Electric Car Practical at Last

Do you want to be the first on your block to have the latest environmentally friendly car? The all new Nissan Leaf will be available in select cities in December 2010. There’s been talk about reducing or eliminating our dependence on gasoline, but is the technology really there? Is it going to be practical?

There are many reasons to go electric.

The Nissan Leaf does not produce any emissions. None. That’s music to the ears of anyone who thinks it’s ridiculous to pollute the air we breathe to the point where we need a smog alert system. When the air is unhealthy to breathe, the Air Quality Management District issues a smog alert, advising people not to exercise outdoors. Soccer practices, picnics and recesses are cancelled and people are forced indoors. All because we’re addicted to gasoline. What if driving your car didn’t pollute the air at all? Imagine that zero emissions cars become the norm and gasoline powered engines go the way of the dinosaur.

Imagine bypassing the gas station – every time you see one. Most hybrid and electric cars, including the Chevy Volt, do use gasoline when the battery dies. Not so with the Leaf. It’s a strictly electric powered car. You’ll never again buy gasoline. You won’t care what the price of gas is. You won’t care any more. The downside of an all electric car has been one of the main impediments to widespread acceptance of these vehicles. When the battery runs out of juice, you can’t switch over to gas. This limits the range that electric cars can travel, which has inhibited their practicality.  The Nissan Leaf has a range of about 100 miles before needing to be recharged. That’s more than enough for most drivers. Very few drivers travel more than 100 miles in a day on a regular basis. Most Leaf owners can drive as much as they need to during the day, and then plug it in overnight at home. So now you’re paying for electricity instead of gas, right? How cost effective is that? Charging the Leaf would cost about $2.80 at average electricity rates. Yep – less than a gallon of gas.

Long drives have posed a challenge that until now has been insurmountable by many drivers. During a long drive like a family vacation or a trip to a different state, a driver would have to stop along the way to charge the battery, which used to take hours if you could find a charging station. Nissan has added a navigation system that will show you charging stations along the way. A quick charge station can charge the Leaf’s battery will charge up to 80% in about half an hour. That’s practical for long trips. Drivers could stop for lunch and charge the car at the same time. It even makes sense for restaurants that cater to long-distance travelers to install quick charge stations – if there are enough Nissan Leafs on the road.

The other major obstacle to any alternate fuel vehicles has been price. New technology is expensive. Nissan is offering the Leaf for around $35K in the United States. There is some speculation that Nissan is willing to lose money at the beginning in order to establish itself as the major player in the electric car market.  The $7,500 tax credit brings the effective price to $27,500. While not the cheapest car on the market, this brings the price in line with Honda’s CR-V and Toyota’s Prius. Leaf owners will need to install a home charging station, which will cost about $2,200, but they’re eligible for a tax credit for 50% of that cost.

There are still challenges to alternative fuel vehicles, but I think Nissan has solved enough of them to make the Leaf a practical car for most drivers.

You will be able to test drive a Leaf soon at this Los Angeles Nissan Dealer if you’re in the area. Just make an appointment online or stop in.