It was reasonably priced and started with the 2011 model year (I had one!). The Roadster was the only Tesla available at that time, and the Model S was released for the 2012 model year, but the base model cost 2x+ the cost of the top-trim Leaf.
It was popular because it wasn’t trying to impress anyone, and had the price tag to back it up.
Ehh the range was fine, I had a pretty degraded battery (nearing the required threshold for battery replacement) and it still got 75-80 miles on a charge consistently, and 5+ miles per kilowatt. The battery chemistry got a refresh in… 2013? To help defend against this. I live in the place that was most impacted by this, actually. The battery really doesn’t appreciate being fast charged in 115F (air) temps.
Afaik gen 2 still lacked active cooling, unless they fixed that. I’d like to get another gen 1, do a battery swap and heat pump upgrade, and enjoy it. That car was fantastic, other than wishlist items like AWD and getting more power (gotta go fast), it was perfect.
Wasn’t the Nissan Leaf the most popular EV pre-Tesla? Or am I just plain wrong…
They sold 650,000 of them.
It was reasonably priced and started with the 2011 model year (I had one!). The Roadster was the only Tesla available at that time, and the Model S was released for the 2012 model year, but the base model cost 2x+ the cost of the top-trim Leaf.
It was popular because it wasn’t trying to impress anyone, and had the price tag to back it up.
The first gen ones had a weak range and batteries failed because they lacked temperature control.
Gen 2+ are fine and really cheap used with 60,000 miles.
Ehh the range was fine, I had a pretty degraded battery (nearing the required threshold for battery replacement) and it still got 75-80 miles on a charge consistently, and 5+ miles per kilowatt. The battery chemistry got a refresh in… 2013? To help defend against this. I live in the place that was most impacted by this, actually. The battery really doesn’t appreciate being fast charged in 115F (air) temps.
Afaik gen 2 still lacked active cooling, unless they fixed that. I’d like to get another gen 1, do a battery swap and heat pump upgrade, and enjoy it. That car was fantastic, other than wishlist items like AWD and getting more power (gotta go fast), it was perfect.
I totally forgot about the leaf.