EV Rides LLC, Portland OR

Modern upgrade at a reasonable price done in a timely fashion.
I should've done this sooner.

Beyond happy with EV Rides! My Nissan Leaf 2012 was down to 7 bars and a 45 mile range. One night we limped home and that was it! Traded in my car for a nicer model with a 40kW battery we now have a 150 mile range and a full 12 bars of state of health for the battery. We could have gone for a 65 kW battery but we already own a Tesla. In addition we qualified for a Oregon Clean Air Rebate of $5000 so it was a no brainer. My friend Jeremy has his daughter's leaf upgraded to a 65kW battery and he was delighted. Also Transport Evolved (YouTube) ran a story on EV Rides which was very positive. Well I too am delighted with the folks at EV Rides.

One month review:
I bought a 2013 Leaf with a 40kwh battery from EV rides in mid-march of this year. It's my first EV, so I'm writing an in-depth review/experience in hopes that it benefits others in the same situation.

The car has been fantastic. In the first month I managed to put 1,400 miles on the car. My total charging cost was $39. I live in Bend, OR, and there are plenty of free chargers around, including at my work. This has made owning an EV an ideal case scenario for me, the car paid for itself and then some this month in gas savings.

The car I got is a 2013 S with 82,500 miles as of purchase. The car is in good condition for the miles, and drives impressively well. Fast, smooth, and fun. It fits in every parallel parking spot too. Perfect around town car. With the 40kwh battery, I've been seeing full range estimates mostly in the 150mi range, on nice days in town that has gone as high as 170mi. This milage will vary depending on what battery is swapped and how you drive it. Coming up over the mountain passes from the valley to Bend in the snow I get as low as 100mi actual range. Not too bad considering the elevation gain. The only issue I've noted with the 40kwh is some chargers don't recognize the larger battery. Thus, the charger will say 100% charge when the charge gets above the original 24kwh. The chargers still work and continue charging the car, but the chargers that text charging status updates sometimes aren't relaying correct information. Minor issue at most.

Fast charging generally takes 30ish minutes from 20%-80%. I've taken some road trips up to 300miles and have been impressed with the ease of travel. Stopping every 2 hours for 30 minutes is a great way to travel. My travel food budget definitely went up with this car:)
In Oregon, Chademo charging is still readily available, and still being installed, so I don't see the lack of chademo charging becoming an issue in the next couple of years.

I don't have a charger at home, and have been surprised to find that hasn't been an issue at all. Charging at work or other public stations has been plenty for me. I end up having to fast charge in town about once a week, usually costing about $6 while I eat lunch or go for a hike.

The S trim of the early leaf does not have bluetooth audio capability, nor does it have cruise control. I could see it being worth upgrading trims for these if they are things you are used to.

As for the buying experience at EV rides, it's, as others have said, as far as you can get from a normal car dealership, as both a positive and a negative. You won't get pushy sales tactics, everyone I worked with was pleasant, and you get a ton of leaf options to choose from. I test drove a few and picked my favorite. I did have some issues getting ahold of them when I was ready to purchase, but this was understandable due to the demand I imagine they had when gas prices rose. The shop itself has no shortage of wrecked Leaves and parts around, and it's not particularly clean, so don't expect a shiny car dealership, but I'd almost prefer it that way. I'll happily get a good deal on a car that way.

Thanks EV rides for helping us lower income folk get into good electric vehicles. I'm hooked!

We purchased new a 1st generation leaf that was in excellent physical condition but the battery had deteriorated so that we were getting about 40 miles on a full charge. After some research I found EV Rides and arranged to swap the original battery for a 40 from a much newer car. We now get well over 120 miles with the car set to an 80% charge.
It was easy and painless as far as we were concerned (I don’t know what trouble they might have gone through). But Joe and Anton were a pleasure to work with throughout.

We bought a used 2012 Leaf in 2014. While we love the car, it's range was really limited. We wanted to put a bigger battery in the car. The only place we could find on the West Coast who would put a 40kWh battery in our older car was EV Rides in Portland. We were very pleased with their competence and work. The car went from a range of less than 40 miles to about 100 miles. It took them a day to do the work, and they gave us a loaner car while they worked on ours. EV Rides harvests batteries from newer wrecked Leafs to put into older Leafs. From an environmental perspective EV Rides provides a huge service. We highly recommend Anton, Guillermo, Joe and the team.

We've had the car now since October 2021 and wanted to wait a bit until posting the review. We had an excellent experience with EV Rides LLC and feel very fortunate to have found them (through an online EV club). There was a very good selection of cars to fit any budget and I'm very happy with the car we ended up with. Arranging transport of the vehicle was affordable and a great bonus as I didn't want to do it myself. The condition of the cars that were available were all very good to like-new. Our car had some minor, exterior cosmetic issues to be expected on a used car of its age and an issue with the passenger seat sensor that is common with the 2013 but does not impact the function of the car at all. The only thing we had done to the car upon arrival was tint the windows darker which is a must for where we live. EV Rides really went above and beyond working with us to find the right car and to explain the ins-and-outs of the Leaf. Communication from initial contact to delivery of the car was five-star. The photo of the car on the flatbed was texted by EV Rides the night it was picked up to confirm it was on its way. I would buy another electric vehicle from them, and when the time comes, will be looking to them for battery replacement.

This place is great! Anton was very helpful and got us into our 2013 Leaf S with a 62kW battery fast. We love the car!

I had a great experience purchasing a Nissan LEAF from Anton at EV Rides LLC. Not only do I love the product (purchased September 2021) but Anton in particular, was incredibly knowledgeable and patient with all my concerns and questions. He's passionate about his work and he went above and beyond to ensure that I had a positive experience.

Bought a leaf from them and was a super smooth and honest experience. Would send my mom and not worry about being taken advantage of, that's saying something in the car world. They know leafs!

The staff at EV rides are very knowledgeable. They were able to help me quickly resolve my problem.

I was looking to give my 2013 Nissan Leaf a second life. The battery range had dropped down to 40 miles on a full charge. It was hard to depend on a car with that low a range. Thanks for EV Rides LLC, my car now has a 242 mile range in ideal conditions (see attached photo). When it is cold, it is expected that the range would drop. Under late November winter conditions in Northern California, I test drove this new battery and I got 190 miles, which is great for this weather.

Two thumbs up!

Five Star EV Excellence!

I bought a 2014 Nissan Leaf SV with 60 kWh battery from Anton and Joe at less than half of what a comparable 2020/2021 could have cost. I then drove it all way from PDX down to Tucson, AZ with no issues (guided by technical support from them along the way as needed). Both these guys are super professional, personable and knowledge about EV technology. I would buy another Leaf from them in heart beat! If you're looking to transition into EV or are replacing/battery upgradining your current one, then don't think twice about doing business with Joe and Anton, there is no better deal than EV rides.

The future is here!
What these guys are doing is shaping the future of EV mechanic shops around the planet. Go buy a car from them!

I had a great experience with this business. Owner really went out of his way to make the sale happen. I felt I got a great price and no hidden issues. I have owned the car for 3 months now and very pleased with my car. I will buy again from Anton when I need another EV.

Got a 2013 Nissan Leaf SV upgraded with a 40kWh battery. Triple the range of my old Leaf. Even fixed an issue I found with the back seat. Will recommend them to others looking for an affordable electric car.

Anton has great knowledge with electronics in the LEAF batteries. Nice to have 11 bars 24kw instead of 7! Thanks

Even though I ordered a breakfast item late in the day, the brisket was light and fresh I recommend the baskets and gravy.

Joe is the reason I'm purchasing an electric vehicle. I can't say enough for all of his time and patience he put in.

They replaced my weak battery in my Nissan Leaf with a newer upgraded battery being new life to my car. Excellent service, excellent communication. Highly recommend.

Sent the team an email requesting a quote over the weekend: Joe took more than two hours of his time to walk me through the process, even calling me back when I didn't follow up the next day. Unfortunately, I'm not currently able to go through getting a battery replacement, but will do so in the future with EV Rides!