Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree Pegotty, I had a 90s Honda Civic hatch that got 40 mpg, too. Diesels generally get better mileage than their gas counterparts. Check out the biodiesel info. It might be something you're interested in.
So, perhaps a dumb question since I don't know much about this technology.
Charging at home wouldn't be a problem. I have a garage. But, what if I was to go on a road trip? Where do you charge? And, is it something that can be done quickly or does it have to be done overnight?
The fastest charging times that they've been able to accomplish is around 30 minutes. I don't think that tech is out there at this point, though. If you're wanting to go on road trips, ever, then the Leaf is not for you. You can always rent a car for road trips, or if you are a 2 car family, then have one gas powered vehicle and one electric.
Yes, but you have to do the math. I just did. :-) If you drive 12000 miles getting 15 mpg (that's what I get in my minivan) you spend about $2800/yr in gas. In the LEAF @99mpg, you would spend about $121/yr. in gas! That's a savings of about $2375/year!! In ten years you've almost paid for the entire cost of the car by what you've saved in gas. A Nissan or Honda will easily last 10 years or longer. With this level of technology, it's a good financial investment as well as environmental one.
Yes, but you have to do the math. I just did. :-) If you drive 12000 miles getting 15 mpg (that's what I get in my minivan) you spend about $2800/yr in gas. In the LEAF @99mpg, you would spend about $121/yr. in gas! That's a savings of about $2375/year!! In ten years you've almost paid for the entire cost of the car by what you've saved in gas. A Nissan or Honda will easily last 10 years or longer. With this level of technology, it's a good financial investment as well as environmental one.
Plus, if you can charge at work for free, you're getting free "gas"!
There's one big gotcha -- the batteries in the car could need replacing in 10 years. This is currently very expensive -- thousands, tens of thousands -- but prices will keep going down as we adopt the technology.
Plus, if you can charge at work for free, you're getting free "gas"!
There's one big gotcha -- the batteries in the car could need replacing in 10 years. This is currently very expensive -- thousands, tens of thousands -- but prices will keep going down as we adopt the technology.
Hence my desire to lease for now.
Good to know. We're not able to buy one yet anyway, but maybe by the time we are it will have worked itself out. I wonder if battery powered electricity is the new solar power? I mean, if you can actually power a car this way, surely home power is not far behind. Solar has lots of flaws at this point. Could these types of batteries eventually replace the grid?
Good to know. We're not able to buy one yet anyway, but maybe by the time we are it will have worked itself out. I wonder if battery powered electricity is the new solar power? I mean, if you can actually power a car this way, surely home power is not far behind. Solar has lots of flaws at this point. Could these types of batteries eventually replace the grid?
Well the battery just stores electricity that's generated from somewhere, so batteries alone can't replace an electricity source. The battery is analogous to a gas tank.
We'll still always need to fill that tank with something -- solar, nuclear, wind, etc.
Well the battery just stores electricity that's generated from somewhere, so batteries alone can't replace an electricity source. The battery is analogous to a gas tank.
We'll still always need to fill that tank with something -- solar, nuclear, wind, etc.
Okay, so the battery doesn't recharge itself to some extent while you are driving? I know you have to re-charge it at some point, but I assumed that it had some re-charging abilities similar to a regular car battery. But I am mechanically uneducated and probably showing my ignorance.
Yes, but you have to do the math. I just did. :-) If you drive 12000 miles getting 15 mpg (that's what I get in my minivan) you spend about $2800/yr in gas. In the LEAF @99mpg, you would spend about $121/yr. in gas! That's a savings of about $2375/year!!
I don't think you can really compare a Leaf to a Minivan though - much less carrying capacity and the range is pretty poor.
Okay, so the battery doesn't recharge itself to some extent while you are driving? I know you have to re-charge it at some point, but I assumed that it had some re-charging abilities similar to a regular car battery. But I am mechanically uneducated and probably showing my ignorance.
Some "recharge", but very minimal. Regenerative braking and such, and the LEAF SV has a solar panel to run accessories. You absolutely have to charge the LEAF every 70 - 90 miles, though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
