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Nissan Leaf Long-Term Ownership, Still Going Strong

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Steve Marsh’s Nissan Leaf, Still Going Strong at 78,000mi

While the average driver in the US covers about 30 miles per day, Nissan Leaf owner Steve Marsh is pushing the limits of what the vehicle was designed for.

Marsh has a 130mi round-trip commute, or about 65mi each way. This is just shy of the Nissan Leaf’s 73mi range. Where a typical commuter might recharge three or four times per week, Marsh charges twice a day, on LII chargers at home and at work.

Over the last couple of years owning his Nissan Leaf, Marsh has racked up 78,000mi. Battery lifespan is directly connected to how many cycles it endures, that is, how many times it is charged and discharged. Judging from the average fuel economy on the picture at 4.6mi/kWh, and Marsh charging twice a day on LII, it seems his Nissan Leaf could have better than 700 cycles on it, if my math is close.

Marsh has been keeping close track of the health of his battery, and reports very little loss in capacity, in spite of charging his Nissan Leaf twice daily and even a third time sometimes on an ECOTotality Blink DC Faster Charger. He reports still having all ten bars on the state-of-charge meter and that he’s only gotten stranded once, a quarter-mile from his job. Not bad, Mr. Marsh!

Driving a Nissan Leaf in cold Washington winters and foregoing heat in favor of range is an excellent example of both driver and vehicle coming together as one. On the other hand, Marsh is concerned that Blink might start charging a $5/chg usage fee, which he sometimes uses halfway through his commute. Well, if he’s paying for his electricity usage both at home and at work, he’s paying 1.4¢/mi. I can imagine that $5 per charge would be somewhat of a concern, the equivalent of paying 20.8¢/mi, or 1,439% more.

Marsh, keep doing what you’re doing, it’s working! Blink, I think you need to rethink your strategy.

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