Taking into consideration that you will have to pay about $25,000 to buy one, is the new Nissan Leaf electric car a good buy?
Before
purchasing an electrically powered vehicle of any kind you should be
aware of how this car will differ from the standard gas powered car. For
starters, while you will not be constantly stopping at the gas pump to
fill up, you will need a home-charging station that should cost in the
neighborhood of $2,200. Over the long run, this will prove to be a
favorable exchange. Recharging the battery will come with a cost, but
compared to buying gas the price is hardly worth mentioning. The power
source for the Leaf is a lithium-ion battery pack—the first of its kind.
In
many ways, the Leaf is a test case. Sure other electric cars are on the
market and various ones have been tested previously, but this Nissan is
designated to be mass produced and made available (affordable) for the
average American. Speaking of a few things to get used to with electric
vehicles verses gas burning ones, here is one. When the battery pack is
fully charged, the Leaf should be able to cover about 100 miles before
the unit wears down and must be recharged. Drivers accustomed to driving
long distances may find this a major inconvenience.
Recharging
from the home station is estimated to take between four and eight hours.
However, a commercial station set up for charging could reduce that
time to 30minutes. While 30 minutes is much better than the time it
would take to charge at home, the time period is much longer than it
takes to pump your tank full of gas. Are you ready to make that
adjustment? It’s a question you should ask before buying a Leaf or any
other electric car.
Another
drawback to a totally electric vehicle is that there is no backup
source of energy to propel you on your way should the battery
malfunction or simply wear down and need recharging. Of course,
predicting where you will be and how much battery time you will need
doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does take more planning than most
of us are doing with our current vehicles. This is something that hybrid
owners don’t have to concern themselves with. However, it is important
to remember that many Americans drive less than a hundred miles a day
and for them the 100-mile driving distance per charge would seldom come
into consideration.
Nissan is making the car available in SV and
SL trim and many of the amenities are the same as you find on any of the
company’s other vehicles (16-inch alloy wheels, key less entry, cruise
control, adjustable seats and a spacious cabin). This electric car is
designed to mesh into the current environment of car design, not
standout as an experimental aberration.
If
you the buyer are willing to make a few sacrifices/adjustments, and the
Leaf proves to be a success then this electric car might very well be a
good buy. With electric charging stations becoming much more prevalent, charging will also get easier as time goes on. There are lots of benefits to make the switch.
