Gary drives a Nissan LEAF SL 24kWh 2012 and shares how he got started with his electric car.
Why did you buy this electric car?
I depended upon public transportation for 24 years (without a vehicle to drive), building up my credit rating and saving money for a car. When my savings were adequate enough to buy one, I decided it would be too much to take care of, considering all the oil changes and other maintenance which had been required with having two vehicles while married.
Popular Science magazine mentioned Ford was considering offering an electric Fiesta back in 2011, inspiring me to start researching EVs. The LEAF was very appealing, having earned the World Car of the Year award in 2010. I was one of the first to reserve one in December of 2011, when reservations opened up in Ohio. After ordering one in January, and by the time it arrived in April, I had decided to retire, rather than spending almost $40,000 on a new LEAF SV, waiting excruciatingly for a used one, finally finding an SL for $20,000 in March, 2014, at a dealership in southern Ohio.
I’ve loved everything about it, conveniently charging at home from a 120-volt outlet I’d had installed outside the back door of my apartment building in January of 2012. On average, driving around the local area for shopping, my energy economy rating is usually 5.2 miles/kWh, costing me about 2 cents per mile when home charging and nothing when using public charging stations.
My LEAF is now 10.5 years old and still like new, having had only to require windshield washer solution, wiper blades and new tyres.
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Initially, what did you find most confusing about electric car ownership and how did you solve that?
It was after a couple years of ownership, I learned 240-volt charging is much better for the battery pack than 120-volt charging. Also, the ambient temperature outdoors is very crucial to avoiding degradation of the battery. Keeping the charge level between 20% and 40% is ideal at temperatures reaching up to 90 degrees (F). Higher charge levels are acceptable when the outside temperatures are lower than 70 degrees. Therefore, I now mostly charge at 240-volt charging stations and try to keep the ‘state of charge’ within the limits recommended.
What sources of information helped you e.g. people, groups, websites etc?
The battery experts at the Nissan LEAF Owners Group on Facebook have been most helpful, as well as the information at http://www.electricvehiclewiki.com/wiki-categories/nissan-leaf-battery-charging-system/
What are your top 3 pieces of advice for those people considering their first electric car?
- You’ll enjoy driving at a quiet, leisurely pace to conserve battery power
- If at all possible, get a 240-volt charging station installed at your home or place of business
- Be careful not to keep the charge levels too high, especially at above 80%.
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