leaf_lenny

14% buffer on arrival is fine on a Model Y. On my 2012 Leaf with 52 miles real range that's 7.3 miles. I plan road trips in 40-mile maximum segments, never push past 20% remaining, and have genuinely never had range anxiety because I'm not trying to maximize distance. Low ambition, zero stress.

2012 Leaf. Real range: 52 miles. Range anxiety is definitely not a myth for me — it's a daily negotiation. But it works because I know my routes and I chose this car knowing what it was. The mistake is buying an old Leaf expecting new-car range. I didn't make that mistake and I don't have the anxiety.

Learned this the hard way with an early Leaf pack — seller's LeafSpy reading said 80%, load test said 68%. LeafSpy SoC estimation on degraded packs is notoriously optimistic. Load test everything. The seller's number is a starting point for negotiation, not a spec.