Six Months with My Nissan Leaf

This week marked the 6 month anniversary of being a proud Nissan Leaf electric car owner. This car has been everything I expected and more. If we can avoid using our gas vehicle we do and have made the Leaf the everyday car. I thought I would go over the last six months of ownership and share my experiences.

The first months of ownership I experienced a bit of range anxiety. This was a new way of getting around and the lack of electric charging stations in the area was a little unsettling at first.  As I drove the car and learned how to get the most out of the electric powered Leaf I was more confident in the range I could achieve. The range for my every day driving has been more than enough and I have made it home every day from my commute.

The third month I became more adventurous and drove the car further away with careful planning. The PlugShare app is my favorite app and I think I have memorized every charger any direction for 200 KM. It been fun to be able to take the car on mini road trips and know that no gasoline will be used. The cost of operating the Leaf is very low. When the first hydro bill arrived I was very surprised at how little it had gone up.

As an everyday car the Leaf is perfect in every way. The challenge at this point is not so much with the Nissan Leaf or electric cars in general. It has more to do with the lack of charging stations. Even though the Leaf has limited range with more Level 2 chargers it would totally replace my old gasoline powered car. When DC Level 3 chargers are readily available longer road trips will be possible.

At four months I was addicted to the Leaf I could not imagine driving a non-electric car. The rare times I do need to take the ICE out it is a very traumatizing event. If I have to pull in to fill up the ICE I forget how to open the gas door. The gas station has lost all meaning to me and I prefer to never have to use one.

The car has not needed any service and it shines like the day I picked it up. When I stop by a charging station I can say with full confidence to those who stop and ask about the car that I truly love this vehicle.

As I enter month 6 with the Nissan Leaf there is very little I could ask of Nissan. I think they have done a great job with the Leaf and as batteries prices drop I am sure that there will be a Leaf that will travel over 200KM on a charge and the charging times will be greatly reduced.

Hamilton to Cambridge Nissan Leaf Road Trip

What is the point of having an electric car if you don’t have fun with it? This got me thinking about taking a detour out of my regular drive and going somewhere new with the Nissan Leaf. The first part of going anywhere in an EV is to find locations for charging in the area I am visiting.

I noticed that on the PlugShare app two new stations had been added near Cambridge about an hour away from where I am. I was also assured that if these station where not working there were a few more chargers up in Kitchener that I could use. Since I would have enough extra bars to get me to the backup chargers the trip was a go. I am not too familiar with Cambridge and the first charger was nowhere to be found at the location that the GPS had guided me to. I got out of the car and looked around no charger anywhere around this location. I found someone to ask for direction and the he let me know that the street I was looking for was a block away.

I drove over to where I was directed and still could not find the charger. I asked a nice couple if they knew where this might be as we were talking I noticed the spot a bit hidden in the distance with a Volt plugged in. I checked to see if there was any extra plug or wall out let to plug in, but the level 2 charger was the only option and it was taken by the Volt. At least I did find a working charger and I could always return to this spot if I am in the area again. The next closest charger was at the Toyota factory. I pulled into the visitors parking and two Sun Country Highway chargers were free and ready to get provide some juice. I plugged in and added enough electrons to make it to a local restaurant where I would grab a bite to eat and a drink. When I left the restaurant and added Home to the GPS it let me know I would not have enough range to make it. I searched for another charger, but decided to go back to Toyota as I knew the charger worked and it was not in use. It took about an hour to get enough range to get home.

I unplugged a little after midnight and made my way back to Hamilton. I had fun and taking a little road trip without wasting a drop of gasoline is even that much better. As more chargers come online I can see EV drivers going to different communities that they would normally not visit and discovering new places and sites. I will try to make this trip again with the family and make a day of it.

Barrie Ontario Needs Electric Car Charging Stations

Last weekend I wanted to make a trip up to Barrie Ontario in my Nissan Leaf. I found two possible charging stations one was at the Best Western and the other was at Georgian College. With option number one I was afraid that if I was blocked by an ICE or that the charger was not working that I would not have a backup charger in the area. The Georgian College charger was recently installed and I was not sure if it was public and available on a Sunday. As I tried my best to figure out if I could make the trip and charge even on 110 v it seemed that this was not going to be a trip I would be able to make with the family and ended up taking my gas guzzler to Barrie. Since Barrie is kind of a gateway to cottage country it would be wise for a local business to take advantage of electric car owners how will visit their business and spend money. I am putting this out to those who might want to travel up towards Barrie to help get a charging station along the 400 leading into Barrie or on Hwy 27 which is a slower route up and maybe more EV friendly. If anyone has an idea please leave a comment and share.