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.