Have you looked at some of these really cheap EV leases? I keep seeing them advertised.
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Not an EV owner, but a PHEV owner, and maybe soon EV owner (we are potentially looking at a Hyundai Ioniq 9 before the tax credit ends, and its getting pretty serious, but I'm waiting to see about work raise/etc this year before I do anything).
For your charging question:
52 mile round trip every day, and 120v charging at home + free charging at your office (likely Level 2, aka 240v charging), means you likely don't have to worry much about range. Here is why.
120v charging maxes out at about 1.44KWh of energy added back to your battery every hour. I believe the Tesla Model 3 gets over 3 miles per KWh of energy (sort of like "MPG", its "Miles Per KWh"). So that means if you can charge for 12 hours every night, you'd get ~52 miles of range back every day, just from charging overnight.
1.44 KW per hour x 12 hours == 17.28 KWh
17.28 KWh x 3 miles per KWh = 51.84 miles per night.
Note, that 12hrs may or may not be a reasonable nightly charging estimate. But it sure made the math easy. And personally, for my vehicles, that would be on the low side on avg.
The free L2 charging at your office should cover any other longer trip overages that your 120v charger can't catch back up on easily.
And then DC Fast charging for other stuff as needed. But that would likely be rare.
That seems like a pretty good idea to me. If you get a Standard Range, I'd avoid the 2021 model year(pre LFP) as I've heard of a few failures for that year. 2022 models will have the updated processing chip and will have a heat pump so I would try and stretch for one of those if you can. If you did decide on a new lease instead there are some pretty good deals on at the moment, especially if you can get it before the tax credits expire (if you are eligible for them). I can see it both ways, lease and you should have a hassle free experience for 3 years and have all the costs planned out and can just hand it back at the end and should time fairly well with getting your Scout. Used will be cheaper and you can sell it when you get your Scout but might not have the basic warranty (50k miles or 3 years) and won't be quite as up to date as the newer model. Mine is a 2022 long range has been flawless for me, I'm currently at 55,000 miles.
They generally come with a J1772 adapter for level 2 charging at non Telsa outlets. If you get used, make sure it has this included or you can buy one fairly cheaply (including from the Tesla shop). A CCS to NACS adapter is more expensive, but generally the Tesla network is good enough that you can easily get by without it. If you did get one, I would see if there is a reputable adapter than can take 800v (mine is from Tesla but only good for 400v). This is fine for Tesla charging since they are 400v, but if you could get an 800v rated adapter then you could keep that to use with the Scout when you get it as well.
I have not, actually. I've never leased a vehicle, didn't know there were cheap EV leases out there, and wasn't even considering that might be an option. But I'll look into it now
I have seen a bunch of articles lately. Here’s just one I saw the other day.I have not, actually. I've never leased a vehicle, didn't know there were cheap EV leases out there, and wasn't even considering that might be an option. But I'll look into it now
This is excellent feedback, thank you Logan. It is indeed Level 2 charging here at the office. And 12 hours is also pretty darn close. I'd be able to charge at home from 7pm (when electricity gets super cheap) until about 6:30am the next morning.
@Logan has it exactly right. The only time you might be bothered about “only” having a L1 at home is if you get home from a drive and need to leave again immediately for a longer drive. In that case, you may need to run to a local DCFC to get a quick charge. I don’t experience that need very often, and with L2 at the office, you are unlikely to ever need the local DCFCs. I would tell the vehicle charge to 100% while at the office.
I just spent a week in LA on only an L1. I was commuting about 40 miles a day. I spent about 4-8 hours at a health care center and the rest of the time at the house. On an L1, I get about 1.2 kW (1.44 nominally, but there are inefficiencies), so 16-20 hours * 1.2 kW = 19-24 kWh recharged per day. I was getting about 2.8-3 miles/kWh, so about 54-72 miles recharged per day, or 14-32 miles net gain per day. There were Level 2 chargers available in the parking garage, but I didn’t bother with them. A couple of days I took the Bolt EUV instead of the Lightning, which meant the Lightning was able to reach full before I left.
I can’t speak to anything about the vehicles you’re considering.
I just spent a week in LA on only an L1. I was commuting about 40 miles a day. I spent about 4-8 hours at a health care center and the rest of the time at the house. On an L1, I get about 1.2 kW (1.44 nominally, but there are inefficiencies), so 16-20 hours * 1.2 kW = 19-24 kWh recharged per day. I was getting about 2.8-3 miles/kWh, so about 54-72 miles recharged per day, or 14-32 miles net gain per day. There were Level 2 chargers available in the parking garage, but I didn’t bother with them. A couple of days I took the Bolt EUV instead of the Lightning, which meant the Lightning was able to reach full before I left.
I can’t speak to anything about the vehicles you’re considering.
@TreeKiller I meant to add that your scenario is just about the perfect EV use-case.
Also, a Model 3 should have decent enough range that you’re not “stuck” with local driving. I know people who’ve done coast-to-coast road trips in their Model 3s. I just don’t know anything about what to look out for if you’re buying used.
I do have 50k miles and 3.5 years experience with the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which has similar range and cost (used) but more cargo capacity.
Also, a Model 3 should have decent enough range that you’re not “stuck” with local driving. I know people who’ve done coast-to-coast road trips in their Model 3s. I just don’t know anything about what to look out for if you’re buying used.
I do have 50k miles and 3.5 years experience with the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which has similar range and cost (used) but more cargo capacity.
Love that you are taking the leap. Did it with the hybrid Accord 20 months ago to transition and kinda wish I would have gone full EV with the Hyundai. My office now is 3 mi. From home and I’m in 2 or 3 days a week. I could go weeks without charging. Kudos to you!
I think Acura has some screaming lease deals. Like $299 a month or something but crazy cheap for size and quality of the behicle
Current lease deals as of last week:
electrek.co
Electric Vehicle Lease Guide
Shortcuts to Dealers Listed: Acura – Audi – BMW – Cadillac – Chevrolet – Dodge – Fiat – Ford – Jeep – Genesis –...
electrek.co
You Can Lease A Brand New EV For Under $200 A Month If You Know Where To Look - The Autopian
You might think leasing a brand new electric SUV would be pretty costly, particularly compared to picking up a compact sedan or hatch. However, if you know where to look, you can get an electric Hyundai SUV remarkably cheap for a couple of years. Purchasing a car is a big commitment. You have to...
www.theautopian.com
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Ah, I always forget the charging losses, thanks for pointing that out.
The lease deals right now are crazy.
But not just lease deals, honestly, most brands are trying to shove as many EV's off the lot as they can before the tax credit disappears. I'm seeing deals with $15-18k off of one of the vehicles I'm looking at (hyundai Ioniq 9) if you include the tax credit.
Which means, that we're seeing almost a ~30% discount, on a vehicle that was just released in MAY.
Thats unheard of.
Also, for the record, EV's struggle with depreciation, but, I did the math comparing a number of EV's to Toyota vehicles (which have very low depreciation compared to most other brands), and, these big discounts are completely accounting for any large depreciation (ie, its basically paying that price for you).
Its a weird time to be in the market.
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I previously owned two Tesla Model 3s and now a BMW iX. I have a similar daily commute. Mine is about 46 miles for work and usually run around a bit in the evening with kid stuff. I have level 2 charging at work and almost never charge at home. You should not have any issues at all keeping your battery between 40-80% all the time.
Thanks for all the lease info! I am going to keep an eye on this as my car mileage ticks higher and higher. Unfortunately I drive too many miles for a lease I think (usually at least 20k a year), but it gives me something to think about.
High mileage local driving is about the ideal way to own an EV (or, rather, I think it is, as an outsider considering making the plunge).
Also, there are a lot of pretty good options out there, particularly if you're looking for an "around town" or "regional use" sort of vehicle.
The farther you intend to go on a regular basis, the more important range and charging speed becomes. For instance, the Chevy Bolt is a fine, cheap EV (can be had for $10-15k pretty easily around here). Its got 259 miles of range, which is perfect for around town stuff. But... it is quite slow charging compared to modern EV's (it maxes out at ~50KW, while Hyundai, Kia, Lucid, Porsche, Audi, and others are in the ~200-300KW range... so they can accept fast charging at rates 4-6x faster than the Bolt). It would not be an ideal road trip EV because of that.
The Toyota BZ4X and Subaru Solterra are similar. Totally acceptable EV's. But short range (~228miles), and slow charging, means I wouldn't be choosing those models if I was intending on charging at public fast chargers on long trips very often.
I'm at about 70 miles a day for work and back and then add in a few trips to see family that range about 200-400 miles each. I think the highest I saw on the leases was 10k miles/year which I would zoom past pretty quickly. I don't know what happens if you go over, but I assume it's not cheap. I might start looking around at buying one though, just in case.
Going over is simply a charge per mile if you return the vehicle at the end of the lease. If you decide to buy the vehicle at the end, the number of miles you drove is irrelevant.
A friend of mine has a Hyundai Kona electric, which is more of a commuter than a road trip vehicle, but for the number of road trips they do (about 2 per year), it works great for them. I do one or two road trips a month and work at home, so the range and charge speed was the top concern for me.
Most leases give a few options for mileage per year.
Manufacturers usually advertise the 10k per year option because it looks the most attractive with the lowest payments, but you can usually choose 12k, 15k, and I think I've seen a few that offer 18k miles/year. I think it usually bumps the payment up $20-$30 per month to go up from 10k to 12k or 15k.
And, everyone probably knows this already, but don't put money down on leases or trade a vehicle in on a lease. It's like throwing money/equity away. It's annoying how manufacturers usually advertise really low lease payment deals but then the fine print says you have to put $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, or sometimes more to get that payment. So, you usually have to assume your actual payment will be higher than what's advertised if you're not putting money down.
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