Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

Picture this: You are making a trek through the forest, where all around you is a sense of serenity and tranquility. Wandering through it, you begin to appreciate the delicate ecosystem around you and the tumultuous activity that is happening all around you, unseen.

You pause and surrender to your heightened, more visceral senses, and notice the many layers that build up the forest ecosystem. All around are plants and animals, big and small, in a constant fight for survival and then you realise – while nature provides us with the means to live, humans are the only creatures that can decide the fate of the ecosystem.

Living in our concrete jungles, many of us seldom, if ever, make trips back to mother nature, and as a result, we rarely see the impact that urbanisation is having on our planet’s health.

Case in point is our utter reliance on cars to get around in a city like Kuala Lumpur. Fact is our public transport, while much improved, isn’t connected enough so that we can easily get by without owning your own transportation. But many studies have shown that cars are easily one of the largest contributors to the decline of a planet’s health. So how can one be more responsible for our vehicle, particularly its impact on the environment?

I had an opportunity to take a “walk in the woods” in the city a little while back, as I was chosen to be a Nissan Leaf Ambassador for six weeks. For those 42 green days, I had a lot of time to reflect on the collective impact of cranking up our conventional vehicles to go about our business on a daily basis.

So, here are my thoughts based on those 1,800 hours of giving back to mother nature. This is an ownership experience story and not strictly a car review, as there are already many write-ups about the Leaf which can be found right here in this blog. Thus, I will concentrate on relating what it’s like to live with an electric vehicle (EV) as my everyday car and being a proud “green” citizen.

Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

Back to my earlier point – we have little choice but to use cars to get us from place to place. So, for an EV to fit the bill, it too should be able to provide us with the same utility, as normal cars should. Did the Leaf manage to do this for me? The answer is a resounding yes! A caveat applies however, as EVs are not going to be ideal for everyone. If your daily commute exceeds 100 km or if you currently stay in an apartment style dwelling, then EVs will probably not work for you.

During the time I spent driving around and talking about the Leaf, it became very apparent that almost everybody had questions about the car. The most asked question was related to range. Funnily enough, many remarked that they wouldn’t be able to go to Ipoh because of the range limitation – what, suddenly, everybody living in KL was from Ipoh?

Anyway, how far the Leaf could and would go was a major issue and admittedly, it was foremost on my mind at the beginning. Truth be told, if all you do is potter within the city limits, a 100 to 120 km range between charging is going to be sufficient 99% of the time. So I would argue that the Leaf doesn’t have a problem with the range, as much as it has a problem with people’s perceptions or fears.

In this regard, the Ambassador program is a bit of a masterstroke for Edaran Tan Chong Motor. By allowing the Leaf to be field tested by independent third party users over an extended time, it has stories and examples that prove that the Leaf can fit into the lifestyles of most city dwellers in Malaysia.

Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

For instance, one of the first batch of Ambassadors had to endure two to three hours of traffic jams commuting to and from work every day. Happily, he never ran out of juice at all. While he had his doubts at the start, he now extols the Leaf for its frugal use of power when it is stationary. In fact, stop/go traffic helps regenerate the battery power.

All throughout this six-week trial, the Leaf Ambassadors kept in touch and shared stories about our usage of the car. It became apparent that the more we used the Leaf, the more confident we were with its range and the more we trusted the on-board computer/diagnostic system. The diagnostic system calculates car’s range every 500 meters of use, taking into consideration a whole bunch of parameters such as driving speed and battery power.

Towards the end of my trial, I left home from Section 6 in Petaling Jaya to pick my son up in Saujana with only 36 km of range indicated. I then proceeded to my office in Bangsar, where the charger was located and made it with less than 10 km left of battery power. If this had happened when I first got the Leaf, I would have been incredibly stressed the whole way. This time, I trusted that the Leaf would make it, and it did.

Coming back to that walk in the forest. The best thing about the six weeks was that I did not directly burn any fossil fuels at all. It felt right and good to know that I was contributing much less to the destruction of nature. While the marketing folk might want us to believe that the Leaf has ZERO emissions, truth is almost all of the electricity we use is produced by the burning of fuel, which means that until ALL the electricity we consume comes from renewable energy sources, we will have to take ZERO with a pinch of salt.

In Malaysia, our electricity comes from two main sources. The burning of coal and natural gas and hydroelectricity, which means that no matter what the brochure says, there is still going to be emissions somewhere.

Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

Still; electrical power plants are far more efficient in extracting the energy from the fuel it burns. Coal & Natural Gas electrical plants convert 40% of thermal energy into electricity, and hydroelectric plants have an efficacy rating of 95%. On the other hand, modern petrol engines have a maximum thermal efficiency of between 25 to 30%, which means you are getting only 30% of your money’s worth for useful motion. The rest is rejected heat loss through your exhaust and radiation. What I am getting at is that the generation of electricity is a far more efficient use of natural resources than our petrol cars.

Go to a basement car park and feel the amount of heat trapped in there and you get an idea how much heat is being generated by our cars. Our cities will be a whole lot more pleasant place if there are less emissions – both gasses as well as heat. The Leaf is remarkably cool in the truest sense of the word.

The efficiency also positively impacts your wallet. In those six weeks, I travelled a total of 1,785 km and consumed 361.4 kilowatts (kWh) of electricity. Using the highest TNB tariff bracket for domestic homes, which is 45.4 sen per kWh, I spent RM164.08. How much would you have to spend on petrol for your own car to cover 1,700 km? I reckon this is probably the most important factoid for most readers. After six weeks, the proof is in the pudding. Yes, you can save a significant amount of money.

There is much more to the Leaf though than simply being energy efficient and saving money. It is also a pretty decent car.

Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

Driving the Leaf is best described as uncomplicated. I cannot stress how simple the car is to use and how innocuous the whole experience is. The Leaf will never be a driver’s car, and it certainly wasn’t designed that way. Tuned for a luxurious ride as opposed to taut handling, the Nissan engineers have certainly achieved what they set out to do. The car wafts around in glorious comfort. This is the closest you will ever get to a Rolls-Royce type experience in a family hatchback. The smooth acceleration coupled with the comfortable suspension system delivers this magical ride.

The soft suspension falls apart once the Leaf goes beyond 80 km/h in anything but a straight line. Once the road starts getting curvy, the Leaf starts to lose composure very quickly. Is the Leaf a dull drive then? Not entirely.

The Leaf still can put a grin on your face. It is the traffic light drag king! Having all 280 newton metres (nm) of torque available to you from zero revs per minute, the Leaf sprints away from just about any car at most standing starts. Petrol engine car drivers will have to be really committed to beat the Leaf’s lag-less “press and go” abilities. Before any normal car can even start slipping their clutches, the Leaf is already several car lengths ahead. I never tired with playing this game, and neither did others. Once, I let a Porsche owner have a spin and even he was very impressed with the acceleration.

Still, you would not want to drive like that all the time, as there are penalties to having a heavy foot. Spirited runs sap the battery very quickly, as does maintaining high speeds in excess of 100 km/h.

Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

What then on the top speed? I managed to get the Leaf beyond its advertised 140 km/h top speed easily though, and I was told that the car could easily hit 160 km/h. I believe them! Let’s just say that the car wasn’t designed for speed, and accept it for what it is. Yet, I believe most regular drivers will be perfectly happy with what the Leaf can offer.

I used the Leaf as my ONLY vehicle in the entire six weeks, as I would have my normal petrol engine car. I ferried friends and family around, went all the way to Shah Alam to pick up a racing bicycle, which I must add, fit into the back passenger’s foot well easily. We also managed to do some Hari Raya open house visiting. In short, the Leaf fit right into my everyday lifestyle, and I didn’t have to change my habits to suit the car, except for planning my trips a bit more carefully.

There are a few little niggles that if given the chance, I’d sort out with the Leaf. The LED headlights are sufficiently bright and are highly energy efficient, but the high beam is weedy. It probably is a Japanese thing, but they should really install a louder horn. The tiny honk is just too polite to get any real notice. I would also have Nissan spec more utility into the Leaf, such as hooks for hanging plastic bags or bungee cords in the boot. I bought some lunch one day, and I ended up carrying the plastic bags full of hot soupy noodles in one hand while driving because to avoid having its contents spilled.

Another thing I would improve is to add a backlight for the door lock/unlock button. For some reason, the rest of the buttons on the door panel have lights, except for that one. Try unlocking the door for someone at night and you will understand why it should be lit! The brakes could also be a little more positive, as they are quite spongy and the stopping power is not great.

Nissan Leaf Test Drive Review: six weeks with an EV

All said though, these are small and insignificant issues that if, and when, addressed, would make the Leaf even easier to live with. The final thing on my wish list is a shorter recharge time. Not the DC quick-charger but an improvement to the standard ‘trickle’ charger, which will almost halve the charging time – I have heard that this is on its way.

To be sure, EVs in Malaysia will take a lot more effort to market than hybrids, and the authorities must do their part to make this happen. The adoption of EVs will probably also take a lot longer than the hybrids, as perceptions need to be changed before the public will be able to feel comfortable enough to buy them. The cost of these vehicles will also certainly be a hindrance, as they would cost more than hybrids in other markets.

At the very least, EVs like the Leaf will have a fighting chance if authorities continue to “green” extend tax exemptions when the cars make it to market. Greenies such as I all have our fingers crossed that these tax breaks continue. Priced within means, I will almost certainly buy an EV such as the Leaf.

When my period as Ambassador was over, I felt a tinge of sadness at having to give up the Leaf. I had grown really fond of it, both as a car as well as a lifestyle. Being a little more merciful to the environment resonates well with me. Until I do become a true EV owner, I suppose I’ll have to plan more actual walks in the forest!

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Daniel Yap

Daniel Yap is a rehabilitated ad guy, and now operates a co-working space and personal fitness centre. He spends his free time pining for more gadgets and keeps an account of all the stuff he buys in his own blog the Eternal Hobbyist.

 

Comments

  • not a car enthusiast on Sep 14, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    I saw Mitsubishi iMiEV at Gurney Plaza Penang recently. The roadtax is RM10 but this one (Nissan leaf) is RM36. How do gov calculate the tax?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • remps on Sep 14, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    what’s with the popped collar? lol.

    anyway, yes not everybody is from ipoh. but on those rare instances when we have to travel away from kl, what do you suggest we use? buy a new car? use public transport?

    until charging stations are as ubiquitous as petrol pumps and take around the same time to get it done too, it ain’t happening. bro.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • good read.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • Daniel Yap on Sep 14, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    The story is about the Leaf and not my popped collar. Old habits die hard I suppose. :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • erwinkarim on Sep 14, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    what’s the road tax for this car since it doesn’t really have an engine? IMHO an important question since a lot of conti car makers is going to do production electric cars in the near future.

    another note, like oil, gas is heavy subsidised by the government. so real world prices might be a lot higher, but in the bigger picture, electric cars are more efficient than internal combustion engine in converting energy into forward momentum.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • Paul Tan on Sep 14, 2012 at 8:23 pm

      Here is the road tax, for company registration since it belongs to Tan Chong.

      http://paultan.org/2012/09/14/nissan-leaf-test-drive-review-six-weeks-with-an-ev/sony-dsc-464/

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • Bimmer on Sep 17, 2012 at 9:04 am

        Was wondering, since the car doesn’t have an engine block, what number do they put inside the registration card?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Very informative read! I got a question Daniel – how much range do you lose if you turn on the air conditioning? Did you use it as normal? I know in Malaysia we have the air cond turned on all the time, and I’m pretty sure the optimal range figures for the Leaf assume no air cond?

    I’ve sadly done some calculations (just based on wikipedia sourced assumptions for greenhouse emissions) showing that coal power plant –> electricity –> charging a Leaf –> drive 100km creates more carbon dioxide than just running an equivalent small efficient diesel car 100km. However that is a worst case scenario, and Malaysia gets less than half its electricity from coal, so using the average CO2 emissions from the basket of power plants in Malaysia we still come out ahead using a Leaf.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Daniel Yap on Sep 14, 2012 at 8:44 pm

    Thanks ABC. I used the A/C all the time. The power penalty is about 10km average in range. I constantly managed to get approximately 110km per full charge, driving normally with the A/C on. You can squeeze a little bit more range with it off, but why would you want to suffer. Visit my blog for more stories about the LEAF (plug plug.. LOL).

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Gavin on Sep 14, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    Seeing that I’m going to be moving back to kl to work I would seriously consider an electric car

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • NasUrudin aidid on Sep 14, 2012 at 9:28 pm

    I will never agree to how Tan Chong select the ambassador. all Chinese plus 1 half Chinese. No Indian or kadazan,murut or any other ethnic group. tan Chong will remain a racist company….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 55
    • Hermanc on Sep 15, 2012 at 12:50 am

      We are all Malaysians!!! Your comment has made YOU the racist here.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 9
    • Cheah Tat Cheong on Sep 15, 2012 at 12:07 pm

      The comment by you is exactly why the national education system has to be revamped. I supposed you have not met the contest winners (who won actual cars!) of Tan Chong’s crazy test drive program? Try Google and open your eyes…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 6
      • NasUrudin aidid on Sep 16, 2012 at 4:32 pm

        Ask from Tan Chong what s the breakdown of race who bought Nissan. 80percent are Malays and Indians plus other ethnic. The customer don’t look at the race who owns the company. It’s just that the management looks at the skin for the top managerial position.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 15
        • Cheah Tat Cheong on Sep 19, 2012 at 10:12 am

          Public listed companies are answerable to share holders. To ensure sustainability, they hire the best people they can afford, nothing to do with races.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 6
    • i have deal with tan chong,most top management are all chinese and if ur Not same skin,yellowish colour,sorry to get a chance to do business with them even we r in malaysia.not hong kong,taiwan,or china…indian n malay start to realize that chinese never fair do business,at least with government policies can stop them conquering everything n make sure others races also can enjoy same piece of cakes.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 19
      • Sabahman on Sep 16, 2012 at 3:03 am

        If you don’t like Chinese business, start your own car company to compete with them. Go ahead. Nobody is stopping you. But you have to work very hard, because that is what the Chinese do.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 3
      • NasUrudin aidid on Sep 16, 2012 at 4:38 pm

        Agree!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 5
      • hey yall on Dec 17, 2012 at 4:01 pm

        With government help, bumiputras should do far better than the chinese. But what do they do with the government help? Use the money and go buy fancy car and house.

        The chinese had no help, but still can have bigger business than bumiputras. For this, I admire the chinese.

        Our people have lots of help from the government, still want to complain? You want government to do the business for you while you duduk goyang kaki dalam rumah, is it?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 6
  • mystvearn on Sep 14, 2012 at 10:02 pm

    Daniel, could I know how long does it take to charge full from empty? A full 13 hours?

    Though the leaf uses electricity, it is not that green like you said. You are only displacing one fossil fuel with another fossil fuel. Also, the rare earth material needed in order to make the batteries also is an issue. I’ve seen top gear’s review on this and that you actually need to change your lifestyle around it as deep in your mind you know that the car is always going to run out of juice.

    I think it is better to wait for Nissan leaf mk3 before purchasing it. Let nissan iron out all the bugs associated with this car and most importantly the range. At around 100 km with AC and for people in Klang Valley at 76 km plus the fact that a lot actually stay quite a distance from their work place, it suddenly makes the Leaf not that viable.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Leaf#Range

    Also from Top Gear and from your description, you are constantly reminded to drive carefully and also take note of the range left on the car. With a conventional petrol or even hybrid car, this is not an issue since you know that the petrol station is not far away and topping up will take <10 mins.

    The Leaf is a technological marvel which is very useful if your commute distance is 30km. More than that it is a hard sell with the high rise apartments etc. Even then, given Malaysia's hot and humid climate, I'm not sure the battery will last that long and you may end up worse off. Also, at its current price of about £28k you actually need to be very rich to go green. Since a lot of Malaysian can only afford one car at this price range, it has to be able to do everything (including the balik kampung). Also the fact that the batteries at best will last 5 years, and replacement costs are unknown at the moment that is a huge bet not many are willing to take. If we take petrol at RM3/liter and your range of 1785km over six weeks:
    and comparing normal car lets say a 7 liters/100 km will get you 1 liter = 14.28 km. (I took the preve 6.8l/100 km then rounded to 7 l)

    That 1785/14.28 = 125 liters. That 125 liters xRM3 (say petrol price RM3) you get about RM375.

    Correct me if my calculations are wrong.

    That RM375 for normal petrol engine vs RM160 leaf on highest TNB tariff is not that bad. If say petrol increases double to RM6/l then you will get some RM750 vs RM 164 for 6 weeks.
    So RM 586 = 1785 km. Assuming everything remains the same (which they are not).

    Now lets say 5 years (as the battery last at most that long) = 103530km (just to get the maths simple of x58) (1785×58 times)
    So Rm 586×58 = RM33988.

    That should offset the premium of the car compared to normal petrol engine car.
    More likely scenario:

    You will gain more savings than RM34k because petrol keeps increasing while electricity does not increase that often.

    However, the unknown repair cost of the battery and the car itself, which (taking from top gear cost £7k to replace the battery), the savings you make from the leaf in petrol prices will go towards cost of maintaining the vehicle. Looks like it is a stalemate between petrol and electric.
    It is also more likely that it will cost slightly more since only Nissan can service your car and if the car fails, the cost and time to repair it will be significantly longer than normal petrol engine.

    Remember I did that RM34k price difference at petrol cost of RM6/liter.

    Good read:
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444709004577651102434805014.html

    I think it will only be worthwhile considering if the range is extended at least 300 km, lower charging time and lower prices. I think for most of us, the second or third generation leaf will be more appealing than this. Hopefully a lot of guinea pigs buy the first gen as it helps nissan iron out problems and lower production cost. I myself do not see hybrids or electricity as the future. The future is hydrogen

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • Daniel Yap on Sep 15, 2012 at 11:38 am

      Great and clear observations! In time, EVs will become better and better.

      I have this analogy. Years ago, we got around on horses and carriages drawn by horses. Then someone invented the car. It was noisy, unreliable and so on.. Plus, there was no where to refuel the darn car. The people on horses snorted, and said.. all I need to do is feed my horse every evening. Gets me anywhere and grass/hay is easy to find… How many people get around horses today?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
      • mystvearn on Sep 20, 2012 at 11:41 pm

        Daniel (hopefully you are the real person who wrote the article),

        I would really like your take when Tan Chong puts a price on the car and the service charge on it, until then I would like to say that your views are slightly misleading-mine would be too and I will explain why.

        a. The car was LOANED to you from TC-removed cost of ownership.

        b. By removing that cost of ownership-you are already saving a lot of money, which TC has yet to say how much this will cost.

        c. You are mentioning the cost of living with the Leaf over a 6 week period which only gives a brief snapshot into the cost at that time. I read your article and that was the vibe I got-6 weeks of living with and EV.

        d. You do not mention anywhere the price of the car since you don’t know-which is fine, but as a good journalist you have to put that caveat into perspective in order to prevent bias. I’m not sure that will go well as an ambassador to TC. Also, I am not sure if any negative comments about the Leaf would affect your “friendship-status” with TC.

        In UK, the Leaf costs the same as an Audi A6. If you take that amount of cash at this current time only rich people can afford it.

        You should mention the caveats as well. Here is a good example-same car, also mentions the charging time, cost-pros and cons:
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nFn67EnvNo

        Your analogy work well, but your smirking on the facts I’ve put is naive at best. Your analogy also is the same for the LEAF- “no where to refuel the darn car”
        (I’ll end it there as I don’t want to get into the business of finger pointing or trolling).

        I DID mention in the last paragraph that future generations of the LEAF would be better-not this generation. Clear example is with the Prius. Only rich people could own it, now there is the Prius C which is affordable. Prius has been around since 1997, and it started to become popular in 2002. That is why I said the second/third generation Leaf makes sense, IF car manufacturers figure out how to fully recharge the car <5 mins like a normal fuel combustion car.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 4
        • mystvearn on Sep 21, 2012 at 4:35 am

          Sorry if my comments offended you. It was never in my attention to do so or put your journalistic profession into disrepute. I’m just trying to calculate predicted cost of owning this car based on info which I can find.

          Not a lot of Malaysians can afford a second RM100+k car with limited range if it is not cheap to run in 5 years+. Case point being, when Honda launched the current gen Accord 2.0L and 2.4L, that RM30k price gap means that a lot of people were put off and got the 2.0L. RM30k could go to fuel cost of the car. Honda then released the 2.0-vti-L version a slightly better equipped car in response to Toyota because Camry were stealing Honda buyers at the 2.0L car region because they had a leather seat 2.0L version in the 2.0G.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
          • Daniel Yap on Sep 23, 2012 at 11:30 am

            I am not offended at all. Let me address some of your comments.

            1) The car may have been loaned to me, but still pay for my existing car which was parked for 6 weeks. So I am still paying for a car. A Golf TSI if you must know.

            2) My entire experience and comparisons made were about the cost of “fuelling” the respective cars. And it wasn’t about the buying price of the car.

            3) Comparing the buying price of the car would be simply impossible. Cars cost a lot of money in Malaysia. And different models and brands costs more than others. All have four wheels, engine and so on.. So, cost of cars in the context of the story is not possible. Someone pointed out that buying a Persona would save more money than a LEAF in the long run. I find that impossible to reconcile. Why? Well.. why not compare it to a BMW 1 series, or a LEXUS Hybrid? Why not a Audi A3? Why not a MYVI?

            4) As you pointed out, I don’t know the selling price of the LEAF.

            5) Your last couple of points perhaps irked me a little. Firstly, you compare me to what a “good” journalist will do. Well.. I am not a journalist. Secondly, I basically wrote a brief account of my “ownership” of the car. And I have nothing bad to say about the LEAF, because there isn’t any fault that I cannot accept as a consumer. Range?.. well… that is already pretty much spelled out in black and white, harping on about how bad the range is wouldn’t be fair either. No charging stations? Yup.. What else is there to really fault the car?

            And lastly, I stand by my horse analogy. :P

            Daniel

            p.s.. you write well.. perhaps you should be a writer also. (not meant to be an insult)

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
          • mystvearn on Sep 24, 2012 at 7:54 am

            Daniel, for some reason I could not reply directly to your topic and had to reply to my topic.

            Thank you for making clear about the article.

            Yes, cars cost a lot in Malaysia with our insane tax. That is why in west peninsular cities you can see a person having “smallish” house but drive a BMW, but in east coast peninsular, you see a person has a kancil or maybe kapcai parked at his big bungalow. The cost of buying a car exceeding 120k is better spend on a house.

            Comparing it to a myvi/1 series will make it more biased than it is. That is why it is better off to compare to car of similar size (and can I say quality?). However, range is the biggest problem with the Leaf. A BMW, Lexus hybrid, Audi A3 and Myvi can go so much further on a tank than batteries will ever will. Conventional gasoline or even hybrid cars with a tank is good because as you loose petrol from driving you shed weight which improves fuel consumption. The same can’t be said about empty batteries which weighs a lot and you are lugging around dead weight.

            Some people will fork out more for the Audi/VW/BMW badge compared to a Nissan (except few models like Murano, GT-R) due to the exclusivity. If the car is priced similar to the Golf TSI-I would take the Golf TSI over the Leaf-it just a more versatile car.

            The problem with Leaf as I see it it encroaches people’s live. Charging with the fast charger-about 5 hours is still too long for some people. Also not to mention the constant “nagging” hybrid/EV’s have with their Eco mode dictating how you drive. It is a good system if you are not light-footed, but for people who do not care-this system is a chore. You spend more time looking at the dash trying to save “trees” rather than looking at the road. It is not what you drive that matters it is how you drive it. That Top Gear M3 vs Prius is a very good case point.

            There is really nothing else wrong with the car. I’m sorry again if how I convey my thoughts were strong/offensive. As a car it is brilliant. It is a car that has no faults aside from the one which are mentioned.

            If this car is priced around RM120k or less, I can see myself getting one based on your experience though I am more interested in the Golf TSI (before the RM30k price hike). For one, my work-home commute distance is 4 KM. Home-nearest town is another 4 km, though I enjoy riding my moped more because I can wait directly at the traffic light and I can get there in 5 mins, as oppose to a car which takes 15 mins :P

            P/S: I think I need to take classes in diplomacy first before I can write in order not to offend anyone. Also, not sure who wants to offer me a job as a writer :P

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
    • Bimmer on Sep 17, 2012 at 9:12 am

      Based on my calculation, a modern diesel engine inside a small car like VW Polo is not far off from the Leaf in term of RM/KM.

      RM 164.08 can buy 91L of Diesel. Any 5L/100KM car can go 1785KM with 91L of Diesel.

      The Leaf has a slight advantage since the tariff used is the highest domestic tariff so it can be lower and diesel price will only go up over time.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • mystvearn on Sep 20, 2012 at 11:45 pm

        Yes, VW polo is not that far off. And, unlike the Leaf, you do not have to worry about range and refueling it is instantaneous which does not disrupt your life. You run your life normally with the car’s help. No need to schedule your life around the car.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • What a in depth study and calculation, you really work on calculator!

      If you wish to compare it so detail, please find out how much you can save further since EV compare to combustion engine vehicle, EV no need to change engine oil very 5000km/10,000km together with oil filter where the overall service will caused you more than RM100 and above~ let see how it work?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • mystvearn on Sep 20, 2012 at 11:06 pm

        Yes I did use a calculator to work that out-also based on placing things in perspective after watching carbuyer and top gear review of the car.

        What you spend on engine oil, for conventional cars you will spend that much, much more on batteries. Batteries don’t like hot weather, humid conditions which in Malaysia is detrimental to batteries. Everyone knows this yet no one wants to acknowledge it. You buy a smartphone, if battery is too hot, charger will auto-disconnect charging. Also, if you are a heavy smartphone user, after 2-3 years sure buy a new battery. Not even smartphone, I bought replacement battery for my Nokia 3310 few years ago.

        Since the leaf is super new, it is 100% likely that you need to bring it back to Tan Chong for service. You cannot DIY the battery change by yourself. Tan Chong has not given any indication what the service charge may be. Yes, the Leaf has no normal maintenance cost like a normal car-but when it comes to replace something, I can bet you it is going to be super expensive.

        What Daniel has not addressed here, since Tan Chong has not said is the price of the Leaf. It is not going to be cheap-if it was cheap, the UK government does not need to subsidize the price by £5k. Also taking London as an example where charging points are available, and there are tax breaks for using normal cars- you don’t see Leaf everywhere here. Only rich/middle income people buys it and the G-Wiz because
        a: their commute distance is low: stay and work in London
        b: rich people will find all kinds of methods to keep their wealth to themselves-including not paying the congestion charge.

        Make no mistake, if Tan Chong offered me to be the ambassador or I got the car free by chance, of course I would love it dearly and provide good feedback because the cost of purchasing the vehicle has been removed from my ownership cost. For most of us in the real word where we can’t afford to stay and work in big cities, the leaf in its current generation makes no sense especially when commute distance are high. If you want an electric car that has range, go for the Chevy Volt, has both petrol and electric engine. The petrol engine charges the battery so you get 300 miles extra. On batteries you get 50 miles.

        Read Pumpkins post (few posts below mine) also reach the same conclusion.

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        • mystvearn on Sep 20, 2012 at 11:48 pm

          Here are facts about why batteries are not that good:
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_leaf#Problems_reported

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        • mystvearn on Sep 21, 2012 at 4:37 am

          Error: tax breaks for EV’s not not normal cars

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        • Leafable on Jun 02, 2013 at 1:38 pm

          I think you need to stop watching Top Gear as a real car review programe mystvearn. Did you realise that Top Gear is a Children entertaining programe in the UK? I trust any other car side review more than Top Gear. Might want to try Autocar.co.uk, Autotrader.co.uk or honestjohn.co.uk

          I’ve own this car since 2011. Done 15k miles since. Well we can’t compare the UK petrol price with lovely Malaysia petrol price. Yes its for long term saving rather than short term. I’m not worry about the battery since its got 5 years warranty. Now they start leasing the batteries. If it gone bang its replacing it without any extra charge for as long as you leasing the batteries.

          Charging infrastructure is up to your government.

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  • The power plant will have more reserve at night and it can be use to charge the battery. Thats why some countries hv different electricity rate for day and night.

    We should always embrace new technology as it would spearhead to a better one. I may seem silly to some to get an EV now, but it is just like the idea that human can fly. :-)

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  • The power plant will have more reserve at night and it can be use to charge the battery. Thats why some countries hv different electricity rate for day and night.

    We should always embrace new technology as it would spearhead to a better one. It may seem silly to someone to get an EV now, but without the silliness, how would the 2nd or 3rd generation be funded?

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    • Daniel Yap on Sep 15, 2012 at 11:34 am

      Wish TNB had this arrangement of having lower tariffs at night time. Would make it even cheaper to charge.

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  • Sabahman on Sep 14, 2012 at 11:52 pm

    Thanks for the report.

    Did you get bored having to plug in the car every evening? Did you forget to plug it in?

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    • Daniel Yap on Sep 15, 2012 at 11:33 am

      No, I did not become bored plugging it in. It is the same as plugging in your phone to charge every night. Simple to do.

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  • With the current petrol price, my Prius can achieve 1800km with RM 160 of RON 95 petrol under normal driving condition. With a full tank of petrol, I can travel from JB to Alor Star. If I wish to go further, petrol station is always available everywhere along the journey!

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    • tungguuu on Sep 15, 2012 at 11:01 am

      sorry to tell u, hybrids are only a stop gap measure..they wont be around for a very long time… :)

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  • Pumpkins on Sep 15, 2012 at 9:53 am

    The deciding factors are current petrol price, car fuel mileage and further price discounts for electric car

    Using Leaf datas above:
    – 1,785 km and consumed 361.4 kilowatts (kWh) of electricity or 4.94km/kilowatts
    – at TNB rate 45.4 sen per kWh, total electricity charging cost RM164.08
    – 4.94km/per kilowatts rate 45.4 sen = RM0.091 per km ~ RM0.10 per km or 10 Cents per km

    Now take typical Proton Persona 1.6 Auto mileage example:
    – average fuel mileage 10km/litre and current Ron95 petrol per litre price RM1.90
    – average petrol cost per mileage 10km/RM1.90 = RM0.19 per km
    – 1,785km consume 178.5 litres petrol = RM1.90 X 178.5 litres = RM339.15

    Compare per km mileage cost:
    Nissan Leaf = RM0.10 per km or 10 Sen per km
    Proton Persona = RM0.19 per km or 19 Sen per km
    Almost 100 percent cost savings by electric over petrol at current per litre price

    Let’s take average daily commute mileage 50km
    – 18,250 km travelled annually
    – Persona car fuel mileage 10km/litre = 1,825 litres petrol used
    – 1,825 litres X RM1.90/litre petrol = RM3,467.50 or rounding RM3,500
    – RM3,500 petrol cost annually

    If using Leaf the electricity cost half of petrol cost at RM1,660.75
    Savings therefore RM3,500 – RM1,660.75 = RM1,839.25

    Compare car prices:
    Nissan Leaf – RM200K
    Proton Persona – RM60K
    Price difference = RM120K

    Leaf savings RM1,839.25 over RM120K car price difference
    It took 65 years to break-even and justify the purchase of Leaf over Persona
    No lah, I’m just joking who the hell drive same car for next 65 years right???

    Electric car purchase only make sense if petrol price at above RM4 per litre

    At RM4/litre petrol cost easily another 200 percent MORE expensive than electricity charges

    At the moment best available technology, only diesel and hybrid cars are the most sensible choice with superior mileage eg. VW TDI-engined cars, Prius etc (above 20km/litre mileage) hence lower fuel cost in long term

    Until the battery mileage can be improved to 1,000km per charge then it seriously worth every penny even at RM200K

    Even better if petrol price RM7 per litre….He He He RM7/litre….Wonder who get richer Petronas or TNB…???

    Another solution is to install home solar panels to charge your electric car but then even RM60K solar panels took minimum 10 years to repay itself (under TNB buy-back energy scheme)…

    Hisshhhhh….we need more discounts lah…for electric car price and solar panels…

    p/s. A very effective business plan is always hire intelligent attractive k-pop hot chick as product ambassador lah.

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  • c14man on Sep 15, 2012 at 10:31 am

    Until charging stations are made reasonably accessible, or battery swapping stations are available, EV’s will be stuck for city drive. Yes it does that fantasticly well. But being a Malaysian where cars are not cheap at all (and most Malaysian make that long travel at least once a year), EV will hardly be a 1st car.

    Nevertheless, I’d like to own one for my daily commute. Makes me smile when I pay the bills. And the road tax. =)

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  • Daniel, so how long does it take to get a full charge?

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    • Daniel Yap on Sep 15, 2012 at 3:42 pm

      The answer depends on how depleted the battery is. From absolutely empty, it took around 6 hours.

      But in day to day mode, since I plug it in everyday, it takes about 3 -4 hours only. I have read that Nissan is introducing a 32amp DC charging capability soon, which should effectively half the time it takes to charge. Current draw for the LEAF now is 16A.

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  • TS.Lim on Sep 15, 2012 at 3:24 pm

    RM164.08 to run about 1785km.

    if calculate based on current ron95 (RM1.90/liter) ,
    means 86.3 liter is needed for that distance. Then, obviously showed that only about 20.7km/l average fuel consumption is achieved.

    I don’t think it’s very good in fuel saving as Toyota Prius can achieve about 26km/liter average fuel consumption!

    Correct me if I’m wrong.

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    • Daniel Yap on Sep 15, 2012 at 3:45 pm

      I don’t have experience with owning a PRIUS. My normal daily car is a Golf 1.4TSI. At the best I can only average around 10km/l. Maybe I have a heavy foot, but I drove the Leaf about the same style.

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    • gen2 lama on Sep 18, 2012 at 3:39 pm

      hmmmmm RM 164 for 1785km? I’m happy with my NGV (for now) .. can get 4000km easily with the same RM…take just 2 minutes to refill….

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  • ongtk on Sep 15, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    I will take Prius anytime! Good for town use and outstation drive!

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  • Sabahman on Sep 15, 2012 at 5:32 pm

    Did you ever forget to plug in and realise the next morning you did not have enough power in the battery? I forget to plug in my phone sometimes and worry I would do the same with a car.

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    • Daniel Yap on Sep 15, 2012 at 6:44 pm

      There were days where I purposely didn’t plug the LEAF in. Still had sufficient range. Trust the on-board computer to calculate the available range, it is pretty accurate.

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  • Sabahman on Sep 15, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    I spend RM 2280 in petrol every year, driving 10 000 km. I drive mostly in Kota Kinabalu, which is not so big. With a large car my fuel consumption is 1.2 liter per 10 km in stop and go city traffic. Even so the petrol is a small part of the cost of owning my car. Depreciation, insurance, tax and service adds up to much more.

    About four times a year I go to other parts of Sabah. If I had an electric car I would have to rent a petrol car for such long trips. Say I needed to rent a car 8 days in total, at 300 RM per day. There goes 2400 RM just for the car rent, eating up what I save on petrol in the city.

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  • kl is too congested and traffic jam is soo bad nowadays, i’m planning to get a 400cc maxi scooter instead of driving my car to work. A least i’m contributing wt one less car, reducing my carbon footprint and in the process reduce my current 2.5 hrs daily commute to 1 hours & reducing my petrols bill too. At the moment, till an electric scooter is mainstream, its the best solution. btw, most european are commuting in their cities by scooter, was there last year…soo many scooters in their cities.

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  • Carl Wong on Sep 16, 2012 at 12:51 am

    Thank you for sharing your experience with the first mass produced electric car in the world, Mr. Yap. I envy you, for being one of the few to have the valuable experience to drive the Nissan Leaf. I can only drive it in a game Lol…….

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  • sarawakiana on Sep 16, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    Yes there are drawbacks at this point of time, or else there wouldn’t be Ambassador, and EV will sell like Vios…

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  • adijb on Sep 18, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    My dream is having my house’s roof top installed with PVs and a wind generator or two, with enough battery storage to store the collected juices.

    2 EV cars, 1 for me and 1 for wife to travel around town. 1 range extender type like Proton’s REEV for long distance traveling.

    AND, a compact bicycle (can put a few in car, electric bicycle even) for each family member, for traveling within a few KM distance (nearby shops, etc). Just wish Malaysian roads are bicycle friendly. Make smooth and well maintain pavements a must, please.

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    • Carl Wong on Sep 22, 2012 at 1:56 am

      Mine too. But I’m almost sure it’s more than a dream. I’m almost sure one day in the future we can make it a reality, keep working :)……..

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  • Did you test how many kWh the climate control consume when stationary in midday? (i.e. try leaving the aircon on for one hour under the sun and see how much power was used) My worry is if your commute is only 10km each way but it takes 1 hour to cover that distance, and air conditioning is required the whole time…

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    • Daniel Yap on Sep 19, 2012 at 4:56 pm

      When you are stationary, the Leaf only consumes around 1kWh, which isn’t too much. Unlike an engine which will continue to burn fuel.

      Like I said in my article.. one of the ambassadors is stuck in a jam for up to 3 hours everyday and he had no issues running out of power.

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  • Proton Fan on Sep 19, 2012 at 10:45 am

    Nice concept. But it won’t work. RM200K….LOL. It’s like trying to buy a VIOS to ‘save petrol’ while paying extra 40k compared to a Saga…except in this case, the ROI period is even more ridiculous. Not to mentioned i have to drive a Myvi sized car….

    I’ll stick to my Inspira for now….power, drivability, space and comfort. Who cares if i burns more fuel. I will still spend a lot less than RM200k(with bank loan, double that) over the next 50 years.

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    • Daniel Yap on Sep 19, 2012 at 4:58 pm

      I don’t think the point is to save fuel/money only. If this is the only reason to buy an EV, then of course. Stick to the cheapest car you can buy that still works.

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  • Daniel, who’s the guy who seemed to be lecturing you on what to do in the pic? :p

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  • rukawa on Sep 28, 2012 at 11:33 am

    the unseen fact with EV cars is that, you did harm to the planet even before you start the car. how else do you think the batteries are made? remember hot issues like Lynas?

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  • Alan Tan on Oct 03, 2012 at 8:26 pm

    Well, I’m really looking forward for an EV. Afterall, it’s the future.

    Some members of the public have the mis perception that the automotive industry is going to be extinct following the introduction of EV, while in practice, it will evolves & we still use steel & other materials to construct the cars.

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  • v1ctorong on Oct 16, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    You are absolutely correct on the power plant efficiency on extracting energy from fossil fuel. But please include the efficiency of power transmission from power plant to your house, which is around 55% only.

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    • Daniel Yap on Oct 17, 2012 at 5:13 pm

      True that.. There is definitely loss in transmission of electricity.

      I suppose the comparison should start at the pump/plug point. A cars engine will only manage to convert 30% of the money you spend on petrol to motion. The EV will convert close to 80% of the money you spend on TNB to motion. :)

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  • kentji on Feb 28, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    just came back home with the leaf, 5% battery left
    *start charging*
    mum:’ eh ah boy! we must go to the hospital now, something happen to you grandma!’
    son:’ not now mum, gimme 6~8 hours to recharge the car battery first’

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  • Fiona Chan on Nov 15, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    “The tiny honk is just too polite to get any real notice” hahahaha this made me laugh. Anyway, I probably won’t be buying EV or even hybrid anytime soon but I’m looking forward to the day where environmental-friendly cars are the norm. :D

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  • Victor on Nov 17, 2013 at 11:39 pm

    Why is Tan Chong selling Nissan Leaf for RM168,000? Where is the savings from import duties and tax exemptions?

    In U.S., the base model cost around US$29k ~ RM93k at US$1=3.20.
    Similarly, other hybrids are overpriced despite the tax savings.
    Let’s take average daily commute mileage 50km
    – 18,250 km travelled annually
    – Persona car fuel mileage 10km/litre = 1,825 litres petrol used
    – 1,825 litres X RM1.90/litre petrol = RM3,467.50 or rounding RM3,500
    – RM3,500 petrol cost annually
    If using Leaf the electricity cost half of petrol cost at RM1,660.75
    Savings therefore RM3,500 – RM1,660.75 = RM1,839.25
    Compare car prices:
    Leaf in Malaysia – RM168K
    Leaf in U.S. – RM93K
    Price difference = RM75K

    At the expected savings rate, it will take 40 years just to recover the price difference!!

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