Suffice to say, most of us who drive cars don’t really know how they work. We all know the car has an engine, tires, brakes, and some gears, but the main things we all care about creates a short list: How do I operate it, and when do I maintain it. The best part of the Leaf is that one of those things is the same, and one is much easier than ever before. Here is a break down on common questions and technical answers in an easy to read format:
The Leaf is electric, so you don’t have to put gas in it. Since Shell doesn’t sell electricity that pours into the car like gasoline, you have a few options on how to charge it. You can either charge it all day on a normal 110V socket, charge it while you’re working on a 220V charger, or get it back to 80% of a total charge on a monster 440V charger in 30 minutes. While it’s not quite as easy as pouring in more gas, if you look at the amount of time your car sits all day, you have plenty of options.
Most Americans have a total daily commute that is a lot less than what the Leaf can do on one charge, so let’s stop the fear of “Oh my gosh it’ll just run out of electricity and leave me stranded.” People do in fact run out of gas in normal cars, and it’s due to lack of planning, and the same lack of planning can cause you to run out of electricity. Just remember to plug your Leaf in when you get home at night, and you won’t have an issue. If you need to drive more than the 100 miles the Leaf can deliver on a charge, it is recommended to do a little planning, break your trip up to allow for charging, or use your friends gas powered car. It’s rare to forget to charge a cell phone, and you don’t drive that to work.
Now we are no longer afraid of the battery going flat, how else does it work? Well, it’s a car, so it has keys, a “gas” pedal, a brake pedal, and everything else you’re used to. Navigation? Check. Radio? Check. Air Conditioning? Check. Using your iPhone to turn the A/C on before you get to the car? Check….wait, what?! That’s right, the Leaf has an onboard IT system, and it can talk to your smart phone so you can turn the A/C or heater on in advance, or tell it to start charging when the rates are off peak. Simply put, you can control your car from your phone.
Are you used to blasting down the left lane at 80 mph? While that isn’t the best choice for economy, the powerful electric motor can make it happen. With 210 ft-lbs of torque to move you around town, and 110 hp to get you up to freeway speeds, the Leaf will squirt down the roads like most commuter cars you’re used to, but it will do it in a quieter manner. Oh, did Nissan mention to you the Leaf gets 367 mpg? (We’ll it doesn’t consume gallons of electricity obviously, but the Department of Energy has a conversion factor to put it into a number we can relate to)
All of this is made possible due the impressive advancements in battery technology. Companies around the world have gotten the memo that people want a better electric car than the G-Wiz, and they have stepped up to be the first to catch the big battery contract with an auto manufacturer. Without getting terribly technical, the 480lb stack of Lithium-Manganese batteries pack a lot more zap in a lot smaller space than what was possible before. For the safety fanatics out there, don’t worry about issues in a crash. The batteries are sandwiched in a safe spot, and the crash cell is built to keep that area intact in case of the worst.
Speaking of the worst, who actually likes taking their car in for service? You know, that long wait where guys in coveralls perform mechanical magic that makes your wallet $500 lighter and your car drive worse? While getting your car serviced shouldn’t actually be that painful, it’s just another expense of ownership. But get this: the Leaf doesn’t need oil changes, coolant flushes, it doesn’t have a power steering rack that can leak fluid, or a transmission that might go out as the years and miles pile on. Basically everything you’re used to maintaining on your old car is gone. Left is only brakes, shocks, tires, wiper blades, and this is a stretch to complain about, windshield washer fluid. That’s a comically short list for a car. Rumor has it that the Leaf isn’t due to see a Nissan dealership till 15,000 miles have rolled almost silently under the tires.
Plug in and charge, unplug and go.
Tags: Charging Stations in the Bay Area, Driving a Nissan Leaf, driving an electric car, how a leaf works, how to charge a leaf, Nissan Leaf Bay Area, Nissan Leaf Redwood City, San Francisco Nissan Leaf, San Jose Nissan Leaf
Posted in Leaf News & Information | |
