The answer is yes.
Many luxury auto-makers such as Mercedes, Lucid, and BMW claim they will only make EV’s in the future, or at the very least, the vast majority of their vehicles. Beyond sustainability, reasons to do so also align with the quiet smooth rides and accelerations EV’s offer, exactly what you want to perfect in a luxury vehicle of any kind. Many of these luxury or high performance EV’s are out of buying range for a lot of Americans, with MSRP’s around $100,000 plus or minus a bit. But that doesn’t mean everyone else is excluded from the EV buying market. There are two very nice and affordable EV’s you can buy today; The Chevy Bolt, and Nissan Leaf.
Nissan debut the Leaf in late 2010, the same year the revised 2nd gen Tesla Roadster hit the market. Both electric. Prices significantly different. $128,500 MSRP for the Roadster, almost $33,000 for the Leaf. After a federal tax credit the Leaf would come down to about $26,000. The Nissan Leaf used CHAdeMO Fast charging, and J-1772 level 1 and 2 charging. Obviously you can still buy these Leafs used, however, battery degradation hit the Nissan Leaf pretty hard over time because of a lack of a good battery thermal management system. A used Nissan Leaf around 2012 or so with a degraded battery can get around 50 to 70 miles per charge depending on driving habits, weather conditions, and degradation severity. That wouldn’t be great in most areas to go out of town with, but if you live near plenty of charging accessibilities, would be a perfect in-town commuter! Nissan still makes the Nissan Leaf, revamped, modernized, and upgraded! The base Model 2024 Leaf costs MSRP a hair over $28,000, and has an EPA estimated range of 149 miles. Cheaper than when it came out in 2010, and with more range! Upgrade the trim level and get even more range! It still features hard to find CHAdeMO Level 3 Fast Charging and does not feature liquid cooling. The Konnect® level 3 Fast Chargers from Dream Catcher Energies, LLC features both CHAdeMO and CCS charging options on the same charging pedestal.
Seven years after the Leaf started sharing the road with gas cars, it had another electric friend to protest oil companies with. In 2017, General Motors finally was selling its first dedicated fully electric car since the forever missed EV1 in the late nineties into early 2000’s. This car sporting its iconic blue color schema is called the Chevy Bolt. This car, much like the leaf, is a small four door and doesn’t break the bank. The Bolt has three major upsides over the Leaf: The Bolt has liquid battery cooling ensuring the battery range doesn’t degrade so rapidly over time, it had twice the range of the Leaf in 2017, and used easier to find CCS Fast Charging. In 2017 the MSRP of the Bolt was about $7,000 more than the Leaf’s. Today it’s not impossible to find a used Nissan Leaf for sale for $7,000 or even less!
For more money you can buy a Chevy Bolt with better specifications. Seems like a clear win right? I don’t think so. I love and appreciate the Leaf, its history, and legacy. The Leaf was one of the only economy electric cars on the US market (and maybe even global market??) for a long time! It gave options for those that wanted to drive into a clean future. It gave hope to people like me that aspire to own it or something just like it someday. It even received a fresh facelift and range upgrades one year after the Chevy Bolt could be seen at dealerships! Being affordable and market cornering, the Leaf was the most sold EV until early 2020! With a used Leaf sometimes being so cheap (and getting cheaper), the Leaf tackles another problem of income inequality. A bright clean future includes everyone of every race, gender, handicap, and income. Many new EV charging installations are not including the CHAdeMO plug type, and we see that as a huge problem. Dream Catcher Energies, LLC wants to build the EV infrastructure for everyone, including low income, budget, and first time car buyers. An old economy car is great, but imagine if they used a specific fuel that isn’t made anymore? We love the Leaf because even if it wasn’t intended, it shares very similar values that we do.
Which is better? It depends on what your wants, needs, and accessibilities look like. So will you Bolt forward, or turn a new Leaf?
-Jared Soto, Founder