Nissan Leaf a comfortable, fun car to drive (For 50 Miles - Then it Dies!)

San Antonio Express News ^ | 02/13/2011 | G. Chambers Williams III

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

True. Never seen any battery of all types where a quick charge was the first recommended recharging option. Trickle charging is the best for battery life but also the slowest.

[wbill]

Sure. No tailpipe.

Yep. And all that electricity is completely free. No impact to the local power infrastructure, either.

I'd love to have a car like this, but my garage is full of Obama's Skittle-pooping Unicorns.

[csmusaret]

Wait till he tries to make a commute in zero degree weather. Wonder how long his battery will last then? Also hope he doesn’t get stuck somewhere; he’ll freeze to death.

[rickomatic]

And are you really saving energy? You’re just moving the fossil to energy conversion from under your hood to a plant somewhere miles away. Sorry, this will not work for me.

It won't work for me either, because I do outside sales, and a 100+ miles day is not out of the ordinary for me.
My sister and her husband have an all electric car. I can't remember the name. She is a teacher and her school is less than 5 miles from their house. They also live in a suburban city (Lynnwood WA) that has everything retail and otherwise you'd need within a 5 mile radius. She is your typical Seattle liberal, as is her husband. But....and here is the kicker. Even as green and liberal as they are, guess what their other car is? The one they do use when they need to venture outside of their electric car's comfort zone?

A new generation Mustang GT.
The right car for the right purpose on both accounts.

[ArrogantBustard]

Nice ... you got your picture from "treehugger.com".

Can you identify:

A) What sort of works is attached to those smokestacks?

B) What is the chemistry of the plume coming from them?

C) Under what conditions was that picture taken?

I'll give you a hint, though: that plume looks like water vapor, to me.

[RobRoy]

>>I limped into the driveway, plugged the Leaf up in my garage and went into my house to warm up.<<

Well, they say our standard of living will be going down.

[Moose4]

From the side, it’s an Aztek. From the front, it’s like an Alfa Romeo knocked up an Aztek in a broom closet and then the resulting offspring ate lead paint chips.

I agree, it’s pretty hideous, although I saw a review of it and the reviewer couldn’t stop raving about how good it was (as long as he didn’t have to *look* at it, I guess). 180 hp or so out of a turbo 4, all-wheel-drive, good room inside and good handling, it’s just supposed to be a fantastic little hipstermobile. I just can’t figure if it’s supposed to be an SUV or a car. The Cube’s just a chopped Versa engine/transaxle/frame with that weird body slapped on top. The Juke’s completely new. And ugly.

}:-)4

[RobRoy]

I drive the “original” Scion xB. I’ve owned 28 cars in my life. Everything from beaters to luxury cars to sports cars and convertibles. This is my all-around favorite of all of them. If I ever have to replace it, I will be looking at the cube before I’d look at the “big” xB.

[NavVet]

May have to rethink my plan to get a Leaf. I think I’ll shoot for this car instead, with the 300 mile battery pack.

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/specs

[RobRoy]

I bought the xB with a manual. It is probably the reason it feels more like an old Mini and less like a gutless economy car. I think the variable ratio transmissions are a great idea, but if they make it feel gutless, well, I dunno.

[Moose4]

I hear you. I have a full-size Ram now. Something smaller would be nice for daily commuting and puttering around, and that’s got nothing to do with the environment. That’s just my wallet yelling “you know, something that gets 25 mpg would be a lot better than your 5.2L Magnum V8 that gets 12 mpg and breaks down frequently. Just saying.”

When the truck finally drops dead, we’ll get something smaller. Until then, I keep my old Dodge warhorse limping along.

}:-)4

[Red Badger]

Since the car was being reviewed, it was part of the job............

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

That’s with a new battery. Range drops as the battery gets older. Also, power available drops in cold weather. They don’t tell you in the ads that the battery is used to power radio, lights, accessories and heater.

Electric cars pollute. They pollute by using electric power which is generated by using oil or coal. Batteries pollute. Batteries have to be disposed of when they die, and that pollutes.

[RobRoy]

My commute is two miles. I would not buy this car after what I just read. Not even at $10k

[brownsfan]

I could actually use a car like this, but I refuse. It’s too expensive, and too early. I’ll consider it, when the cost is low, less than the cost of more flexible alternatives, and there are charging stations where for a modest sum, one can recharge their car.

Bottom line, I’ll never own one, I’ll be long gone before this technology matures.

[al_c]

I actually like that one and have been following the news on it for a while. The price keeps sneaking on up there making it unaffordable for me at the moment. But it’s good to see someone finally taking the electric car idea to the next stage. Hopefully the Model S will lead to better looking, better performing electrics down the road.

[FrdmLvr]

Yeah, it’s fun until someone hits you. Then, KABOOM! Those batteries in those cars are highly explosive. I wouldn’t want to be any where near an electric car when it gets hit.

[Charles Martel]

I searched “power plant smokestack” and that image was right at the top of the list. Didn’t dig any further, as I thought it got the message across.

[Red Badger]

Electric car follies ping!.........

[denydenydeny]

Is this what they call “range anxiety”?

What a nightmare. You pay $32K for a brand new vehicle and you spend your trip in total fear of being stranded by it as if it were a beat-up old Chevy that you got for $1000.