Economic and environmental benefits have enticed many people to purchase electric vehicles in recent years. Check out the stories below to catch a glimpse of what it’s like to ditch a gas-guzzling car for a fully electric one capable of traveling 80 miles per charge.
Driver 1: Steve O’Neil
Steve O’Neil of Brevard, North Carolina, purchased a lightly-used Nissan LEAF a little more than a year ago, and loves the sense of community that comes along with owning an electric vehicle. Regional and online clubs have allowed him and other electric vehicle owners to connect, and work towards common goals like increasing the availability of charging stations.
“We are all green-minded folks working to make a difference in energy and electric vehicles in general,” he says.
O’Neil uses his Nissan LEAF to commute and run errands each day, racking up nearly 300 miles per week. Each night, he plugs his car into a standard wall outlet so that it’s ready to go in the morning. O’Neil estimates a fuel-cost saving of nearly $2,000 in the past year since switching to an electric vehicle.
“It’s always charged before midnight,” he says. “It’s just like charging your cell.”
O’Neil uses public charging stations as necessary throughout the day. He does a lot of preliminary research to find charging station locations, so he rarely has trouble finding one. If O’Neil is unaware of a spot to plug in, he will use the Nissan PlugShare app, which is basically a database of charging stations that allows the user to find something nearby.
“I try to pick solar charging stations so I do not use as much fossil fuels,” he says, adding that his main motivation for buying a Nissan LEAF was to lower his environmental impact. Nissan LEAF ownership has made a big impact in his quest to reduce use of fossil fuels as much as possible.
Driver 2: Martin Maitner
Martin Maitner, of Hinesburg, Vermont, has wanted to own an electric car since he was a child in the 1990s. In April 2013 he finally had the opportunity to purchase a Nissan LEAF.
Maitner drives close to 100 miles each week in his Nissan LEAF, but also enjoys taking it on extended range trips. Soon he’ll embark on a trip that is nearly 140 miles in each direction, meaning he will need to stop mid-way to charge. But Maitner doesn’t mind – he views the time required to stop and charge as an opportunity to further relax, usually over a meal, and the smaller environmental footprint of electric vehicle ownership is ultimately what’s most important to him, anyway.
“It makes me feel like I can make a positive impact in the world,” he says. “There are so many things we all can feel helpless and hopeless about, but this is one way I can help leave this pale blue dot in better shape for future generations.”
Like O’Neil, Maitner charges his vehicle in his garage each evening, using a 240-volt charging dock.
“I try to charge in the middle of the night since the electricity generated at those hours is generally not used any other way,” he says. “So I think of it that I am driving on electrons which would have been generated and wasted. The Nissan LEAF is also fun to drive because of the instant torque from a stop. It is fun to accelerate from zero to 40mph in about three seconds! I also love how quiet the driving experience is.”
Maitner doesn’t pay more than $15 each month to drive his Nissan LEAF, and is appreciative of the monetary savings that accompanies electric vehicle ownership. He drives a gas vehicle for work, but for his personal life he has pledged to never again own or lease an internal combustion engine vehicle.
“There’s no comparison to the enjoyment I get from driving an electric vehicle,” he says.
Driver 3: Steve Marsh
After driving an electric vehicle for more than three years, Seattle-area resident Steve Marsh is better versed in Nissan LEAF ownership than most. He first purchased a Nissan Leaf during the initial rollout in 2011 and enjoyed the experience so much that he just bought another this year.
Marsh has had to learn to plan ahead a bit when heading out on the road, but otherwise his experience with Nissan LEAF ownership has been nearly seamless.
“You can’t go off in one direction and then add a bunch of things,” he says. “Generally there has to be a plan.”
Marsh got a tire change when the car’s mileage reached 90,000, but otherwise he hasn’t encountered any maintenance costs. He estimates a $12,000 saving over the past three years after switching to the Nissan LEAF from a gas-powered Honda.
With a round-trip commute of more than 130 miles each day, Marsh uses level-2 charging stations at home and work, and stops at a level-3 quick charging station during his commute. The winter commute is more challenging. Marsh chooses not to use the heater because it consumes too much power, and instead dons a battery powered jacket for warmth, and cracks the windows to avoid fogging.
But Marsh clearly isn’t bothered too much by the chillier commute, as evidenced by the 127,000 miles he has driven in his Nissan LEAF. The car’s charge doesn’t last as long as it once did, but he’s still saving money and he’s still happy.
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