My experience with an Electric Vehicle

A friend of mine from Church writes a column for one of the community newspapers about environmental issues.  Since I am someone who owns an electric car, he wanted to do a writeup for the local paper about what it is like.  So this post will be a bit different. 

I have been interested in electric cars ever since I was a child.  My father, a physics professor, told me once that a car travelling on the freeway needed very little energy compared to the amount needed to accelerate to that speed.  He said that as soon as battery technology was good enough, electric cars would be feasible.  This was reinforced when I interned for a summer at Johnson Controls, a supplier of batteries to the automobile industry.  

In 2010, Nissan announced that it was ready to deliver an all electric car to the marketplace.  Though not the first, this was the first car that was within my price range.  So in the spring of 2010, I went to a test drive event at Southcenter Mall and drove a Leaf around the parking lot.  I liked the experience so decided to reserve one.  I had initially chosen a silver color, but after driving the car and noticing that it doesn't make any noise, I changed the color to red so that it would be more visible.  

Nissan began delivering Leafs in December, 2010 in a very limited quantity, so mine was not delivered until June, 2011.  I have vehicle number 2598.  I have been driving it now for over 6 years, and have about 43,000 miles on the vehicle.  

Why did I buy an electric vehicle?  

There are many reasons that I purchased an electric car, both selfish and altruistic.  

• As our second car, we averaged less than 10,000 miles per year, most of which were within the county.  An electric vehicle is perfect for that type of usage pattern.  
• It is simpler than a hybrid.  A hybrid vehicle such as a Toyota Prius has both an internal combustion engine (and drive train), as well as the electrical components.  An electric vehicle doesn't have any gasoline, no oil to change, no mufflers or exhaust systems and has fewer total parts than an regular car.  
• The maintenance is virtually non-existent.  With no oil, there are no oil changes.  With no gasoline, there are no stops at a gas station.  The maintenance schedule boils down to rotating the tires.  
• I'm a geek, but I'm cheap.  I couldn't see spending six figures on a Tesla, but I figured that the cost of gas over the life of the car would make it a break-even proposition.  
• It's environmentally friendly.  Being married to a Environmental Sciences teacher did factor into the decision.  
• The transaction was between Nissan and me.  I didn't have another horror story with dealer negotiations.  
• The Feds gave me a $7,500 tax credit and I enrolled in a Department of Energy study where they gave me a free home charger and paid for the electrician to install it.  
• The State of Washington did not charge me sales tax.  

Where do you charge an electric vehicle?  

I had a Level 2 charger installed in my garage when I bought the Leaf.  (Thanks DoE.)  This allows me to charge my car every night.  I'm frequently asked how long does it take to charge my car?  Well, I usually give them two answers.  It takes about 8 hours on my home charger to charge my car if it was totally drained.  It takes me less than a minute to plug in my car when I get home.  Since I've had the Leaf, I've gotten a lot less patient in filling my other car up with gas.  From my perspective, it takes a lot longer to get gas in a car than it takes to charge the my car.  

The Leaf also comes with a charger that can plug into any wall outlet.  I use this on occasion when I forget to charge my car at night and I'm running low.  I have used this to plug into an outlet at church and at friends' houses.  For those people that are worried about charging stations, virtually anywhere with an outside wall outlet is a charging station.  There are people in the area who pick out parking garages with outlets specifically so that they can recharge their cars.  

I seldom use charging stations outside of the area.  Generally when we're going somewhere, if it's longer than I can get there and back on a charge, I will drive our other car.  98% of this car's mileage has come in Snohomish county.  I met someone last week that called their Leaf their "Near Car".  However, there are networks of charging stations around the area, and the going rate for a charge is somewhere around $1-2/hour.  There are also many charging stations along the Interstate that are free.  

What type of maintenance is required?  

As I said, there isn't any oil to change, no tune ups to have, no spark plugs to change, no exhaust systems to replace, and no emissions tests required when licensing the vehicle.  The Leaf has a heater and air conditioner, so there are filters to be replaced.  It has tires that need to be rotated.  It has brakes, but the last time I talked to the dealer, they indicated that they never have had to change the brakes on a Leaf yet.  

Virtually all electric cars use dynamic braking.  That means that when you push down the brake pedal, the brakes don't automatically come on but it turns the electric motor into a generator and uses the momentum of the vehicle to generate electricity.  This actually recharges the battery while it's braking.  (I've always wanted to drive up to Steven's Pass and see how much electricity it would generate as it came back down the mountain.)  I guess with that type of braking, the actual brakes aren't used as much.  

In terms of the battery pack, there really isn't any maintenance needed for it.  The range is temperature dependent, so the range tends to ebb a bit in the winter.  

How far can you go?  

I live in Mill Creek.  I can easily take my Leaf downtown and back without worrying about how much of a charge I have.  I have even gone back and forth to the Airport without recharging.  Of course, much depends on how fast you drive, how often you drive, if you are running the heater or A/C, and how long it takes.  

Nissan built in a gauge that is supposed to give you an idea of how many miles you can drive.  I have no idea how they calculate that, but it's always wrong.  I have a 10 mile commute to work.  The distance to travel usually drops by 20-25 miles on my way to work, and 5 on the way back.  As you drive it, you get a feel for how far you can go.  

I have never been stranded because we ran out of charge.  However, Nissan does guarantee that if you get stuck, they will tow your car to the nearest dealer and recharge it for you.  

How long will I drive my Leaf?  

After 6 years, it's still in good shape.  I haven't had any major accidents, and barring a collision, I expect that I will be driving my Leaf for another 10 years.  The battery does lose its charge as you drive it, but based on my driving habits, it has to get to 50% before it would affect where and how I drive.  

Batteries in electric vehicles primarily lose their charge based on time, not on distance driven.  Talking to the service person and the dealer she indicated that she has seen 2011 Leafs with over 100,000 miles with a battery in the same condition as mine.  The largest single factor is how much fast charging is used.  (Fast charging is at 480v, and can recharge the battery in about 30 minutes.  It does generate a lot of heat and isn't very good for the battery if done very long.)  

If you need to replace the battery pack, would it be economical?  

In 2014, Nissan announced a battery replacement program for $5,499.  There are also programs where you can lease a battery for $100/month for 36 months.  From my perspective, these seem to be fairly good deals, however you have to weigh it against the cost of a new or used Leaf.   

When you buy an electric vehicle, you can look at it as prepaying for gasoline for your vehicle.  I have not paid attention to how my electricity usage changed with an electric car, but I did notice that my bill did not increase by much more than $5-10 per month.  So, the difference in cost between a Nissan Versa and a Nissan Leaf is primarily the battery.  

Many people have done the math, but a payback time for an electric car vs. a gasoline car is about 5-7 years.  Given my driving habits and my tendencies about cars, I will probably drive this until I can't anymore.  If and when it gets time to make the decision about a new battery or not, I will probably check out both new and used electric vehicles and decide from there.  

Any difference in Taxes and Registration?   

In Washington, they have instituted a $150/year charge on electric vehicles to recoup gas taxes.  I think that is fair for my car uses the roads as much as any other car.  One factor though in the Seattle area is that Sound Transit 3 assesses a tax based on the selling price of the vehicle.  Since the selling price is much higher for the size of vehicle (up to 3 times more expensive), the taxes paid when registering the vehicle will be higher than normal.  

Would I do it again?  

I am a firm believer in electric technology, and as an early adopter, I thought I would have more issues.  If I had to do it all over again, I would still get an electric vehicle.  

However, if you are looking for an electric vehicle right now, I would look at purchasing a used vehicle.  The resale price of new Leafs is not much more than the resale price of a conventional car.  I have talked to a number of people who have purchased a used Leaf and are surprised at the deals that they have gotten when compared to new.  

If I was in the market for a new Leaf, I would probably look to one of the cut rate leases.  A friend of mine who commutes about 20 miles per day leased a Leaf for about the same amount as he was paying in gas.  

All in all, I like my Leaf and would recommend it to anyone.  

Car Shopping circa 2001

In the fall of 2001, when I was buying a new car, I chose to look at Fords.   Ever since my brother-in-law started running his own dealership in Wisconsin, we bought them from him.  However, since I moved to the Pacific Northwest, it was no longer practical to make a road trip to buy a car from Wisconsin.  However, he still did have some insight into the costs of Fords, so I figured I could work out a decent deal on a Ford.

After going through the test drive process and looking at what was available on the lot, I went in to start talking money.  Their process at the dealership was to show the customer the invoice, add some miscellaneous fees, and then calculate a 15% profit margin for the car. By the time the salesman was done, the price was about 50% more than the sticker on the car.

When he asked me what I thought, I said "My brother-in-law, who owns a Ford dealership, said I should be able to buy it for the invoice cost."  The salesman looked at me horrified!  He started to justify why they can't do that, and started trying to talk me into a loan because the "monthly payment would be smaller."  I stuck to my guns and the salesman had to go get his manager.

When his manager came out, he was taller and wider than the salesman, and kind of started over.  He said he could be gracious and waive some of the fees.  So he scratched out some numbers, recomputed the total, and asked me what I thought.  I replied "My brother-in-law, who owns a Ford dealership, said I should be able to buy it for the invoice cost." He was indignant.  He explained to me that they had costs in the dealership and they needed to make a profit on the car.  Once again, I stuck to my guns and told them that no one is forcing them to sell me a car.  He then indicated that he didn't have that kind of authority and had to get his manager.

When the next guy came out, he was ever larger and wider and pretty imposing.  I think he told me that he played defensive tackle at the University of Washington or something like that.  He took the sheet of paper and crossed off some more numbers.  At this point in time, the only thing left was the invoice price and the 15% profit margin, trying to get me to understand that they needed to make money on the car.  When he asked me what I thought, I gave him the same answer that I gave the other two:  "My brother-in-law, who owns a Ford dealership, said I should be able to buy it for the invoice cost."

He was fit to be tied.  He started to berate me and I finally had it.  I started to get up to leave when he circled the invoice price and threw the paper at me.  He left in a huff, but in the end, I got the car for the invoice price plus a nominal delivery charge.

I don't want to say I won and they lost, or vice versa.  I'm not that kind of guy.  Ordeals like that (and it was an ordeal) are experiences that I'd rather not go through.  

Ford Focus

2001 Ford Focus

Most people remember September 11th, but I have strong memories of September 12th, 2001.  I was driving to work that morning on the Boeing Freeway when I saw a police vehicle with it's lights flashing coming up behind me at a high rate of speed.  As per the law, I pulled over a lane to let them pass.

I was distracted enough that I didn't realize that the traffic in that lane was stopped.  So I stood on my brakes, squealing tires, and hit the car in front of me.I drove it for about another month until the electrical system totally shorted out.  (It's really bad when you can hear the alternator over the radio.)  So I donated the Tracer to a favorite charity and purchased a new Ford Focus.  I drove it for 10 years and never had a major issue. 

This car had the distinction of being the first car that I sold because I wanted to instead of had to.  When Nissan came out with their Leaf model, I decided that I wanted to be an early adopter.  So this was the first car that I sold because I wanted to instead of had to.

This reminds me of the experience of buying the car, but that's another story.