[francoisp]

 

[francoisp]

Old ad that I just discovered 😁

 

[shareef777]

Haha, really good ad. Pretty savage to include the Volt at the end. Well done!




Still NEVER buying the fugly leaf

 

[garsh]

I was so excited to buy my first EV back in 2012.

 

[shareef777]

I was so excited to buy my first EV back in 2012.

Every time I see one of those I feel the urgent need to find a giant fly swatter.

 

[francoisp]

I was so excited to buy my first EV back in 2012.

This car showed what was possible.

 

[FRC]

I went to the Nissan dealer way back when with every intention of buying a Leaf. But when I saw one in person, I lost all interest. FUUUGLY!! I agree that the Leaf showed what was possible, but Tesla showed that electric doesn't have to be ugly. If EV makers want the mainstream to get on board, thy must realize that visual appeal is priority one even before range (I'm looking at you Nissan and Aptera).

 

[francoisp]

I went to the Nissan dealer way back when with every intention of buying a Leaf. But when I saw one in person, I lost all interest. FUUUGLY!! I agree that the Leaf showed what was possible, but Tesla showed that electric doesn't have to be ugly. If EV makers want the mainstream to get on board, thy must realize that visual appeal is priority one even before range (I'm looking at you Nissan and Aptera).

There was an interesting video from Engineering Explained (link) about Mercedes' quest to maximize the efficiency of an EV. Part of the equation was lowering the drag coefficient and they stopped at around 0.2 because lowering it more meant that their vehicle wouldn't look like a car anymore.

Interestingly it appears that the most efficient EV that can be produced at a reasonable price (while still looking like a car) has a consumption of around 8 kw per 100 km, which is twice as efficient as a model 3 or around 210 mpg. The Mercedes' prototype has exceeded 1000 km with a 100 kwh battery in real life driving.

 

[SalisburySam]

Ordered my Nissan LEAF in 2010 expecting a 2011 model. Took delivery of a 2012 SL in February of 2012. Its appearance is fugly to some, OK to others, no one appears to adore it. I’m in the OK category. However, it has so many excellent features in the then-new EV world:

• Very comfortable, easily cleaned cloth-like seats made from recycled plastic bottles
• Heated steering wheel, then found only on upper-end ICE vehicles
• Remotely starting heating/cooling
• Both AC (J1772) and DC (CHAdeMO) ports
• Very, very easy to get into and out of
• Headroom for miles
• Head restraints that were easily removable and reinstalled backwards for those who wanted to do so

and it was our gateway drug to EV ownership and experience. Still have and drive it today, albeit not very far. I had expected we’d have donated it before year-end 2022 but still have and use it. It is the senior (in age) and junior (in range) member of our 3-vehicle EV fleet. Still have a lot of fondness for it despite its huge limitations.

 

[garsh]

I definitely thought it was ugly, but I wanted an EV so bad that I didn't care.

I was deciding between the Leaf and the original base Model S. IIRC, that was the 40kWh battery w. 140 mile range. But the Tesla was almost twice as expensive (~$50k vs $36k), the closest service center was over 4 hours away, it was the first car they had ever designed themselves, and I was worried about parts & service if the company were to go under.

Man, I wish I could go back and correct that mistake.