Having extolled the many virtues and desirability of EV’s over the last few posts and mused over some goings on too, I feel it appropriate to point out some practicalities that might not be readily apparent when choosing an EV.
So you decide to start looking for a (electric) car. Let’s assume that you play it safe and decide to look at the Nissan Leaf. So you start searching Autotrader and find some cars, they all appear to have 4 wheels and mostly similar headlights. So far so good. You might assume them to be equal contenders for your cash? Here’s something to consider that if you are not totally familiar with, could catch you out. Early Leaf’s tend to suffer from battery degradation far in excess of later cars. So how can you differentiate between the versions? There are a few clues (mostly the headlight/wheel combinations, but also the interior colour). But there are a few exceptions to the rules too and if you’re not clued up, you could end up with a far less practical long-term ownership prospect than you might expect. Get it right however, and you’ll have what is considered to be one of the most reliable cars on the road.
The latest facelift Leaf’s have their own differentiating points, mostly in terms of battery firmware versions which require an OBD2 reader to check (if this is relevant to your use situation).
Sound complicated? Don’t get put off the concept of an EV! 90% of EV drivers will NEVER go back to a fossil fuel car, and if you don’t go electric now the benefits will likely be reduced as government re-balances the taxation setup.
Let us take the stress out of your journey and enjoy the (silent) revolution.