adric22
Well-known member
Every year on Father's Day weekend, my church has a car show in the parking lot. They usually have around 30 interesting vehicles, most are muscle cars and antiques. However, last year I brought my Leaf. Here's a photo of it:
Well, I've already spoken to the planners and I will be bringing my Leaf again this year as well as my wife's Volt. We usually have a few thousand people show up to these events. Last year there was quite a crowd around the Leaf asking questions. Unlike some of the cars on display, I let people get inside and sit down too. I also printed out a sheet of paper and taped it to the back glass showing some basic statistics on the car since I predicted I wouldn't be able to answer everyone's questions and I was right.
Okay, well, that was a year ago and much has changed in the political climate surrounding these cars, especially the Volt. While last year I did not encounter any negativity from anyone looking at my Leaf, I am sort of afraid I might encounter some this year, especially having the Volt there. Keep in mind most of the people in my area (Ft.Worth,TX) are pretty conservative and since this is at a church there will be even higher concentration of conservatives. On the other hand, it is good because I'm fairly conservative myself and I think it is good to show these people that conservatives also like cars like this.
The other thing I was thinking about.. Give me your input here. I'd like to leave the car on so people can see the instrumentation. I always leave the 120V EVSE plugged in so people will notice it is an electric car. However, the EVSE is not actually connected to the wall. I'm pretty sure this will still disable the car from actually going anywhere if somebody were to put it into drive. What do you think?
So I've updated my FAQ papers and created a separate one for the Volt. I wanted to post the content of them here and see what feedback you guys might give me. Keep in mind that I'm already pretty much at the limit on space. Each car is going to have 2 pieces of paper taped to the back glass. (actually, the Volt I might have to put them somewhere else) I don't want to make the font any smaller or people won't be able to read it easily. So any drastic additions of information would probably require removing some other information. I've tried to make everything as simple and easy to understand as possible. Rather than attaching a MS-Word document, I'm just going to cut and paste the content here. (normally this is centered on the page, but the forum doesn't seem to have an option for center justify)
Here's the main FAQ sheet for the Leaf:
How far can it go?
The EPA says about 73 miles, however many drivers have been able to get in excess of 120 miles when driven gently.
How long does it take to charge? It depends on the type of charger.
On a 120V Wall Outlet – Up 20 hours
On a 240V charger – Up to 8 hours
On a 480V charger – Up to 25 minutes
Keep in mind that these numbers represent charging the battery from a completely depleted state to completely full. This rarely happens. In most cases the battery will not be fully drained. My daily recharge time is about 30 minutes.
How fast does it go?
Top speed is 95 miles per hour
0-60 times is about 9 seconds
From a dead stop it will outrun most gasoline cars.
How much does it cost to charge?
It depends on your electric rate. TXU is now offering a plan with free nights. In which case you can charge your car for free. Even on regular rates, it is not much. I spend about $10 a month on electricity for my Leaf. If I were driving a regular gasoline car at 25 mpg, I would spend about $100 instead.
How much does one of these cars cost?
Not as much as you might think. The retail cost is about $35,000. However, with current tax incentives and lease deals it is possible to lease one of these cars for $329 per month. Then when considering the amount of money you will also save on gasoline, oil-changes, inspections, and other maintenance, it works out to be a very inexpensive vehicle to drive.
It is actually environmentally friendly when charged with coal power?
Yes. Keep in mind that enormous amounts of electricity is used to refine oil into gasoline. The amount of electricity used to produce one gallon of gasoline could drive this car 20 miles. By driving on electricity you bypass the entire production processes of gasoline. Coal is also an abundant resource and we produce all of our coal right here in the good ole' USA. Here in Texas 36% of our power comes from coal. The rest is nuclear, natural gas, and wind power.
OKay, here is the FAQ for the Volt:
How far can it go?
On Electric - The EPA says about 35 miles. Once the battery runs out, you can drive on gasoline as far as you want to go just like any other car. Many drivers report getting between 40 and 50 miles on electric.
How long does it take to charge? It depends on the type of charger used.
On a 120V Wall Outlet – Up 10 hours
On a 240V charger – Up to 4 hours
Keep in mind that these numbers represent charging the battery from a completely depleted state to completely full. This rarely happens. In most cases the battery will not be fully drained. My daily recharge time is about 30 minutes.
How fast does it go?
Top speed is 100 miles per hour
0-60 times is about 8 seconds
From a dead stop it will outrun most gasoline cars.
How much does it cost to charge?
It depends on your electric rate. TXU is now offering a plan with free nights. In which case you can charge your car for free. Even on regular rates, it is not much. I spend about $10 a month on electricity for my Leaf. If I were driving a regular gasoline car at 25 mpg, I would spend about $100 instead.
How much does one of these cars cost?
Not as much as you might think. The retail cost is about $40,000. However, with current tax incentives and lease deals it is possible to lease one of these cars for $359 per month. Then when considering the amount of money you will also save on gasoline, it works out to be a very inexpensive vehicle to drive.
It is actually environmentally friendly when charged with coal power?
Yes. Keep in mind that an enormous amount of electricity is used to refine oil into gasoline. The amount of electricity used to produce one gallon of gasoline could drive this car 20 miles. By driving on electricity you bypass the entire production processes of gasoline. Coal is also an abundant resource and we produce all of our coal right here in the good ole' USA. Here in Texas only 36% of our power comes from coal. The rest is nuclear, natural gas, and wind power.
Do these cars catch on fire?
The media blew this out of proportion. A Volt caught fire in a parking lot several days after it was crash tested by the government. It turns out that they drained the gas tank (as is standard on all test cars) but did not drain the battery and failed to follow many other procedures for crash testing electric cars. Later on they released a statement saying the Volt was no more likely to catch fire than any other vehicle.
Okay.. And last, this is a sheet that will be attached to both cars and it is about charging. Half the page is a large map of charging stations in the Dallas/Ft.Worth metroplex. The other half has this information:
New paradigm in thinking about fueling up.
One of the reasons people are so concerned with charging times is because they are used to the idea of pulling into a gas station and waiting while their vehicle is refueled. With an electric car most of your charging will be taking place at night while you are asleep. However there are a growing number of public fast-charging stations popping up all over DF/W. Most of these are located at restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters, and other places where you'll be spending an hour or two anyway.
What if I live in an apartment or condo?
This is a legitimate concern as you will need access to some place to charge. However, some people have had a positive experience in dealing with their landlords in accommodating the installation of public chargers in the parking lots. Other people have had no luck at all.
What if I drive a bazillion miles per day?
According to the US department of transportation, over 80% of drivers commute 29 miles per day. You must be one of the 20% that drives further than that. I guess an electric car is just not suited for you right now. Check back in a few years when battery technology will be more advanced.
Overestimation of miles
Most people assume they drive further than the really do. Did you know it is only 7 miles from Pantego Bible Church to downtown Ft.Worth? If you asked most people they would guess betwwn 15 and 20 miles. With a Nissan Leaf you could drive from here to downtown and back 7 times before recharging.
Well, I've already spoken to the planners and I will be bringing my Leaf again this year as well as my wife's Volt. We usually have a few thousand people show up to these events. Last year there was quite a crowd around the Leaf asking questions. Unlike some of the cars on display, I let people get inside and sit down too. I also printed out a sheet of paper and taped it to the back glass showing some basic statistics on the car since I predicted I wouldn't be able to answer everyone's questions and I was right.
Okay, well, that was a year ago and much has changed in the political climate surrounding these cars, especially the Volt. While last year I did not encounter any negativity from anyone looking at my Leaf, I am sort of afraid I might encounter some this year, especially having the Volt there. Keep in mind most of the people in my area (Ft.Worth,TX) are pretty conservative and since this is at a church there will be even higher concentration of conservatives. On the other hand, it is good because I'm fairly conservative myself and I think it is good to show these people that conservatives also like cars like this.
The other thing I was thinking about.. Give me your input here. I'd like to leave the car on so people can see the instrumentation. I always leave the 120V EVSE plugged in so people will notice it is an electric car. However, the EVSE is not actually connected to the wall. I'm pretty sure this will still disable the car from actually going anywhere if somebody were to put it into drive. What do you think?
So I've updated my FAQ papers and created a separate one for the Volt. I wanted to post the content of them here and see what feedback you guys might give me. Keep in mind that I'm already pretty much at the limit on space. Each car is going to have 2 pieces of paper taped to the back glass. (actually, the Volt I might have to put them somewhere else) I don't want to make the font any smaller or people won't be able to read it easily. So any drastic additions of information would probably require removing some other information. I've tried to make everything as simple and easy to understand as possible. Rather than attaching a MS-Word document, I'm just going to cut and paste the content here. (normally this is centered on the page, but the forum doesn't seem to have an option for center justify)
Here's the main FAQ sheet for the Leaf:
How far can it go?
The EPA says about 73 miles, however many drivers have been able to get in excess of 120 miles when driven gently.
How long does it take to charge? It depends on the type of charger.
On a 120V Wall Outlet – Up 20 hours
On a 240V charger – Up to 8 hours
On a 480V charger – Up to 25 minutes
Keep in mind that these numbers represent charging the battery from a completely depleted state to completely full. This rarely happens. In most cases the battery will not be fully drained. My daily recharge time is about 30 minutes.
How fast does it go?
Top speed is 95 miles per hour
0-60 times is about 9 seconds
From a dead stop it will outrun most gasoline cars.
How much does it cost to charge?
It depends on your electric rate. TXU is now offering a plan with free nights. In which case you can charge your car for free. Even on regular rates, it is not much. I spend about $10 a month on electricity for my Leaf. If I were driving a regular gasoline car at 25 mpg, I would spend about $100 instead.
How much does one of these cars cost?
Not as much as you might think. The retail cost is about $35,000. However, with current tax incentives and lease deals it is possible to lease one of these cars for $329 per month. Then when considering the amount of money you will also save on gasoline, oil-changes, inspections, and other maintenance, it works out to be a very inexpensive vehicle to drive.
It is actually environmentally friendly when charged with coal power?
Yes. Keep in mind that enormous amounts of electricity is used to refine oil into gasoline. The amount of electricity used to produce one gallon of gasoline could drive this car 20 miles. By driving on electricity you bypass the entire production processes of gasoline. Coal is also an abundant resource and we produce all of our coal right here in the good ole' USA. Here in Texas 36% of our power comes from coal. The rest is nuclear, natural gas, and wind power.
OKay, here is the FAQ for the Volt:
How far can it go?
On Electric - The EPA says about 35 miles. Once the battery runs out, you can drive on gasoline as far as you want to go just like any other car. Many drivers report getting between 40 and 50 miles on electric.
How long does it take to charge? It depends on the type of charger used.
On a 120V Wall Outlet – Up 10 hours
On a 240V charger – Up to 4 hours
Keep in mind that these numbers represent charging the battery from a completely depleted state to completely full. This rarely happens. In most cases the battery will not be fully drained. My daily recharge time is about 30 minutes.
How fast does it go?
Top speed is 100 miles per hour
0-60 times is about 8 seconds
From a dead stop it will outrun most gasoline cars.
How much does it cost to charge?
It depends on your electric rate. TXU is now offering a plan with free nights. In which case you can charge your car for free. Even on regular rates, it is not much. I spend about $10 a month on electricity for my Leaf. If I were driving a regular gasoline car at 25 mpg, I would spend about $100 instead.
How much does one of these cars cost?
Not as much as you might think. The retail cost is about $40,000. However, with current tax incentives and lease deals it is possible to lease one of these cars for $359 per month. Then when considering the amount of money you will also save on gasoline, it works out to be a very inexpensive vehicle to drive.
It is actually environmentally friendly when charged with coal power?
Yes. Keep in mind that an enormous amount of electricity is used to refine oil into gasoline. The amount of electricity used to produce one gallon of gasoline could drive this car 20 miles. By driving on electricity you bypass the entire production processes of gasoline. Coal is also an abundant resource and we produce all of our coal right here in the good ole' USA. Here in Texas only 36% of our power comes from coal. The rest is nuclear, natural gas, and wind power.
Do these cars catch on fire?
The media blew this out of proportion. A Volt caught fire in a parking lot several days after it was crash tested by the government. It turns out that they drained the gas tank (as is standard on all test cars) but did not drain the battery and failed to follow many other procedures for crash testing electric cars. Later on they released a statement saying the Volt was no more likely to catch fire than any other vehicle.
Okay.. And last, this is a sheet that will be attached to both cars and it is about charging. Half the page is a large map of charging stations in the Dallas/Ft.Worth metroplex. The other half has this information:
New paradigm in thinking about fueling up.
One of the reasons people are so concerned with charging times is because they are used to the idea of pulling into a gas station and waiting while their vehicle is refueled. With an electric car most of your charging will be taking place at night while you are asleep. However there are a growing number of public fast-charging stations popping up all over DF/W. Most of these are located at restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters, and other places where you'll be spending an hour or two anyway.
What if I live in an apartment or condo?
This is a legitimate concern as you will need access to some place to charge. However, some people have had a positive experience in dealing with their landlords in accommodating the installation of public chargers in the parking lots. Other people have had no luck at all.
What if I drive a bazillion miles per day?
According to the US department of transportation, over 80% of drivers commute 29 miles per day. You must be one of the 20% that drives further than that. I guess an electric car is just not suited for you right now. Check back in a few years when battery technology will be more advanced.
Overestimation of miles
Most people assume they drive further than the really do. Did you know it is only 7 miles from Pantego Bible Church to downtown Ft.Worth? If you asked most people they would guess betwwn 15 and 20 miles. With a Nissan Leaf you could drive from here to downtown and back 7 times before recharging.
