EVs

There is a new trend going on and it is electric vehicles. I know that these have been around for a while, but I have been seeing them increasingly on the road. Here are my thoughts on them.

For what they are, they are zippy little cars that make about no noise. I love these cars, and they are so much fun to drive. Recently I got to drive a 2015 Nissan Leaf and let me tell you that thing is a blast to drive. You step on the throttle and all of a sudden you are in the back of your seat like Ferb driving Meaps spaceship from Phineas and Ferb (a legendary show, more about that later). An exact reference to what I mean is below can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbugHkuFsTg. Step on the “gas” and you are leaving people in the dust. A blast and a half, there are a few things that I am not too much of a fan of but is not a deal breaker at all, one thing I am not a fan of is not being able to adjust the mirrors with the car off, I am also not a fan of not being able to open the trunk from the driver seat. None of anything I just said is a deal breaker and I don’t mind the loss of those features. One thing that is a giveaway that it is an older electric is the range. EVs are made for around the town. Go to work, pick up your family/friends and then go hang outside the house (go to dinner, go to a movie etc.) you must be incredibly careful with your range, the new ones can do a lot better in range. If the car were to die (knock on wood) then you are going to have to get a tow. It’s another thing to keep in mind but it is much like gas in a regular car, same concept.

When EVs were first introduced the charging network was not set up yet, now if you go to a store or a popular place in a well-developed area (like a city) then there are going to be charging stations everywhere, there is no worry about “am I going to run out of range?” In order to drive an electric car you have to charge it (duh), there are several ways in order to charge it, 2.4kW power found at home (like a dryer outlet, only it goes to a wall charger mounted to the side of the house) in the public (like at a store, parking garage, etc.), if your car is equipped with it: a quick charge (350kW) is a good option too full charge in about 30 min great for a “I am low on power and need to get home”. There is another option that is slow and not good, the 110v option which is the standard outlet already in house. There is not a lot of effective use for it but can be a life saver in certain types.

What are the benefits of an electric? They are a lot of fun, and they in a certain sense are good for the environment. You are not creating a lot of carbon emissions. There is more research that must go into this topic. You have to research the building process, the life span and the retirement of the car (what is going to happen to the car when you are done with it?). They are zippy, can be good in the snow and ice (like the Chevy Bolt, does well in the snow) and simply a lot of fun. They don’t require a lot of maintenance either. They don’t need oil changes, filter changes or any of the traditional repairs that a gas car needs.

The pros do outweigh the cons, and speaking of the cons: Range can be a hassle that you have to give a lot of attention to it can drop faster than one expects, make sure that you have enough to get up there and get back, (again this is the same thing that you have to watch while in a gas car, will I have enough gas to get to point A to point B?). However, there are a little bit smarter with their range, some can calculate the amount of range that you have left depending on the items that you have on (like the climate control, what mode it’s in (like Eco, sport, etc.)). If you are used to the way that a car rumbles with the engine then you will be in for a surprise there is no rumble in this car, you push the button and look at the dash to see if the car is on. That’s it.

While driving the car I learned a lot of things that I would have never thought about.

1. Range matters, it can say 86 miles but sometimes its not that. Cruse control helps a lot too and can gain the mileage back (though regen braking where it will but power back into the battery)
2. These things are super quiet, some of them have chimes on them that alert those around you when you are backing out.
3. No engine rumble scares you from time to time. Growing up I am used to the idea that there is an engine rumble all the time, it throws me off all the time when the engine is not there to rumble and shake you ever so slightly. I am getting used to it but not yet.

So, do I recommend an EV? Yes, I do BUT there is a lot of things that you need to know: Keep an eye on the range and make sure that you get a car that works for you, don’t underestimate the range that you need, it never hurts to have more range than expected. If you are in places like Colorado, New York, Montana or a place where weather can be touch and go a hybrid is going to be the best option that you have. If you were to run out of power on the main battery, then there is a small four-cylinder engine that is there to help get you get more range. Do your research and see what is best for you, some places might be best to stick with a gas powered, some are good for full EVs, and some are good to have hybrids.

If you are thinking about getting or looking into an EV, I hope that this might have helped with your decision. I have not had a lot of time on the Leaf (we make a lot of leaf jokes we make, leaf me out of this, I’m leafing etc.) but I love that little car and hope to drive it as much as I can.