Since Jim Stack bought his new Nissan six months ago, he’s come to enjoy watching fuel prices bounce around.
Stack and his wife have racked up more than 4,000 miles while only powering their electric Nissan Leaf by plugging it into a socket.
“We haven’t been to a gas station since March,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
As the experimental Leaf vehicles endured their first Valley summer, Stack and other owners said the batteries and air-conditioners held up well. And the vehicles have proved to be conversation starters in parking lots as other drivers ask what the cars are like. The electric cars drive mostly like a normal vehicle, except they accelerate faster and are quieter.
“It exceeds anything I could have managed,” Stack said.
The Phoenix-Tucson area is one of five metropolitan areas where the Leaf was made available this spring. It and the new Chevrolet Volt hybrid have scored high marks in their first few months, said Bill Sheaffer, executive director of the Valley of the Sun Clean Cities Coalition.
There were concerns “range anxiety” would be an obstacle, but that hasn’t played out, Sheaffer said. Electric car owners have quickly learned how far they can travel on each charge and they’ve adjusted their travel patterns.
“The people are very pleased about not having to go to the gas station anymore,” Sheaffer said. “The users universally seem extremely pleased.”
One disappointment is the vehicles are arriving more slowly than anticipated when they debuted in the spring. Also, it’s taking longer than expected to install public charging stations because of the time required to find locations and sign contracts at roughly 900 locations. The stations are supposed to be in place by year’s end.
“I’m going to guess we’re probably six months behind that curve, but what we have seems to be adequate,” he said.
Phoenix and Tucson are among 18 U.S. cities where San Francisco-based ECOtality Inc. is installing residential and public chargers to encourage electric vehicles. The company has roughly $115 million in U.S. Department of Energy grants for the project.
The placement of chargers was based on who is expected to buy electric vehicles and where they live, said Marc Sobelman, ECOtality’s area manager for Arizona. About 75 percent of the public chargers are in place so far. So far, the most popular site is at Monti’s La Casa Vieja in downtown Tempe.
The majority of chargers take five to six hours to fully energize a vehicle. But by the end of the year, a small number of commercial units will be in place to charge vehicles halfway in just 30 minutes. Also, four of those quick-charge units will be placed about every 35 miles between Phoenix and Tucson on Interstate 10. The fast chargers will make electric vehicles more practical to a wider range of drivers, Sobelman said.
“That’s really going to be a game changer because those are going to be destinations for charging,” Sobelman said.
The initial buyers of electric vehicles tend to have solar panels on their homes and drive the hybrid Toyota Prius, Sheaffer said. But the vehicles are appealing to more than just environmentally minded activists, he said.
Big corporations like Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay are planning to buy more than 2 million electric cars, vans and even medium-duty trucks in the next decade, Sheaffer said. The companies have found many delivery routes are within the limited range of electric vehicles. The companies may have some altruistic motive, he said, but they’re figuring the fuel savings will save them money.
Sheaffer sees more momentum behind the current push for electric vehicles than the EV1 that General Motors launched as the first all-electric car in 1996. The Valley was also a testing base for that car, which GM scrapped in 2002.
“I think everybody waded into this up to their ankles at first, but it seems to be very positive,” he said.
Larry H. Miller Nissan in Mesa has sold every Leaf that Nissan has allocated, said Jason Doherty, the dealer’s Internet and fleet director. Of the 18 sold, two were to buyers who became interested after a co-worker bought one, he said.
The Leaf can handle most daily commutes, he said.
“It is designed to be your second car, your commuter vehicle, where you would have some other source of transportation for a weekend trip,” Doherty said.
Stack and his wife have used the Leaf so much that he disconnected the battery from his other vehicle, a Prius. The Chandler resident said he’s gone 130 miles between charging with no problems. He paid $33,000, but will get a $7,500 tax rebate. He figures the Leaf will pay for itself in six years.
Leaf owner Joseph Magers bought the electric after owning one of the most notorious gas-guzzlers ever made, a Hummer H2. The Mesa resident’s gas bill had been as high as $400 a month.
But he’s keeping the Hummer because some trips require a bigger vehicle or a longer range than the Leaf. Magers said he’s had to stop and recharge on several trips, which has been a minor inconvenience. But he also enjoys scouting out new charging locations and figures he’s been the first to use several of them.
Still, he’d like the Leaf to have a longer range.
“That’s the limiting factor right now,” he said. “You’re pretty much restricted to the small geographical area where you’re at. There’s no way for me to make it Tucson at this point.”
• Contact writer: (480) 898-6548 or ggroff@evtrib.com
wrtrblk posted at 1:56 pm on Sat, Sep 24, 2011.
Who's heard this? The amount of CO2 emissions that are produced making the battery for an EV, is equal to the CO2 emissions from an average gasoline powered vehicle traveling 80,000 miles. By that time the battery needs to be replaced.
BenPhx posted at 3:29 pm on Sat, Sep 24, 2011.
I don't think those stats are true, and even if they were, there are a few things to consider... a lot of our fuel purchased in this country is from countries where we've spent $2 *trillion* since 2001 on military efforts. These are countries where woman cannot drive or they'll be imprisoned, where women only have 1/2 a "credit" towards testimony in courts, where woman must cover themselves, where they may be subject to repeated rape - and then be stoned to death for shaming their family, where gays face the death penalty, any where dozens of other human rights atrocities take place. Then when you buy that gasoline, you are also sending money overseas, rather than keeping it local. Plus, you're spending about ten times more per mile to drive! Plus, if you get solar panels on your house (a 5kw system is down to $2.35/w - down 11% in the past six months and now cheaper than coal!) it will cost about $70/mo more on your mortgage payment, increase the value of your home about $25K (cost of system plus capitalized value increase due to decreased utilities), but allow you to have a $0 electric bill, a $0 natural gas bill (no longer necessary), and a $0 bill for gasoline for your car. Overall, there are some pretty incredible things coming our way in the next few years. Electric vehicle battery prices should drop another 50% in the next 4 years and about 80% in 7 years at the rate they're going. Keep it local, stop buying foreign fuels, and keep the dollars in America.
BenPhx posted at 3:33 pm on Sat, Sep 24, 2011.
Also, we use about 140 billion gallons of gasoline per year in the US, and about 40% comes from the middle east... that's 560 billion gallons of gasoline over the past ten years from the middle east, so our $2 trillion dollars spent on military efforts comes out to about $4 *more* per gallon of gas than what we pay at the pumps... since a lot of that is additional debt instead of immediate tax raises, let's call it about $8 extra for every gallon of gas we use... nice.
rouse2 posted at 4:40 pm on Sat, Sep 24, 2011.
sorry i have to laugh. wish people would actually research the hype before doing feel good damage. until we have wind, solar, tidal power which amounts to anything, than the electric consumed took more emissions to produce and more energy than if they just used a good mileage traditionalist fuel vehicle. and the that nickle cadmium is nasty stuff for the batteries, and lithium is even worse. why is it no one will tell these hippies with the ear to ear do gooder grin that they are not really helping.
jstack6 posted at 5:46 pm on Sat, Sep 24, 2011.
Lithium Ion batteries are considered non polluting by the EPA. They can all be recycled.
An Electric car is 90%+ efficient, a gas car with 50% imported OIL is leass the 20% efficient and makes deadly exhaust like carbon Monoxide and cabon dioxide to name a few.
I only change at night Off Peak when the power company has excess energy. I send them my clean Solar Energy during the Peak Time of day to help them out day and night.
The new EVs are being made in the USA like Tesla in Ca, Nissan LEAF in TENN, GM VOLT in Michigan..
Plugging in is the best stimulus package we have to stop imported oil, save the environment and spur the economy.
Paul Scott posted at 11:58 pm on Sat, Sep 24, 2011.
Great stuff from BenPhx, absolutely true.
As for rouse2, you are way off. In addition to what jetsack6 said, the U.S. installed over 25 GW of wind and 2 GW of solar to the grid in the past 2 years. That's enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 25 million EVs. We'll install vastly more renewable energy on the grid each year than the coming electric cars would ever need. This fact, combined with no wars for electricity, no money leaving our economy, no money going to the oil companies who spend it buying Congress (all the Republicans and just enough blue dog Dems) to keep any sane energy legislation from passing, will overwhelm the opposition.
Just look 100 years into the future. It's bleak, I know, but consider that petroleum will not be powering whatever passes for cars then. I think everyone would agree with that. So the question is, how fast do we transition? Considering the cost to our treasury, the cost to our health and our environment, the cost to our soldiers, it's imperative we make this move as fast as humanly possible.
queenslaby posted at 12:35 pm on Sun, Sep 25, 2011.
I would like more information. How much will my electrical bill be for charging? how long do the batteries last? How much does a battery cost (as I know batteries for electric golf carts are expensive, these must be more) how much for insurance for the EV? As it states as of yet you can't use for very long distances, therefore it would be an added expense just to have a "second" car. And if it takes 5-6 hours to fully charge, where does everyone "wait" when using the charging stations (when you're on the road) lineups at the gas stations are frusturating enoug, I can't imagine waiting in line for a turn at the plug-in station. Even if these stations install 10 plug-in areas, you will still have people waiting hours for their turn. Also what is the fee for using a charging station?
shrinkingviolet posted at 10:34 pm on Sun, Sep 25, 2011.
Think y'all are missing the point as you rush to pile on "these hippes" (as rouse called them). Story seems pretty tightly focused on the economic advantages for the people in the article who bought the vehicle. But feel free to twist it to fit your own agenda - why stop now?
fudeliminator posted at 11:20 pm on Sun, Sep 25, 2011.
"The majority of chargers take five to six hours to fully energize a vehicle. But by the end of the year, a small number of commercial units will be in place to charge vehicles halfway in just 30 minutes. "
First, allow me to correct these errors in the article. The average charge for EVs is only 1-11/2 hours. Very rarely will your battery pack be empty which would take about 4 hours to recharge on 240V to 80%. Most drivers rarely need to charge to 100%. And if using a QC Station or 440-480V it will charge your car to 80% (not 50%!) in about 15-30 mins. depending on the state of charge (SOC).
Now to answer queenslaby: If you don't have PVs (solar cell panels) then it depends on your kW h rate, which at night usually averages around 7 cents/kW h. So just say you took it down to about 20% SOC left, and it takes about 3 hours to recharge to 80%. The LEAF charger (3.3kW) uses about 3.5kW hs from the 240V (L2) home charging station so that would be 10.5kW h X .07= $ .74 (less than $1!) How much do you think your gasoline will cost to drive 80 miles? Don't forget, it isn't just the electricity savings, but the LEAF also has MUCH less maintenance costs than an ICE (internal combustion engine) car. If I didn't have PVs on the roof of our home, our electric bill would have been only $9 more for AUG! The battery pack is warranted for 8 years/100K miles, but if cared for properly, will easily last at least ten years. By the time these will need replaced, there will be lighter, denser, and less expensive batteries to replace these. Depending on where you live and other factors, insurance doesn't cost any more than any other $35K (companies use the origianl MSRP) vehicle. Mine is $540/yr. with low deductibles and high liabilities. The QC (Quick Charge) stations will be available soon, and like I said earlier, it's only a 15-30 min. wait depending on your SOC % so we can use our EVs to travel much farther distances. The L2 or 240V home stations are usually used at night while you are sleeping. The charging stations are FREE now, and then later on a fee will be determined. It will still be MUCH less expensive than buying gasoline. Remember, these LEAFs are emissions free when we use renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydro, etc. Even when charging at night from coal plants when the electrical plants have excess electricity, BEVs are still 60% cleaner than ICE cars. And don't forget, when gasoline is made, it takes a LOT of energy to make it and coal plants are used.
jstack6 posted at 3:04 am on Mon, Sep 26, 2011.
queenlady asks some good questions.
as a general rule it's 4 times less to charge an EV from American electricity as to buy gas and go the same distance.
We go 5.6 miles on a 10cent 1 KwH of electric so 56 miles would cost about $1.
Best of all we help our local power company use excess energy they would make anyway by charging at night instead of buring gas in a 20% or less efficient car or truck or SUV. If the US could stop importing OIL and using water and electric to refine it we can save the US about 1 Billion a day. That could be a lot of clean jobs.
Insure is the same as anycar.
Registration is much lower in Arizona for an Electric.
No gas, no oil changes, no tune ups, muffler, leaks.
Almost no brake wear since it regenerates as is slows down instead of braking.
Batteries have a 8 year 100K mile warrenty. I only charge to 80% as an option in the car so the batteries could last much longer.
PATRICK 1 posted at 7:51 pm on Mon, Sep 26, 2011.
WOW...ALL THE AL GORE GREEN CROWD SHOWED UP FOR THIS ARTICLE....YOU PEOPLE ARE JUST SICK......AND THE COUPLE ARE GOING TO KEEP THEIR HUMMER.........POOR BABIES..............BY THE WAY......WHERE IS GORE......STILL IN HIDING SINCE HE HAS MADE HIS MILLIONS WITH HIS PHONY AGENDA.....
cheesegypsy posted at 10:27 pm on Tue, Sep 27, 2011.
Love, love, love our Leaf. It's fun to drive and it gets more attention than an expensive sports car as you slide silently by people.
To answer the question about how much it costs to charge, it depends on your rate plan. I'm on AEP's time advantage plan, and charging my Leaf at night costs less than $1, and closer to 50 cents on most days, since we only use it for my wife's commuter car during the week. That means we drive the car all month for around $15.
We are currently installing 15kW of solar, so soon it will cost us nothing to drive the car. The new Ford Focus Electric will come with a special offer from Sunpower to install a 6kW system for $10K. Brilliant!
ukcobb posted at 10:46 pm on Wed, Nov 30, 2011.
I purchased my leaf last year. The car is better than what i was expected. So good that I am considering selling my hybrid to become an electric only car family. The car is quiet, fast, smooth, and simple to drive and i like to drive EV. Once people get a taste of driving electric they will become converts as well. I will never own another gas vehicle i am happy with EV.
Used Pickup Trucks
LarryPage posted at 10:51 pm on Tue, May 22, 2012.
I think the Nissan Leaf is a pretty good car. With good Nissan parts that car can really exceed all your expectations. Very easy to drive. Has a good overall car performance and very environment friendly. What more do you expect from this car? It has the total package.