Poll : So what are you driving now?

[cinmar]

My husband and I switch between a 2009 smart fortwo (mid 40's mpg highway from experience w/30,000 mi.) and 2005 Scion xB (29 mpg w/122,000 mi.), depending on who is picking up the baby that day. My commute is 2.5 miles each way, his is 50 miles each way.

 

[evchels]

2004 Saturn Ion Redline coupe (supercharged). Bout as much of a sports car as my wallet allows!

Mine's the big car in the family- we too, have a smart fortwo, which Bob drives to work at Tesla. Half the employee cars in the LA store are smarts. Definitely a sight to see!

 

[evnow]

2004 Saturn Ion Redline coupe (supercharged). Bout as much of a sports car as my wallet allows!

Mine's the big car in the family- we too, have a smart fortwo, which Bob drives to work at Tesla. Half the employee cars in the LA store are smarts. Definitely a sight to see!

Welcome to the forum. Good to see you here.

Are you planning to get Leaf or Volt ?

ps : I opened the poll again so that every vote counts !

 

[scottwilcox]

I used to ride a Harley to work. Then it got too expensive. (Kids in college) My 6 mile ride would end up being 100 miles on a nice day. I would ride a bike to work but there is that thing about being run over in the backwards part of the country that I live in. I have walked to work and home from work before. I have a Pontiac Vibe for now. It will be my daughters car once I get the LEAF which is another good reason not to ride a Harley or bike to work.

 

[akohekohe]

I mostly ride my bicycles. I ride an Alex Moulton Double Pylon for the commute and general getting around and my Surly Big Dummy for grocery shopping and carrying loads. I try to keep my carbon profile low. I'll fuel the Leaf with my PV system so this is a chance to have a car without adding much to my carbon profile although there is always the manufacturing to be considered.

 

[evchels]

Thanks, evnow!

I haven't yet decided between the Leaf and the Volt, though I do have a reservation on the Leaf. I've driven both, but I have far more experience in the Volt- they're both good cars, just different. Fascinating to watch the difference in approach of the two companies, too.

btw, Larry Ellison is actually an EV guy too...

 

[evnow]

I haven't yet decided between the Leaf and the Volt, though I do have a reservation on the Leaf. I've driven both, but I have far more experience in the Volt- they're both good cars, just different. Fascinating to watch the difference in approach of the two companies, too.

Indeed. Infact I'm glad they are taking these two approaches - ideally we want one of each. That would reduce our oil consumption the most ...

btw, Larry Ellison is actually an EV guy too...

Didn't know that - I put the options mainly in decreasing efficiency in terms of emissions. Who better to represent commuting to work in a jet than Larry ?!

Disclosure : I've spent my adult life working on Oracle.

 

[evchels]

I agree that having both approaches is great- the sheer variety in this coming generation is nothing but good for consumers. But by different approaches, I also mean how each company is going about the roll-out of its vehicle. GM has led with engineering and technical announcements over the last few years, and has struggled some on the marketing. I know several of the PR guys and have met some of the marketing folks (though there's been a fair bit of turnover on that front), but have spent the most time with various engineers. Nissan, on the other hand, has led with marketing and PR- and while I know execs in marketing and government affairs and have met folks up to Carlos Ghosn himself, I've never spent any time with a Leaf engineer. All of that is reflected in my areas of confidence and concern with each program, but I'm massively curious to see how it all plays out.

Yeah, Larry was actually an EV1 driver. A while back, a mutual friend also told me that he was having a high-performance custom EV built, though not sure what happened with it.

 

[Rat]

I'm surprised that only 6 responders have checked "Other". I'm also surprised that there is a "Really?" comment next to the choice, as though that were an odd thing, or the responder is probably fibbing. I drive a coupe, and there are plenty of people who drive coupes, hatchbacks and convertibles that do not fit into "Sedan," "Sports car," or "Hybrid."

 

[evnow]

I'm surprised that only 6 responders have checked "Other". I'm also surprised that there is a "Really?" comment next to the choice, as though that were an odd thing, or the responder is probably fibbing. I drive a coupe, and there are plenty of people who drive coupes, hatchbacks and convertibles that do not fit into "Sedan," "Sports car," or "Hybrid."

I should've combined coupes, hatchbacks and convertibles with sedans.

 

[JPVLeaf]

Reviving an old thread:

I commute with an Audi A4 (~30 mpg). The Leaf will be my new commuter car. When the Leaf arrives, we'll sell our other commute car, a Mazda Protege5 (~31 mpg).

 

[hodad66]

My "other" is a Kia Soul

 

[TLeaf]

You segregated out electric cars, but didn't make allowances for "other" electric vehicles; my current primary transport is an electric Vectrix scooter that I bought a year ago when the company was going through bankruptcy. My other transport options include: an Aprilia Futura motorcycle (44mpg; for use on days that are too hot for the Vectrix or when the ride is too long), a Toyota Tundra (17mpg; for winter driving and trailer towing duties), a '93 Honda Civic (35mpg; for snow days), bus (when I can spare the extra 2 hours of commute time), light rail (likewise), foot (it's amazing how many people have forgotten that you can walk a mile to the grocery store) and bike (admittedly purely for recreation and exercise).

For being a greenling, I hate to admit that I've got more wheels on the pavement than an 18-wheeler. Then again, I can honestly claim that I'm personally responsible for removing 3 petrol vehicles from the road (atleast when I'm riding the Vectrix!).

 

[Tesla]

I chose "other."

1998 Ford F250 Dedicated Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), 70K miles, 14 MPG
2004 Ford F150 Dedicated CNG, 9K miles, 14 MPG
2005 Honda CRV, 65K miles, 27 MPG
2009 Honda Civic GX, 30K miles, 36 MPG

I alternate between the F250 and the F150 for my 180-mile-per-day commute. Home natural gas refueling and single occupancy HOV lane access help make the long commute more palatable.

The CRV is mostly for hauling my dogs around, and for trips through areas with little CNG infrastructure.

The Civic GX, which is also a CNG vehicle, was originally for commuting until I got the F150 and F250. The leaf will likely replace the GX, and will be used for short trips near home.