I bought the cheapest used EV, and just posted a video going over my experience with my first EV.
*And* why I don't think an EV isn't the right option for most car owners in the US (at least not yet).
Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQQtFnLefqw
And a blog post, if you're more textually-inclined: https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/i-bought-cheapest-ev-used-nissan-leaf
@geerlingguy I feel like the biggest shift I had to make in owning an EV is how I think about "fueling". Having an EVSE at home means I can use parked time, which is ample, as fueling time, and I never have to visit a public charger.
Since you're a tinkerer, you might be interested in checking out OVMS. It appears to support the Nissan Leaf. It does require buying some hardware, and possibly IOT mobile data service (it's super cheap!), but it's, otherwise, open source.
@geerlingguy I use OVMS with my Niro EV and there's still missing functionality. It's an interesting project that I wish had more attention.
I just now watched your video. An option many folks may have for L2 charging at home is something like NeoCharge to safely share a receptacle. Since my water heater is in my garage, I have mine shared with that. I'm in a rental house and modifications aren't really an option (I tried working with them).
Jeff Geerling
BedastGPT