Two Years: A Summary of Life with Our Nissan LEAF

2013 Nissan LEAF SL

Two Years of Driving an EV, with Cost Accounting
Two years of driving our Nissan LEAF and 22,000 trouble-free miles with a fuel cost of zero (because of our home's solar panels and Time-of-Use rates from our utility) works out to an outstanding car ownership (actually leasing) experience.  Combine that experience with essentially zero total emissions because most of those miles were solar-powered, maintenance cost of a low $100 total for the two years, a peppy but quiet and smooth driving experience and mid-size car space for five people and their baggage, and it is clear that we chose well when we chose to lease the LEAF.

Charging at home is a breeze, as simple as plugging in to our garage's home charging dock when we get home and unplugging when we want to drive again.  Public charging opportunities are expanding rapidly now, and with the LEAF's dual charging docks, we can choose between charging at any 110 Volt outlet, using 240 Volts at a public or home charging station or fast DC quick charging at a special public DC charging station.

To sum it up, we couldn't be happier with our first electric car, and it is certain to be the first in a long line of EVs for our family.  We will always have at least one, and more likely two plug-in cars in our garage in the future.

Nissan deserves great credit when you take a step back and look at what they have accomplished.  They have built and brought to market in many world markets the first affordable mass-produced electric car.  The LEAF turned out to be a remarkably well designed, reliable and satisfying vehicle, a complete and successful design that was ready for the real world and certainly not a development project.  And they did all of this two years before any other manufacturer, with the exception of the slow selling, low-volume and very small Mitsubishi iMiev, which shows signs of not being long for the US market.

On the negative side, the only serious black mark on the LEAF's balance sheet has been battery life especially in hot climates.  Nissan chose a battery chemistry with which they had good experience and they chose not to include a battery temperature management system (TMS), apparently believing that the batteries would fare well in the temperature extremes of the US climate.  While owners have seen little battery degradation in cooler climates such as the US Northwest and Northern California, the same was not true in hot desert regions.  Some customers in Arizona, Texas and parts of California lost battery life, and therefore driving range, earlier and to a larger extent than they expected.  Nissan responded with a battery capacity warranty that was not included at first, though my opinion is that this warranty should be more robust than it is, and should cover owners if they lose as much as 20% of capacity within five years.

Indeed, our own only dissatisfaction with the LEAF has been loss of driving range that began at the beginning of last summer when the car was only fifteen months old and has now reduced our range to a practical maximum of only about 70 miles on a full charge at our usual driving efficiency, a loss of about 19% of our car's original 86 mile range.

You'll see from the numbers at the bottom of the page that our costs of operation continue to be essentially zero, with only about $100 in maintenance cost and zero fuel cost because of our solar panels.  And even if we didn't have solar, our fuel costs would have been about four to five cents per mile, or half of the fuel costs of a hybrid Toyota Prius, about $45 per month in electric bills.  Our monthly lease cost of $415 gives us a total cost of $10,000 for our first 22,000 miles of driving the LEAF, for a total per-mile cost of about 45 cents.  This is certainly lower than the costs of driving the average car, even though we are leasing, and leasing is more expensive than a cash purchase.

First Electric Bill of a New Net Metering Year is a Credit
March marks the first month of our new net metering year, and our bill to start the year was a credit of $26.75.  This credit will build in the coming months, and we hope to build the credit balance high enough to end the year with another electric bill of zero.  We're installing our first home central air conditioning system this year, so we may be challenged to meet that goal.  Using air conditioning during Peak summer hours will eat into the nice retail credits that we usually earn for our solar production during those hours, so it will be interesting to see how we fare with electricity costs this net metering year.  Our utility, SCE, has been putting in place rapid-fire rate changes that are difficult to predict, and our Time of Use rate plan may change enough through the year to impact our costs and credits as well.

Honda Fit EV

Does Driving an EV Make Sense for an Average Family?
Electric cars are having difficulty gaining acceptance in the US car market, probably due to being so new and unfamiliar to the average car buyer.  While low fuel costs are an attraction, buyers seem to be most concerned about EVs' short driving range.  What many potential buyers are missing is that an EV can work well as a first or second car for many two-car families.  With an effective 60 mile daily range, many families would find an EV to be a practical and useful part of their family fleet.  With one EV and one gasoline car, hybrid or plug-in hybrid in the garage, even if one driver has a long daily commute, an EV as the family's second car can provide low cost, reliable transportation for local errands and short trips.

Our own family is an example of how successful this can be.  For 22,000 miles over a two year period, with an average daily drive of 40 miles (on days when it was driven), our Nissan LEAF has provided 60% of our family's miles.  Most of these miles were for shopping, trips out to dinner, pleasure drives and ferrying kids around.  In short, the bulk of our every day driving.  Our Prius is used for the few longer trips that we need to do, and the remainder of its miles are for local errands, just like the LEAF's trips.  And our experience is that we needed to make very little adjustment in our lives for this to work for us.  In fact, we could do very well with two EVs for most of our driving, with a gas car or hybrid for the occasional longer trip.  Another alternative for us would be an EV and a plug-in hybrid with a long electric range, such as the Chevy Volt's 40 or so electric miles.

In short, we've found that an EV, despite its short driving range, can be very useful for a family with two or more vehicles, and this can work rather easily with very little adjustment needed in the family's daily lives.

Toyota Rav 4 EV

Misconceptions About EVs that are Still Hanging Around
We continue to see tired arguments in the media about how EVs aren't practical or affordable or they can't work for the average family.  As you can see from my comments above, this is nonsense, and I have the data to prove it.

But there are more misconceptions.  We read that the electric car is dead because Fisker and Coda are failing.  We hear that with such a short driving range, EVs can't get people where they need to go without stranding them.  We read that charging an EV is difficult and inconvenient.  We read that electric cars aren't any better for the environment than gas cars are, that we are just shifting the pollution to the power plants.  We hear that our electric grid can't handle the extra load of millions of EVs plugging in.  And we read that EVs are only toys for the rich and that everyday folks will never be able to afford them.

All of these statements are false.  They are either poorly researched comments from reporters who are motivated to write an attention-getting story line, or willful misrepresentations of fact, or the premature claims of folks who are all too eager to see this new surge of alternative fueled transportation fail, people who are not willing to give this clean revolution the time it needs to grow and gain momentum.

BMW ActiveE Development Fleet Vehicle

Simply stated, the electric car is not dead just because a few of the many new electric car companies are having problems.  There are many other EV choices, and just as with most new technologies, some innovators will fail and some will succeed.  As far as driving range limitations, I think that our own experience of having driven 22,000 miles and 60% of our own family's miles over two years clearly shows that an EV can work extremely well for many families.  Regarding comparing the pollution of EVs with those of gas cars, reliable research clearly shows that the environmental impact of EVs is lower than that of gas cars, and our electrical grid is constantly getting cleaner, something that can't be said for oil. And some of us can power our EVs with solar power or clean wind or hydroelectric power, making EVs an excellent answer for areas of the world where these power sources are available.  Regarding the load on the electric grid, most EV charging is done at night in private garages.  Using the grid in this way makes use of huge untapped capacity and is economical for utilities which need to keep some generation capacity available around the clock.  The existing grid can support millions more EVs if they are charged at night, without building additional power plants.

The important point to recognize is that EVs can be a PART of the overall solution to our future energy needs. They aren't the only answer and they won't solve all of our problems.  We'll still need cars and trucks with long driving range and rapid refueling capability.  For our country and the world to reduce our transportation energy costs, improve our energy independence, reduce pollution and carbon emissions and face the eventual world shortage of oil, we need many solutions.  EVs are only one of them.  They don't have to be every family's answer, and folks for whom they don't make sense shouldn't get one.  Nobody is trying to force anyone else to get an EV, but I'm interested in letting folks know that EVs do indeed work, and they work well.

Tesla Model S

As far as driving fun, people think that EVs are boring and slow.  In fact, EVs can be quick, lively and responsive driving fun.  Just look at Tesla's Roadster and Model S, fast, exciting and a blast to drive.  Electric drive trains offer immediate torque response from the moment the accelerator is pressed. Some of the new EVs from several companies offer sporty acceleration and handling, and as a lifelong car enthusiast, I find driving an EV to be a very rewarding experience.  The LEAF is a front drive family car with a soft suspension, tires designed for high efficiency and steering that provides little road feel.  But some of the new EVs coming out in the next two years will be truly exciting and fun to drive.  These include the rear drive BMW i3 with acceleration under 8 seconds to 60 mph, the Fiat 500 EV that will include sport characteristics based on their Abarth model, but with faster acceleration, the Infiniti LE, a sport luxury EV, and the Honda Fit EV, which has a Sport mode that increases its responsiveness and power.  The Toyota Rav4 EV which has a Tesla drive train is another fast and exciting EV that, like the Honda, is available now.

To read more about these topics, please take a look at the articles linked below. Read the comments as well.  They are revealing in shining a light on the illogical and misinformed thinking that fuels the anti-EV arguments.  And as you read, consider the sources of some of this misinformation, sources that are threatened by the challenge of new ways of fueling our cars, changes that threaten established companies'  bottom lines.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-electric-cars/2013/04/26/5c8504e0-ab77-11e2-a198-99893f10d6dd_story.html

and

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mbaumhefner/good_and_green_reasons_to_cons.html

and

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mbaumhefner/wall_street_journal_op-ed_need.html

Ford Focus EV

Two Years On, the Choices for Plug-In Car Buyers Have Increased Substantially
A bit more than two years ago, when deliveries of the Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF began, these two plug-in cars were the only affordable EVs on the US market.  How far we have come in those two years.  By this summer, there will be eleven full battery electric cars (BEVs) available and six plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).  The BEVs include the LEAF, the Coda sedan, the Tesla Model S, the Mitsubishi iMiev, the Toyota Rav4 EV, the Honda Fit EV, the Ford Focus EV, and BMW's ActiveE sedan has been in ordinary drivers' hands as a test fleet for over a year. This summer, Fiat will add a 500 e, Chevy will add a Spark EV to the mix, and Smart's latest "fortwo" Electric Drive will arrive at dealerships.  It is true though, that for now, only the LEAF, the Tesla, the Ford and the Mitsubishi are available nationwide, while the others can be considered "compliance cars", offered only in California and limited additional states where there are zero emission vehicle mandates.  Coda recently announced a bankruptcy and a decision to focus solely on energy storage rather than car production.

Ford C-Max (looks just like the Energi plug-in version)

The available PHEVs include the Volt, Toyota's Prius Plug-in, Ford's C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi,  Honda's Accord Plug-in, and we should include the Fisker Karma, even though Fisker has ceased production on the car.

Several exciting new EVs are expected within a year, the BMW i3, to be available in a full BEV and a range extended version with a small gas generator, Infinti will offer its very interesting LE which is a sport luxury EV, Tesla has shown its fascinating Model X SUV (may be a 2015 model) at least in concept form, and BMW's exciting and exclusive i8 coupe is being called a 2014 model.

These interesting plug-in cars are priced from an affordable $25,000 before incentives to the dream car price level of the Teslas and the BMW i8, and everywhere in between.  One thing is for sure, EV buyers have a lot to choose from and the EV market is certainly growing.

Nissan DC Fast Charger at Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa, CA

Quick Charging at Nissan Dealers
Nissan recently announced that they would add 500 DC fast chargers at Nissan dealerships to increase the public charging opportunities available for the LEAF.  These chargers are very different from the more common 240 Volt public charging stations.  DC fast chargers can charge at 100 Amps, far more than the maximum of 30 Amps available from the 240 Volt stations that we are most familiar with, and they can charge a LEAF to 80% from empty in 30 to 40 minutes.  These fast chargers use a special connector with the CHAdeMO format that is only compatible in the US with the LEAF and Mitsubishi's iMiev.

I see this move by Nissan as a potential game changer in the EV market.  With Nissan dealerships widely distributed along major travel routes, fast charging at these locations has the potential to transform the LEAF from a short range to a medium range car.  Trips of 150 miles or more will be much easier with this new network of fast chargers.  Tesla has made a big splash by installing their proprietary Supercharger stations along major interstates with free fast charging to help make the Model S into a road trip car.  Now with free or perhaps low cost fast charging at their dealerships, Nissan is showing signs of making a strong push for LEAF sales success as a longer range car than most people thought it was.  It would be ideal if these fast chargers were available around the clock 24/7, but it is understandable that Nissan dealers don't want the public on their lots in the dead of night.

Our LEAF DC Fast Charging Using its CHAdeMO Port

100,000 Page Views for the Blog, Thank You!
A few days ago, this little blog passed 100,000 page views.  When I started the blog just less than three years ago, I intended it as a way to inform the public and the EV industry about the experiences of an ordinary early adopter family with the first mass produced affordable EV as a part of their lives.  I feel comfortable that I am providing valuable information to readers and I'd like to thank my readers, whether they follow the blog regularly or whether they are just casual visitors who arrive here after a Google search, for your interest and for your curiosity about plug-in cars.



The Numbers:  March 2013
2011 Nissan LEAF SL Placed in Service: March 30, 2011
All Home Charging Done Using: 240 Volt Aerovironment/Nissan Level 2 EVSE
Home Solar PV System: 24 Sunpower 215W panels totaling 5.16 kW DC mounted on a 20 degree South facing roof.
Total Solar PV Power Generated for Net Metering Year Ended February 2013:  8,448 kWh

Our LEAF's Longest Range Full Charge to Empty ("Turtle"): 86.5 miles (at 4.0 mi/kWh on dash), April 2011.

Our LEAF's Most Recent Range, Full Charge to Turtle: 75 miles (at 4.1 mi/kWh on dash), July 2012
NOTE: Longer maximum range is possible if the LEAF is driven more conservatively. LEAF owners have achieved range of well over 100 miles.

Month:  March 2013
Total Miles at Month End: 22,012 miles
Miles Driven in Month:  985 miles
Electric Power Used for Charging in Month: 283.8 kWh (measured at wall power source, includes public charging)
Public Charging in Month, Power Use: 8.7 kWh 
Charging at Home in Month, Power Use: 275.1 kWh
Energy Efficiency, Month of March:  3.47 miles/kWh (wall to wheels)  
Energy Efficiency, Month of March:  4.23 miles/kWh (in car main dash display, battery to wheels)
Efficiency Wall to Wheels in Month at 240 Volts: (3.47/4.23) = 82%

Total Charging Energy Used, Lifetime:  6,695 kWh (Includes public charging)

Energy Efficiency, Lifetime:  3.29 miles/kWh (wall to wheels)
Energy Efficiency, Lifetime:  30.4 kWh/100 mi (wall to wheels)
Number of Home Charging Days in Month: 26
Most Electric Energy Used for Charging in a Day in March:  17.1 kWh  (4.5 charging hours, in two sessions)
Most Electric Energy Used for Charging AT HOME in a Day in March: 17.1 kWh (4.5 charging hours, in two sessions)

Least Electric Energy Used at Home for Charging in a Charging Day in March :  3.5 kWh (0.9 charging hour)
Average Electric Energy Used for Home Charging in a Charging Day in March: 10.6 kWh  (2.8 charging hours)
Household Power Used for Month:  553.4 kWh (without car charging)
Total Power Used for Month:  827 kWh (includes car charging)
Solar PV Power Generated for Month:  754 kWh
Net Power Used or Sent to Grid for Month:  73 kWh net used
March Electric Bill, So Cal Edison, Schedule TOU-D-TEV:  -$ 26.75
Solar Net Metering Year Total Cumulative kWh Used at Month #1:  -5 kWh (Billing month varies from calendar month by a few days. This explains variance from Net Power used for month, above.)
Solar Net Metering Year Total Cumulative Cost at Month #1:  -$26.75 (Total energy and delivery costs for all power usage for the net metering year adds up to a credit balance.)
Cost for Charging Car in March:  $0.00
Cost per Mile for Month:  $0.00
Cost for Charging Car, Lifetime: $0.00
Cost per Mile, Lifetime: $0.00  
(If We Didn't Have Solar Power, Est Cost for Charging Car in March:  $41.16)
(If We Didn't Have Solar Power, Est Cost per Mile in March: $0.042) 
Maintenance and Repair Costs to Date: $98
Average (Mean) Miles per Driving Day in March:  33.97 miles
Average (Median) Miles per Driving Day in March:  32 miles
Longest Day's Driving in  March:  65 miles
Longest Day's Driving in March Without Mid-Trip Charging: 65 miles

Shortest Day's Driving in March:  2 miles
Number of Times we Took the Prius Instead of the LEAF Due to Low Charge: 2
Unexpected Low Charge and Unable to Reach Destination:  Never

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