I started testing cars for AutoZine.cz. The first car I got to test was a Nissan Leaf. The first electric car that I can drive myself. Coincidentally, I also drove a Leaf once before as a passenger. I know from a friend that he is delighted with the car and that he will get the full amount back within 5 years. Maintenance costs are minimal and they just pay electricity and once in a while service for approx. CZK 3,000.
The layout of the interior is quite clear and I was able to control the car without preparation. The car has an automatic transmission in the form of an interplanetary knob. The infographic next to the button is clear. The first start had its faults, for example, in that I couldn't hear the engine. Perfect silence (that is, except for navigation and that later). I also thought that the car doesn't pull at all, even though everyone says electric cars are bullshit. Well, when I drove 200m, the car kept beeping. For the first 100m I had my eyes on the top of my head looking for information on the display and since I was strapped in, I put on my blinkers and started to investigate what it was. I saw an indicator in the driver's field of vision that the handbrake was active. The car has a foot (hand) brake and I overlooked this at the beginning. After unlocking the car was as it should be. Without shifting at full throttle, the Leaf fired up and I fully enjoyed the 254 Nm that the manufacturer states as torque. Great feeling, no roar just a whiz that brings a smile to your face.
From the first intersection, I had to get used to the looks of other drivers, which the car evidently attracted by the blue elements that clearly distinguish the car from the others. My heart beats for a different design (modesty and sharp edges), but I can forget that when every third driver is looking at me :-).
My first ride was to soccer for my son. When my son was putting his backpack in the open trunk, which by the way is the same size as other trunks of similar hatchbacks, he only noticed that we had a different car. When I told him that the car is completely electric, he declared with his childlike joy and following the example of Jirka Krále (you tuber) "Fact, well that's God's sake". Then I told him to listen, to which he said "I can't hear anything" and I happily said "well right now :-)". Then there was an incredibly unpleasant navigation and Jiřík fell in love with it. what is it dad I grumpily announced that he was crazy, that I didn't know how to turn off the voice, and that setting up and looking for a target was cruel. Nothing has changed in cars in this regard for ten years. I've been saying for a long time that the only thing I want from the car manufacturer is to make a safe, easily visible handle including a cable for recharging a smartphone. I will arrange the rest myself. Music, navigation, calling and communicating with the outside world. I don't know, but the navigation probably doesn't even have current traffic, so it calmly lets me into the kilometer line, while my phone takes me on an updated route. Another thing that annoys me is that the car constantly asks if I agree to route monitoring. Yes, I share my thoughts on the Internet and if my shared ride saves one human life, I will share my location with pleasure. What I would like is for the car to have a carpool button and when I turn it on, the navigation will guide me to 1 to 3 fellow passengers who are going in the same direction. Well, it will take some time, but it really annoys me.
I received the car with a range of approx. 160 km and when I arrived home I had a range of 120 km. I put the car on the charger (on an extension cord from the garage) and by morning it had reached full power, i.e. 199 km.
In the morning, I told the woman that it would be good to test the car on her regular route to work to the mega warehouses in Jažlovice. Moreover, she informed me that she would not test any electric car, that she could not drive one. Since she's had an automatic for most of her driving life, I told her she could definitely drive this car, but she took off on me quite a bit. That she won't drive any electric car, that she doesn't know what to do when she runs out of electricity and what if it breaks. I tried to reassure her that she normally drives 70 km a day so she can't run out of electricity, and that the car is new, so the probability of it breaking down is low, and since Nissan already has free lifetime assistance. Nothing helped. "I won't ride in it". This is where I realized how far we still have to go before people realize that electric cars are great. And if not great, then certainly normal. They have their advantages, but also disadvantages. I also remembered Simon Sink's TAD Talk and his Start with Why. From the 11:00 minute it is described how the market fills up, at this moment we are between innovators and early adopters. For the majority of the population, in terminology the early and late majority (which includes my wife), the Nissan Leaf is still out of sight, at least here in the Czech Republic.
One more surprise awaited me in the morning, when our good landlord started to ask me if I wanted to ruin him by plugging the cable into his electricity socket (we pay a flat rate for electricity). That one acquisition costs CZK 200, and thus his monthly electricity bill will rise by CZK 2,000, when now he pays CZK 3,500. I explained that I had the car for a week and that I would be happy to pay for the top-up because I would not have to visit gas stations. So he calmed down and when I gave him a ride he was so excited. That he was already thinking about such a car, but that the range does not seem to him and that he only has a solar power plant at the cottage and that he would not charge it there. So I told him that's exactly what these cars are all about. I charge at home, I charge at the cottage. I'll charge at the shopping center. Suddenly I'm not limited to just a few gas stations. The cost of one gas station is 10-20 million CZK plus the necessary papers and stamps. I can have a charging station for an electric car at home for CZK 25,000 and a connection from an electrician for CZK 2,500. I am convinced that 90% of our needs will be satisfied by the Nissan Leaf and the question is how we can handle the 10%. However, with the help of a little planning, the car can be charged at one of the 850 charging stations that are accessible to the public in the Czech Republic.
The next day, I lent the car to my friend Roman, who needed to drive to the center and then mow the grass at the cottage. He was supposed to drive a total of 165 km, which I thought was optimal for the maximum range test. The car was charged for 199 km. About 2 hours passed and I thought everything was great, so I called him. Nothing was great. He was at Stará Huta, he had 44 km to go and the car started telling him to find a charging station. He allegedly charged the car for about 35 minutes. at the cottage via the cable in the car, but that helped him in the range by approx. 4 km. Every moment, he counted 1km of range, i.e. significantly faster than the actual kilometers traveled. The calculation takes place automatically, taking into account all circumstances. So he got off the highway because he was panicked that his car would stop going and he wouldn't know what to do next. He got off at Nový Knín and drove towards Mníšek pod Brdy. During that time, I called Nissan Assistance and put out that I might run out of electricity and so what should I do. If I run out of electricity, they will drag me to the nearest charger. So that's pretty good news. The nearest charger is in Duhová Street in Pankrác. Then I called Roman that after stopping the car, a tow truck would tow it away. He told me that in the meantime the speed has decreased and his range is not decreasing. So we agreed that in Mníšek he should get on the highway again and go to Prague, if I bring him his car and wait for the towing service. In front of him was Cukrák, and from it there is a long 6 km long hill where the car will not need anything, on the contrary, maybe with some part, thanks to recuperation during braking, it will add a little. The story turned out well, Roman made it and I still had time to make it to the nearest fast charger, which was right in Duhová Street. The car kept telling me to go to the charger as soon as possible, and I was sweating profusely that I would be stuck somewhere waiting for a tow truck.
Nabíjekča was supposed to be 4.5 km away (Modřany- Budějovická), which didn't suit me, and after loading the route it turned out to be 9.6 km. The charging stations are also shown with a straight line, which is quite strange. But I got to the gas station and there I met a colleague who had just topped up. He immediately started to tickle me even though he was a bit older and I realized that electric cars fulfill a huge social role, something like empty dogs or smoking areas. People naturally start talking about things that make them happy and sad. My car was immediately inspected and I found out that I had a 30 kWh rental with a range of 250 km. I also learned how Milan drove from Teplice to Ostrava. It took him 6 hours, when he made the first stop in Prague in Jarov, then he reached Hradec Králové and then he spent 3 hours near Šumperk with an enthusiast who is slowly reorienting his fleet to only electric cars and then he reached Ostrava. He also planned a trip to Rügen on the German coast, but in the end he whistled that there are places where fast chargers may not work and then he would be charged. Meanwhile, my car was charged to 120 km in 20 minutes. He also explained to me that it is necessary to have a fast charging cable, when the car charges in about 3-5 hours. He had it made by an electrician friend and it cost about CZK 10,000. The original is sold for approx. 25,000 CZK, but as I found out, it is a necessity. However, my friend was disappointed with the ride and will wait for the electric cars until they have a range of at least 500 km. He used the car in Drive ECO mode, without air conditioning (it was around 30°C that day), without a car radio, and it didn't drive at all, and when the wind blew, he could feel its gusts. He was also transporting some things from the cottage, and the round interior of the trunk is not entirely practical. However, he took two easy chairs and mattresses for the bed. I thought it was quite enough for a compact car. I was carrying a huge box the other day and it's true that I had to fold the back seats and the car became less practical. However, I stand behind the fact that the trunk is sufficient for urban traffic and will fulfill its function.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I want to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the Nissan Leaf, I would easily buy it right away. The vast majority of my rides are in the city, and I'm convinced that my wife would love it.
To compare the market, I used Mobile.de and Sauto.cz and asked dealers via the vybersiauto.cz application. The price according to the official price list is from 700 to 900 thousand CZK. In Germany, cars can be bought from €18,000 = CZK 510,000. With the fact that there is no need for a classic service related to the engine, I have to agree with my friend that this car is worth it.
Why have this car:
Because you believe that a car like this is a trend that moves humanity forward. It changes his perspective on transportation and pushes the boundaries in our thinking about limited natural resources. Electric cars will change a lot of things and when autonomous cars come home, i.e. cars that can drive themselves, the car market as we know it will be totally changed.
Useful links:
Calculation of savings for the price of fuel
Prices at Mobile.de
Prices at Sauto.cz
Charging stations – all over the world
CEZ (I don't like it)
Map of charging stations – Czech Republic – In the map you will find pearls such as: "CZ0120 Kozí Hory u Nové Knín, Nonstop (location imprecise): 1x 400V approx. 32A (four-pin), 1x 230V approx. 16A (practically non-disposable), Sockets are freely accessible at in the chapel in front of the garage (about 2 m of cable is enough). Send me an SMS in advance on (+420) 603 228 828 if the neighbors call me that someone is robbing us ? Charging must be completed: while charging, please water my gingko in the middle of the garden with water from the pond (bucket it will be there somewhere) ;-)"
Test: Jiří Brůžek
