Our daughter got her driver's license in the LEAF!

[RegGuheert]

On Wednesday before Thanksgiving I took our daughter to the DMV in the LEAF and she drove it during the on-the-road portion of getting her first driver's license. The lady administering the test apparently asked her some questions about the car such as "Does it take gas?" etc., and stated that she had never ridden in one.

So, some of the children in the new generation are starting out with EVs! My daughter is the only person I know who took her driver's test in one. Has anyone else out there taken this important step in a BEV?

 

[Hawk0630]

Congratulations to you daughter!

Jeff

 

[derkraut]

Hey....way to go Reg!

 

[charlestonleafer]

So Awesome!

 

[charge]

On Wednesday before Thanksgiving I took our daughter to the DMV in the LEAF and she drove it during the on-the-road portion of getting her first driver's license. The lady administering the test apparently asked her some questions about the car such as "Does it take gas?" etc., and stated that she had never ridden in one.

So, some of the children in the new generation are starting out with EVs! My daughter is the only person I know who took her driver's test in one. Has anyone else out there taken this important step in a BEV?

My daughter did as well. Back in feb 12 when our leaf was less than 1 month old.
We have other vehicles - the truck was too big for her at that time (I still have trouble parking it in tight spaces) and a versa with tinted windows (DMV will not allow a test with tinted windows in ct).
So, leaf was our only choice. Fortunately she passes and no scratches on car

 

[RegGuheert]

My daughter did as well. Back in feb 12 when our leaf was less than 1 month old.

Very cool! She can someday tell her grandchildren that she was one of the very first to take her driver's test in an electric car. They will probably ask her what else there was!

Fortunately she passes and no scratches on car

Yes. Now she can drive the Versa!

Edit: Spelling

 

[garygid]

Hopefully this EV "infection" will spread to her friends, and their friends, etc.

Just "educating" one person a month, sufficiently motivated to educate others
at one a month, would produce 4000 "missionaries" in one year, and
something like 16 MILLION in two years.

The "sufficiently motivated" part is what makes it work, otherwise
you just "educate" 12 people the first year, and another 12 the second year.

Education is CRITICAL to the success of EVs, to the long term
prosperity of our country, and to the health of the entire planet.

So, maybe some of us could prepare some motivational materials,
sufficient for E-mission-aries to create other E-mission-aries?

 

[RegGuheert]

Hopefully this EV "infection" will spread to her friends, and their friends, etc.

Agreed.

The tough thing about trying to get adoption from young people is that the LEAF is not a great "ONLY" car and it is harder for someone who is just starting out to afford. It is much easier for us with other vehicles and additional income to "adopt" an EV. (And, yes, I know some young people have purchased the LEAF as their only car. But that doesn't change the fact that the barriers are somewhat higher for that group.)

 

[sproqitman]

My son learned to drive in our 2011 Leaf, and took his driving test in it last month. After he passed, I said "congratulations" and handed him the keys to our 2001 Toyota Echo. I had to show him how to put gasoline into it. He's already complaining about how noisy and jerky it is, compared to the Leaf.

 

[ksnogas2112]

Teaching oldest to drive in my Leaf but he's not enthusiastic about learning to drive anything. He's kinda scared actually. His younger brother is chomping on the bit to get his learner's permit.

 

[adric22]

My oldest daughter is 9, so she has a while still before driving. But my parents got onto me recently because my daughter was spending the day with them and she didn't want to ride in their "dirty gas vehicle." My mom was particularly upset. She thought I had been indoctrinating her that electric cars were good and all other cars were bad. In reality, I've never had any such discussion with my daughter. In fact, I don't think I've ever really even told my daughter my reasons for even buying one. So this is something she has come up with by herself.

 

[ranss12]

My son took his driving test in our Prius back in 2007. His examiner asked him why the car kept stalling!!

 

[jkirkebo]

Hmm. Over here one must take the driving test in a car with a manual transmission if one wants to be able to drive such a car later. You can take the test in an EV or car with automatic transmission, but then your driver's license will show that you aren't allowed to drive cars with manual transmissions. Because of this, nearly no-one takes the driving test in an automatic transmission car.

Is this different in the US ?

 

[ksnogas2112]

Hmm. Over here one must take the driving test in a car with a manual transmission if one wants to be able to drive such a car later. You can take the test in an EV or car with automatic transmission, but then your driver's license will show that you aren't allowed to drive cars with manual transmissions. Because of this, nearly no-one takes the driving test in an automatic transmission car.

Is this different in the US ?

Yes it's different here. Here you get a driver's license for any car up to a specific weight which is basically anything as light as a Ford Fiesta or as heavy as a Ford F-350 pickup. In fact it is very hard to find a manual transmission car to buy and harder to find anyone who can actually drive one. My Leaf is only the second car I've had in the last 28 years that was not a manual transmission.

 

[mrdcmills]

Mine too! Feels weird sitting on the right side of the car. She wants to drive me every where.

 

[surfingslovak]

You might enjoy watching this video, if you haven't seen it already.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HtcTPYk98[/youtube]

 

[evnow]

Most of the people who give thumbs up when i'm driving are teens - that's a good sign.

 

[surfingslovak]

Most of the people who give thumbs up when i'm driving are teens - that's a good sign.

Yes, I think young people and kids really get it.

 

[jkirkebo]

Yes it's different here. Here you get a driver's license for any car up to a specific weight which is basically anything as light as a Ford Fiesta or as heavy as a Ford F-350 pickup. In fact it is very hard to find a manual transmission car to buy and harder to find anyone who can actually drive one.

But you are allowed to drive a manual transmission car even if you don't know how to do it ? Weird...(and dangerous I think)

 

[RegGuheert]

But you are allowed to drive a manual transmission car even if you don't know how to do it ? Weird...(and dangerous I think)

Maybe a little dangerous, but just a little. Frankly, it is probably more dangerous to try to learn to drive a manual while trying to learn to drive at the same time. IMO it is better to learn driving first with an automatic and then learn to drive a manual once the other tasks are familiar.