I am happy to report that after 5 weeks my LEAF has become... well... "just another car" to me, like a lot of other fine cars I've owned.
Oh sure, it's very fun to drive, fast, solid, agile in traffic, frosty-cold and pin-drop quiet on the inside; but otherwise it's starting to become just transportation. I get in, turn it on, then drive to wherever I'm going. Nothin' special. I'm no longer mesmerized by all the cool displays of battery charge and energy use and typically don't even turn them on unless I'm demo-ing the LEAF to a friend.
I don't bother with the "Eco" mode and don't give a thought to "driving green." I just drive. To wherever I'm going. With full-on AC. As fast as traffic will allow. With as heavy a foot as I like. Yet I've never come even close to experiencing "range anxiety." I just haven't been able to run this baby down anywhere near empty since I did that deliberately the first week when I was testing the LEAF's limits.
Now I just drive it. It's "just a car."
OK, I admit that I never turn on the (excellent) sound system because I'm not over my fascination with the LEAF's extraordinary silence. And, sure, it feels good to drive past all those $$ gas price signs knowing I haven't had to insert my MasterCard into a gas pump for more than 5 weeks. And it's nice knowing that my driving has a zero carbon footprint because my home uses exclusively West Texas windmill electricity. And, yeah, I admit that I love having people ask me about the LEAF, then running through my whole LEAF "spiel" and test drive.
But other than that, the LEAF has become just another car to me. You believe me, don't you? NOT! :-)
I love my LEAF!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
12. Pike's Peak Hill Climb Race... In a LEAF!
It handles Austin's steep hills effortlessly, and why not when it can climb the 12.42 miles to the top of Pike's Peak in only 14:33 minutes, an average speed of over 50mph all the way to the summit! http://inhabitat.com/nissan-leaf-becomes-first-electric-class-pikes-peak-champion/
“The LEAF was great fun to drive up the mountain” said LEAF driver and veteran Nissan off-road truck racing champion Chad Hord. “With the instant torque from the electric motor we were able to jump out of the many slow corners and the performance was very consistent from the bottom to the top since the electric motor wasn’t affected by the high altitude near the summit like the gasoline powered cars.”
"The vehicle was so quiet during its ascent–with the exception of squealing tires–that it was equipped with a high-speed warning beep to alert spectators and race workers of its approach"
My LEAF is one slick little car... and LOTS of fun to drive. (No, that's not me on Pike's Peak - smile.)
Friday, June 24, 2011
11. One Month With No Gas!
Today it's been a month since I took delivery of my LEAF. During that time I haven't bought a single drop of gas for my Lexus.
According to the CarWings LEAF owner's website, I've driven slightly more than 1,000 miles and consumed 215kWh of electricity. At Austin's (high) electric rate of $0.14/kWh I've spent about $30.00 for electricity (or $1.00/day). Considering that I normally spend $10 per day (!) to air-condition my home during the summer, what I'm spending to charge my LEAF is chickenfeed.
Had I instead been driving my Lexus around the city at (conservatively) 20mpg, I would have burned up 50 gallons of premium gas. Assuming premium at roughly $3.80/gal that's $190.00 worth of gas. We all know gas prices are going much higher soon, but even a savings of $160/mo is nice. Plus (according to CarWings) during this month I avoided spewing 626 lbs of CO2 into the air.
The LEAF is very cheap to drive, frisky, nimble in traffic, eerily quiet, comfortably cool, and environmentally friendly. What's not to like?
It's also FUN... a BLAST to drive!
I love my LEAF!
According to the CarWings LEAF owner's website, I've driven slightly more than 1,000 miles and consumed 215kWh of electricity. At Austin's (high) electric rate of $0.14/kWh I've spent about $30.00 for electricity (or $1.00/day). Considering that I normally spend $10 per day (!) to air-condition my home during the summer, what I'm spending to charge my LEAF is chickenfeed.
Had I instead been driving my Lexus around the city at (conservatively) 20mpg, I would have burned up 50 gallons of premium gas. Assuming premium at roughly $3.80/gal that's $190.00 worth of gas. We all know gas prices are going much higher soon, but even a savings of $160/mo is nice. Plus (according to CarWings) during this month I avoided spewing 626 lbs of CO2 into the air.
The LEAF is very cheap to drive, frisky, nimble in traffic, eerily quiet, comfortably cool, and environmentally friendly. What's not to like?
It's also FUN... a BLAST to drive!
I love my LEAF!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
10. Almost Outa Juice...
Yesterday I deliberately tried to run down my LEAF's battery to the point where I'd see/hear its low-battery warnings. I succeeded, but I really had to try to do it.
I had several stops to make at widely-separated locations around the city. I deliberately chose the most inefficient routing I could think of with mostly freeway driving at 70mph (lots of wind resistance and very little regenerative braking).
It was 103 degrees in Austin yesterday, but the LEAF air conditioning had no difficulty blowing frosty-cold air to quickly get the cabin comfortable again even after parking in the sun for an hour or two on several occasions. The LEAF's energy display told me that I could add 4 miles to my range if I'd turn off the AC... fat chance I'd be doing that!
When I finally got down to 12 miles of remaining range I checked the nav system and found that I was 8.7 miles from home. I headed back to the house making two more stops along the way. When I got below 10 miles of range I began receiving visual displays reminding me to recharge, and then the polite lady who lives in the LEAF nav system started issuing impossible-to-ignore verbal warnings to recharge.
When I pulled into my garage I had only four miles of range remaining. Was I nervous? Not a bit because with the nav system I was able to predict throughout the last 12 miles that I'd get home easily with that 4-mile buffer, especially since I knew that the last 2 miles to my home would be low-energy-consuming slower neighborhood driving.
At that point I had one more errand to run; so I took my Lexus. No big deal, and the Lexus was very happy to be driven after three weeks in the garage.
The LEAF performs exactly as advertised. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to feel perfectly comfortable with the 100-mile range. However, the LEAF is probably not the right car for people who just "can't be bothered" to pay attention to the car's easy-to-understand instrumentation (and also those who are just flat ignorant).
PS: People have asked me if I've noticed any performance drop when the battery charge is low, and the answer is "no". The Li-Ion batteries seem to provide pretty much full power right to the end (much like laptop batteries); and I've not detected any noticeable drop-off in the LEAF's normal, brisk acceleration even at low charge levels.
I had several stops to make at widely-separated locations around the city. I deliberately chose the most inefficient routing I could think of with mostly freeway driving at 70mph (lots of wind resistance and very little regenerative braking).
It was 103 degrees in Austin yesterday, but the LEAF air conditioning had no difficulty blowing frosty-cold air to quickly get the cabin comfortable again even after parking in the sun for an hour or two on several occasions. The LEAF's energy display told me that I could add 4 miles to my range if I'd turn off the AC... fat chance I'd be doing that!
When I finally got down to 12 miles of remaining range I checked the nav system and found that I was 8.7 miles from home. I headed back to the house making two more stops along the way. When I got below 10 miles of range I began receiving visual displays reminding me to recharge, and then the polite lady who lives in the LEAF nav system started issuing impossible-to-ignore verbal warnings to recharge.
When I pulled into my garage I had only four miles of range remaining. Was I nervous? Not a bit because with the nav system I was able to predict throughout the last 12 miles that I'd get home easily with that 4-mile buffer, especially since I knew that the last 2 miles to my home would be low-energy-consuming slower neighborhood driving.
At that point I had one more errand to run; so I took my Lexus. No big deal, and the Lexus was very happy to be driven after three weeks in the garage.
The LEAF performs exactly as advertised. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to feel perfectly comfortable with the 100-mile range. However, the LEAF is probably not the right car for people who just "can't be bothered" to pay attention to the car's easy-to-understand instrumentation (and also those who are just flat ignorant).
PS: People have asked me if I've noticed any performance drop when the battery charge is low, and the answer is "no". The Li-Ion batteries seem to provide pretty much full power right to the end (much like laptop batteries); and I've not detected any noticeable drop-off in the LEAF's normal, brisk acceleration even at low charge levels.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
9. The Stats Just Keep Looking Better
For more than two weeks my beautiful Lexus has been sitting all lonely in the garage, shined up and full of gas with nowhere to go.
Ever since I got my LEAF I've been driving it everywhere and have not once felt the slightest inclination to drive the Lexus. Why would I when the LEAF is so quick, agile, quiet, comfortable, and fun to drive? However, I am going to have to make myself drive the Lexus once in a while just to keep the battery charged.
My LEAF communicates with Nissan every time I drive it, and all the summary data then becomes instantly available on the Nissan CarWings website. Here's what I'm learning:
Ever since I got my LEAF I've been driving it everywhere and have not once felt the slightest inclination to drive the Lexus. Why would I when the LEAF is so quick, agile, quiet, comfortable, and fun to drive? However, I am going to have to make myself drive the Lexus once in a while just to keep the battery charged.
My LEAF communicates with Nissan every time I drive it, and all the summary data then becomes instantly available on the Nissan CarWings website. Here's what I'm learning:
1. Since I got the LEAF I've been driving it an average of about 40 miles a day, up to a maximum of 50-60 miles/day on weekends and maybe around 30 miles/day on weekdays. At $.03/mile for electricity, those 40 miles/day cost me $1.20. Compare that cost to the 2 gallons of gas I'd burn in my Lexus (very optimistically) to cover the same 40 miles for a total of roughly $8.00/day.
2. Even though I seized even the most feeble excuses to drive everywhere I could think of on weekends, with normal city driving I never got even close to using up my 100 miles of battery range.
3. During this same period of time I avoided emitting from my tailpipe a total of 352 lbs. of CO2!
I gotta feel really good about that.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
8. The AC Is SUPER Cold, and That's Just Fine With Me
Today it was 98 degrees. Austinites are accustomed to summer heat; and we rely on good air-conditioning in our homes, offices, malls, and cars. Texans know good air conditioning, and I can tell you that the LEAF's AC is truly exceptional!
As I've mentioned before, because the LEAF's electric AC compressor doesn't depend on high engine rpm, it operates at 100% from the moment you turn it on, even if the car isn't moving.
Today while stopped for a long time in downtown traffic, I actually had to turn the AC vents away from my hands on the steering wheel and towards the roof because the blowing air was making my fingers uncomfortably cold... this while the car was sitting dead still on baking asphalt that was probably 110 degrees. Now that's what I call good AC!
At the same time, as I sat there motionless the LEAF was not wasting one erg of battery energy on anything other than keeping me cool and comfy. There was no idling gasoline engine generating waste heat, and my LEAF wasn't putting one gram of CO2 into the air.
Since I charge my car at home with Austin "green" electricity generated by West Texas windmills, my splendidly comfortable day of driving around town had a zero carbon footprint and cost me 3 cents a mile. What's not to like about that?
So far I haven't been able to identify a single thing about my LEAF that I'd consider a negative. If I ever do, I'll let you know.
As I've mentioned before, because the LEAF's electric AC compressor doesn't depend on high engine rpm, it operates at 100% from the moment you turn it on, even if the car isn't moving.
Today while stopped for a long time in downtown traffic, I actually had to turn the AC vents away from my hands on the steering wheel and towards the roof because the blowing air was making my fingers uncomfortably cold... this while the car was sitting dead still on baking asphalt that was probably 110 degrees. Now that's what I call good AC!
At the same time, as I sat there motionless the LEAF was not wasting one erg of battery energy on anything other than keeping me cool and comfy. There was no idling gasoline engine generating waste heat, and my LEAF wasn't putting one gram of CO2 into the air.
Since I charge my car at home with Austin "green" electricity generated by West Texas windmills, my splendidly comfortable day of driving around town had a zero carbon footprint and cost me 3 cents a mile. What's not to like about that?
So far I haven't been able to identify a single thing about my LEAF that I'd consider a negative. If I ever do, I'll let you know.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
7. Is Half a Tank of Gas Enough?
Gasoline engines get their best mileage when driven at a constant speed on the freeway, but their mileage is much lower with stop-and-go city driving. The LEAF, on the other hand, is at its best with stop-and-go driving when the regenerative braking really shines and when you're not wasting a lot of gas idling in traffic.
When fully charged, my LEAF can travel roughly 100 miles around town; so when I pull out of my garage in the morning I have about the same potential city range as my Lexus does when it starts the day with the gas tank half full.
So if you're trying to decide whether the LEAF's 100-mile range is enough for your normal driving, just ask yourself if you typically use more than half a tank of gas during a day of driving. If you do, then the LEAF may not be for you.
However, if you normally fill your car with gas only once a week, then you'll never have to worry about running out of charge in your LEAF. Even if you fill your gasoline car as often as every 3-4 days, odds are the LEAF's 100-mile range will probably never be an issue for you.
Based on my experience so far, it's doubtful I'll ever find myself running really low on charge; but were that ever to occur it's a no-brainer to simply drive home, plug in the LEAF, and drive the Lexus while the LEAF recharges.
In fact, I think the only battery issue I'm ever likely to have won't be with the LEAF's battery at all, it'll be trying to keep the Lexus battery charged when it's being driven so little. As I said before, even though the LEAF can easily make the 50-mile, 70mph round-trip to the Austin airport, I'll be using the Lexus as my airport car only to exercise it and keep its battery charged.
I should make one a comment about my Lexus IS350. It's absolutely the finest internal combustion automobile I've ever owned. I probably won't sell it for many years because I still need it for long trips, but I'll won't be using it for local driving ever again.
I love my LEAF!
When fully charged, my LEAF can travel roughly 100 miles around town; so when I pull out of my garage in the morning I have about the same potential city range as my Lexus does when it starts the day with the gas tank half full.
So if you're trying to decide whether the LEAF's 100-mile range is enough for your normal driving, just ask yourself if you typically use more than half a tank of gas during a day of driving. If you do, then the LEAF may not be for you.
However, if you normally fill your car with gas only once a week, then you'll never have to worry about running out of charge in your LEAF. Even if you fill your gasoline car as often as every 3-4 days, odds are the LEAF's 100-mile range will probably never be an issue for you.
Based on my experience so far, it's doubtful I'll ever find myself running really low on charge; but were that ever to occur it's a no-brainer to simply drive home, plug in the LEAF, and drive the Lexus while the LEAF recharges.
In fact, I think the only battery issue I'm ever likely to have won't be with the LEAF's battery at all, it'll be trying to keep the Lexus battery charged when it's being driven so little. As I said before, even though the LEAF can easily make the 50-mile, 70mph round-trip to the Austin airport, I'll be using the Lexus as my airport car only to exercise it and keep its battery charged.
I should make one a comment about my Lexus IS350. It's absolutely the finest internal combustion automobile I've ever owned. I probably won't sell it for many years because I still need it for long trips, but I'll won't be using it for local driving ever again.
I love my LEAF!
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