Is the Nissan LEAF right for me?

One of the reasons that we started this web site is to find the answer to this question. While we have an extensive knowledge of traditional automobiles, an electric vehicle (EV) is a whole ‘nother story. So this is the first article in an ongoing series to determine the answer to this question - Is the Nissan LEAF the right vehicle for me?

We are going to start out the series with perhaps not the answer that you would expect to hear from a pro-LEAF website.

Probably not. At least not right now, and not unless you fit into a definable parameter set that looks something like this.

• You own more than one vehicle
• You own your own home, condo, or business (someplace where you can put your LEAF charging station (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment or EVSE)
• You live in one of the very early launch markets of the LEAF

“Well, wait a minute…” we hear you saying. “What if I don’t fit into that narrow parameter?” This is where the “probably” comes from in our response above. But first, let’s take each point one by one, looking at the negative side of each point.

You only own one vehicle

If you are like most Americans, your driving habits vary significantly. Most days, you could absolutely stay within the predicted 100 mile range of the LEAF. We are pretty sure that by now you have seen the statistic that says on average most americans commute less than 40 miles each day. In fact, according to the survey, over 90% commute less than 70 miles each day. But sometimes you have unexpected events that occur, and you must be able to drive to accomodate these needs. Driving an EV does not allow for spontaneous driving of great distances, unless a charging infrastructure is in place. More on that when we address point three.

You don’t own your own home, condo, or business

While not absolutely necessary to have your own EVSE, driving an EV could be much less convenient without it. By having your own designated parking place (at home or at work), with the ability to install the EVSE, you would be assured of having a “full tank” every morning (or evening, if charging at work). Without this, one would need to find a publicly available charging station when you needed it, and be able to commit the time to remain at that charging station to receive a sufficient charge. While Level 3 Direct Current (DC) “Fast Charge” stations are planned, they will make up a small percentage of all available charging stations initially. If you knew that a Level 3 charging station would be available near where you had lunch every day – problem solved. (Level 3 equipment will charge the LEAF to 80% of capacity from a fully depleted state in less than 30 minutes.) If not… you might find yourself relying on the onboard 120V “Portable Trickle Charge EVSE” which could take up to 20 hours to charge a fully depleted battery.

I don’t live in an “early launch” market

So why is this important? Because several government funded programs (The EV Project and Chargepoint America among others) are providing public and private EVSEs in these launch areas. Simply put, if you live in an initial launch market, you will have infrastructure in place prior to buying your LEAF. If not, you won’t. At least, not to the same extent. Some municipalites have already committed to providing EV infrastructure. You will want to research your own city, and perhaps lobby for the creation of one. Also, if you work for a large, well funded company that is pro-employee, perhaps management could be encouraged to install their own EVSE as an employee benefit. This plan is already in place with at least one San Diego company that we are aware of. Should this be the case for you, perhaps you could get away with not having your own EVSE. Interestingly, a quick look at this map shows that there are reservationists all over the country.

Now let’s take a quick look at the “probably” in my “probably not” answer above. As shown on the map, there are many future LEAF owners living in non-initial launch markets. Many may only own one vehicle – the LEAF. And some may not own their own home. So how will they do it? Desire. These owners have the desire to make a difference. Passion in their beliefs. I am certain if you spoke with someone in Minnesota with a reservation on the LEAF, they would be passionate in their expression of why the LEAF is the right vehicle for them. And perhaps why it should be the right vehicle for you.

We are sure that you have more questions. We have plans to address many concerns that a new EV owner might have in future installments. We know that we have many more of our own. Please let us know your thoughts, and we will do our best to address them.