Nissan calls out Top Gear over Leaf Review

[Particle Man]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

I would think that people who would buy an electric vehicle would commute with it, and plug it in every night. I don't see people buying these things to drive for days on end without recharging. To that point, I think Nissan's argument makes sense... though they do a damn poor job at stating it. However, to the show's point, the e-vehicles are not going to replace ICE vehicles any time soon.

Thing is, shit happens.

Say I get home late and forget or the power goes out from a massive storm? I can't not go to work (or to the airport, for example) the next day because I forgot. With IC I can stop at a gas station on the way and fill up. The current infrastructure doesn't allow the same for electric vehicles.

[Cutty72]

Another thing I've never looked into cause I don't plan on getting an electric vehicle, but how long will they hold a charge?
If you plug it in until it's fully charged, then drive a mile to the airport for a month long trip, how much battery life will be left when you return?

[dubbs]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Another thing I've never looked into cause I don't plan on getting an electric vehicle, but how long will they hold a charge?
If you plug it in until it's fully charged, then drive a mile to the airport for a month long trip, how much battery life will be left when you return?

Pretty good question, never really see manufacturers mentioning this.. They always say, just plug it in every night.

[derf]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Another thing I've never looked into cause I don't plan on getting an electric vehicle, but how long will they hold a charge?
If you plug it in until it's fully charged, then drive a mile to the airport for a month long trip, how much battery life will be left when you return?

A guy I used to work with had a prius, and the car would randomly start itself (gas motor) up once in a while for 5-10 minutes to give the battery some juice. That was just from parking it in the morning and not driving all day. He left it (wioth an almost empty gas tank) once for a week sitting at work and it ran itself out of fuel.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by derf

A guy I used to work with had a prius, and the car would randomly start itself (gas motor) up once in a while for 5-10 minutes to give the battery some juice. That was just from parking it in the morning and not driving all day. He left it (wioth an almost empty gas tank) once for a week sitting at work and it ran itself out of fuel.

I consider this a problem, and a MAJOR design flaw.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by derf

A guy I used to work with had a prius, and the car would randomly start itself (gas motor) up once in a while for 5-10 minutes to give the battery some juice. That was just from parking it in the morning and not driving all day. He left it (wioth an almost empty gas tank) once for a week sitting at work and it ran itself out of fuel.

I can't see why it would need to do this, unless it's 10 years old and approaching the end of the battery pack's life. People need to understand those battery packs need to be replaced eventually.

[derf]

It does it when the battery gets to a certain point, what would be nice is if you could set the car to charge based on your needs, like if you are gone for a month, only start charging it the last few days so when you return it has a full charge.

Really whay it comes down to is infrastructure and design. If there were charging ports everywhere then it wouldnt be an issue. I also believe that battery packs should be standardized and swappable. Running low on juice? Go to a gas station where an attendant will open up your battery door, remove your old battery and swap in a fresh one for a few dollars.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

I would think that people who would buy an electric vehicle would commute with it, and plug it in every night. I don't see people buying these things to drive for days on end without recharging. To that point, I think Nissan's argument makes sense... though they do a damn poor job at stating it. However, to the show's point, the e-vehicles are not going to replace ICE vehicles any time soon.

That is great for someone who buys it as a $35,000+ (though the Feds will discount your taxes up to $7,500 if you buy one) commuter/short errand vehicle. Top Gear's report demonstrates that you don't get something that effectively competes with "normal" cars though.

Originally Posted by derf

A guy I used to work with had a prius, and the car would randomly start itself (gas motor) up once in a while for 5-10 minutes to give the battery some juice. That was just from parking it in the morning and not driving all day. He left it (wioth an almost empty gas tank) once for a week sitting at work and it ran itself out of fuel.

I never heard that before but if it is true it is pretty damn stupid. I don't particularly want a car that decides to load the garage up with carbon monoxide all on its own.

[Gas Man]

Electric cars will work for daily commuter cars. It may work for long distances if we get battery swapping stations. That is the way it is. Our love affair with cars is based off the freedom they give us. We are only limited by how long WE the human can safely operate the car (baring we can afford the gas). We simply pull into the gas station, fill up in a few mins and continue on for another 400+ miles. The electric car with it's limited distance will never be able to replace our IC cars unless something in our infrastructure changes...

[Particle Man]

Originally Posted by derf

A guy I used to work with had a prius, and the car would randomly start itself (gas motor) up once in a while for 5-10 minutes to give the battery some juice. That was just from parking it in the morning and not driving all day. He left it (wioth an almost empty gas tank) once for a week sitting at work and it ran itself out of fuel.

What the hell