redLEAF
Well-known member
redLEAF said:On other 'EL' plate spotting, the highest I've seen is 3035x EL on a Model X around the North Shore. Lots of new Model Y's out and about as well ... seeing more Chevy Bolt's, Audi e-tron's and definitely used LEAF's on the road (many used LEAF's seem to be resold by Carmax and other non-Nissan dealers based on the rear license frames/dealer sticker on their rear hatches).
Since this post in February 'unscientific' survey shows an additional 7K EV's now registered in IL - saw 3750x EL on a Model 3 yesterday! Interestingly enough, have seen some IL EV's that still have their non-EL plates on their cars but every single one is expired -- no surprise unless of course its yours and you're waiting on the IL SOS -- apparently not all non-EL plates owners are being reached out to -- just of course when you try to renew your plate will you get prompted that you can't and an 'EL' plate (that of course includes the $100 gas tax adder over the regular plate fee) is now required. The only 'exception' I've seen allowed so far is a Model 3 with a 'tinted windows' or 'WT' (4-digits followed by WT); these are special plates for people with a medical condition -- didn't even know they had these:
https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/vehicles/license_plate_guide/tinted_windows.html
Yesterday - saw my first Volvo XC40 Recharge in the wild - quite a recent purchase as was plated with 35xxx EL - nice looking car, stands out from the gasser version with that filled in front grill that matches the body color - too bad its so expensive with a bit limited range vs. its competitors. Starting to also see more Audi e-Tron's as well as Porsche Taycan's out and about in the NW 'burbs.
As mentioned elsewhere on the forum - turned in the '18 smart as was end of lease, sold the VW Touareg outright to Carvana for almost double what it would get pre-pandemic and added a '19 BMW i3 (no range extender - base model) - so currently just 2 EV's in the family. So far, love the BMW (as well as its 2-year depreciation cost!) as a daily driver that easily travels about 175-180 miles on a single charge -- way better of course than the smart and a decent improvement over the '15 e-Golf we had between the LEAF and first Model 3.
By far the most popular EV's we've seen around town are Tesla's -- seem to be mostly new Model Y's -- but continue to see recently purchased used LEAF's with higher numbered EL plates (typically 33xxx EL and higher) so these if you can find one and the range works for you seem fairly popular.