven


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    #24
    Drummerboy08
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,102 ✭✭✭✭Drummerboy08


    http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/nissan-working-on-new-battery-for-electric-cars.php

    Here's a link which says the new battery will double the range. I think I have another one floating around somewhere that says closer to 500-600km.

    Either way (and as the article points out) like most electronic items, a newer, better version is always around the corner. EV's can only get better from here.


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    #25
    Rodin
    Registered Users Posts: 3,130 ✭✭✭Rodin


    no idea why anyone would buy one


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    #26
    Daegerty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭Daegerty


    Drummerboy08 wrote: »
    Nasa can put a man on the moon, Apple can give you all your songs in a piece of equipment smaller than the palm of your hand, but when someone builds a car that can go 600km using Electricity you call it far fetched?

    If you are such an expert, please tell me how this is impossible?

    Battery technology just isn't improving that fast. Unless they plan to fill it to the brim with batteries it's just not going to go for 600km. Even if they get it to 250Wh/kg you're going to need an awfully big battery pack.

    Its not impossible but not practical either. Such a battery pack will be extremely expensive and a liability as it will be degrading by the day as Li based batteries do. If they could fix the durability issues with batteries they might have a chance but lumping a 500kg battery into a normal car is not the answer

    NASA won't put a man on the moon so easy anymore these days. It would take them years to get their sh1t in order before they are back to a state where they could do such a thing.


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    #27
    johnos1984
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,096 ✭✭✭johnos1984


    OP would you consider writing up a running report of how you get on with the car?

    I'd be pretty interested to read it :)

    Mods would it be worthy of being a sticky if OP is happy to do it. It would be educational for us all


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    #28
    Daegerty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭Daegerty


    Drummerboy08 wrote: »
    http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/nissan-working-on-new-battery-for-electric-cars.php

    Here's a link which says the new battery will double the range. I think I have another one floating around somewhere that says closer to 500-600km.

    Either way (and as the article points out) like most electronic items, a newer, better version is always around the corner. EV's can only get better from here.

    600km if you toodle along probably. The new battery still only lasts 1,000 charges

    Shelf life remains to be seen in real life. Even if this battery delivers as promised running costs won't be much less than diesel.


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    #29
    coffin
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭coffin


    Thanks everyone for your responses. Again, if we can keep it to the call for Nissan Leaf or EV owners I'd very much appreciate it.

    @Sesshoumaru
    Thanks for your posts. Have sent you a PM

    @Drummerboy08
    This is a good suggestion. Will try to contact Nissan about this. I am getting my charger installed tomorrow. Looking forward to that

    @johnos1984
    Have already started a blog (irishelectricdreams.blogspot.com) where I intend to document my first year as a Leaf owner, with the view to giving a complete picture of ownership of an EV in Ireland. Feel free to have a look and comment on what's there so far.


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    #30
    Daegerty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,864 ✭✭✭Daegerty


    coffin wrote: »
    Have already started a blog (irishelectricdreams.blogspot.com) where I intend to document my first year as a Leaf owner, with the view to giving a complete picture of ownership of an EV in Ireland. Feel free to have a look and comment on what's there so far.


    I tried to comment on it but I can;t :(


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    #31
    coffin
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭coffin


    @daegerty
    Hey Daegerty, my apologies. Not sure why you can't. I think you may have to log in with a Google account or some equivalent. What error message did you get?


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