Why Move to an Electric Car?
I will describe my logic here.
Current Situation
I currently own a 2006 Volvo S60 with 100,000 miles on it. I have had it for a while, and know it has been taken care of. I should be able to get another 100,000 miles out of it. My daughter has an older car, and I want to get her something a little more reliable. My thought was, I could get me something new (and don't want to break the bank), and pass my car down. The S60 does pretty well with gas (about 19 MPG around town with my driving style), and I drive 40 miles round trip to work and back everyday. I live in the metro Atlanta area, and take my daughter to her extra curricular activities on Saturdays (another 50 miles round trip). Add another 5 to 10 miles a week for errands and lunches. So, that should be about 260 miles per week. That is about 14 gallons of fuel (or around $40 per week on fuel at current prices of $2.75). On top of fuel, add in another $500 a year (or $40 a month) for maintenance. That includes oil changes and any other item that pops up through out the year. If anyone has a Volvo they will know that $500 a year is pretty conservative! So that is about $200 a month ($160 in fuel and $40 in maintenance) or $2400 annually.
Pricing
I chose to lease the Leaf. I would normally never lease a car, but due to the constant improvements in the electric car, I don't want to be stuck with a car that I can't sell (2 years from now it will probably be outdated). The sticker price is $29k, and then there are the tax credits. Currently, the US Government provides a $7500 tax credit for purchasing this vehicle, and the State of Georgia provides a $5000 tax credit (Georgia's tax credit ends 06/30/2015, so better hurry if you are doing this!). With the federal tax credit baked into the lease, it ended up being $390 a month for a 24 month (15k miles per year) lease with the first payment due at signing (and tag fees). For me, it ended up being about $430 down to walk out of the dealer with the car and the $390 a month payment. So, total cost of leasing the car for 2 years is $9360. Subtract the $5000 credit from the state, and it is $4360 for 2 years. That breaks down to $182 dollars a month. From my research online and talking to strangers in parking lots, I can expect my electric bill to go up about $50 a month. And what about maintenance? None. No oil changes, air filters, emissions, or any of that. The manufacturers scheduled maintenance book that comes with the car lists brake checks and tire rotation. So, here is the breakdown. And because I am impatient, I am going to add $700 to the price of the Leaf to buy and have installed a 240 Volt charger that lets me do a full charge (0% to 100% in about 3 hours instead of 20 hours with the 120 Volt charger that comes with it). At the moment, if I plug in the car around 8:00 PM it is 100% when I leave for work with the stock charger.
2006 Volvo S60 - $200 a month (fuel and maintenance)
2015 Nissan Leaf S - $232 a month (payment and electricity)
or
2015 Nissan Leaf S - $262 a month (payment, 240V charger, and electricity)
So, at the moment I am paying $32 extra dollars a month for a new car instead of driving a paid off S60.
Driving Range
With a 100% charge, the car registers just over 100 miles with no A/C or Heat running. Now that is hard to do with the Atlanta heat, so with the A/C running we are at about 80 miles. With my 40 miles a day, that works.
Airport. About once every 2 months, I take a trip that requires a flight. The airport is about 39 miles from my house according to Google maps, so that is a little close for comfort for me. To get around this, there is a park and fly parking place that has a charger. You park, plug it in, and they park it for you when it is done. That solves that one.
Work. Only 40 miles round trip, so I am good. I am still trying to get our building to install an electric charger for that day when I forget to plug it in!
Where I Go From Here
To be fair, I have only been driving this thing for a few days. I will do my best to come here and update about once a month. Hopefully this information can help someone make a decision if they want to do it or not. If the tax credits were not available, I am not sure it would be worth it. When the car goes 250 miles on one charge, maybe then!
First Update (6/29/15):
So far, I am still liking the car. At this point I have found the charging stations in the areas I frequent. Typically malls, government buildings, and Nissan dealers. I am trying to do the most charging as possible using Nissan's No Charge to Charge, and have only gotten below 30 miles remaining once. To save a few miles, I tend to just use the fan in the mornings (if outside temps are below 80). My recommendation is to drive around, and find the charging stations in your area. This allows you to know exactly where they are before you get low on battery and start stressing. At this point in time, I would consider myself a convert. Things could change, and I will try to update at least once a month.
So far, I am still liking the car. At this point I have found the charging stations in the areas I frequent. Typically malls, government buildings, and Nissan dealers. I am trying to do the most charging as possible using Nissan's No Charge to Charge, and have only gotten below 30 miles remaining once. To save a few miles, I tend to just use the fan in the mornings (if outside temps are below 80). My recommendation is to drive around, and find the charging stations in your area. This allows you to know exactly where they are before you get low on battery and start stressing. At this point in time, I would consider myself a convert. Things could change, and I will try to update at least once a month.
