Chevy Volt vs Nissan Leaf: When You Should Keep Your Volt
"I am about ready to turn in my Chevy Volt and am looking at the Chevy Bolt or the Leaf. I don’t have a charging station at home. There is an expensive fast charger at the local municipal power company. I rent in a condo complex. The carport where my car is parked has solar panels, but I am not sure how those may be hooked up to my meter, which is about 100-200 ft away," writes and asks Jeanne Lahaie at the SF Bay Area Nissan Leaf Owners public group on Facebook.
In these types of situations the group members, who are mostly Nissan Leaf owners, suggest either keeping the Chevy Volt or going for the Bolt. Here is why.
Thomas Crummett, who has also contributed a story to Torque News about how to use Nissan Leaf's Trip Computer, writes that in this situation it's better to keep the Volt vs the Leaf or Bolt. "I would say the Volt is a better choice if you don't have regular access to low cost charging. Sometimes the station rates exceed the cost to travel on gas as well," Crummett writes.
"Keep the Volt! I moved to a place with street parking and being unable to charge my Leaf at home is super problematic. I wish I had bought a Volt instead," suggests Elizabeth Danae from the group.
Really, without reliable home charging it's difficult to go all-electric. In this situation it's better to keep the Volt or get another Volt. Also, you can think of getting another plug-in option.
However, if you insist on full electric, get the Chevy Bolt. "Periodic quick charging for a 238 mile pack will make a big difference. Oh, and thermal management," suggests Felix Truong.
Thermal management is something that the Nissan leaf sadly lacks. It tends to keep the battery in a sub-optimal state, which can lead to accelerated wear. The Leaf only has a heater to prevent the battery from freezing, but nothing beyond that in terms of warming it up before scheduled departure (but it will heat the cabin).
Here is a good comparison of the Chevy Bolt vs the Nissan Leaf. In this comparison you can find an entire section dedicated to the Active Thermal Management that the Bolt has and it's one of the advantages of the Bolt vs the Nissan Leaf.
Comments