Yesterday I tried to do every errand I could think of; but despite running all around from one end of Austin to the other, I was only able to rack up about 40 miles of mixed stop-end-go and freeway driving which left me with 50 miles remaining on the battery by the time I arrived home, plugged in, and topped it off with electrons again (which took about 3 hours).
Today my shopping list still had one unfinished item. I intended to pick up a new screwdriver the next time I happened to be going to Home Depot for something major, but I wasn't about to spend $5 for gas to drive all the way to Home Depot to get a piddly $4 screwdriver. Today that became, "Gosh, I think I'll drive over to Home Depot to get that screwdriver; since I'll only be using 30 cents worth of electricity."
Really, my LEAF is just so much fun to drive that I can't get enough of it. The acceleration is totally silent but brisk and silky smooth, probably very close to what one would feel riding on a mag-lev train. I have to use the cruise control even in my neighborhood because otherwise I'd soon be speeding without even realizing it.
The LEAF makes quick work of freeway on-ramps, and I'm soon on cruise control at 70mph wrapped in no more sound than the faint hum of the tires rolling on the highway. I have an iPod with all my favorite music connected to the USB port, but I almost never turn on the excellent sound system because it's such a novel delight to experience that cocoon of silence in the LEAF.
And a word about the super-powerful LEAF air conditioner. Believe me, we Texans know about air conditioning; and this AC is great! Because the compressor is instant-on electrical and not driven by a fan belt, it's not engine rpm-dependent; and the AC is blowing ice cold air within seconds. My car was parked for over an hour in 98 degree sun; yet the LEAF's cabin was well-cooled within a minute or two. Amazing! That may be the fastest cooling of any car I've ever driven.
More to come...
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