Where are the Electric cars?

When one can buy a new '13 Nissan Leaf for as little as $14,600, (after applying the Federal, State, Nissan and dealer rebates,) why doesn't everyone have a new Leaf in their garage?

Might this be the answer?

greengate said:

When one can buy a new '13 Nissan Leaf for as little as $14,600, (after applying the Federal, State, Nissan and dealer rebates,) why doesn't everyone have a new Leaf in their garage?

Might this be the answer?

Click to expand...

Or is it this...??

Not everyone lives in a state with additional rebates.
Not everyone wants a car that in three years may struggle to go 40 miles no matter how cheap it is.

And in addition to the above, many people need to carry more than the Leaf can; have commutes or daily travels that are beyond its unrecharged range; want a vehicle which has more comforts, features, and is of higher interior quality; don't like the looks of it; can't conveniently charge at home in apartments, condos and the like; etc. There are many good reasons...

I anticipate that our second vehicle will be some form of ICE for the foreseeable future... (Oh, and we hate rental cars which are almost always some form of lower-end piece of crap...)

My parents, for example, want a car that they can drive across the country. Electric cars aren't there yet, at least not for the middle class. Current generation EVs make sense for commuting and as a local runabout. That doesn't fit everyones idea of a practical car. It does for me.

IMHO it is because too many people are thinking of those "maybe" situations, such as in 1986 I bought a new Toyota van and had a trailer hitch installed. In the 20+ years we had the van I only pulled a trailer 4 times, and I could have used an alternative if I really needed to.

"What if I need to be able to drive on longer trips, and the charging infrastructure is not ready?" Well, every time we go on cross country trips (such as at the end of this month when we drive from coast to coast for two weeks) we do not even use our 2012 ICE, but rent a car instead.

"What if I need to haul more than 5 people?" In those rare occasions, let one of the other 4 people drive their mini-van.

"What if after 3 years it will only go 40 miles on a charge on the coldest day of the year and I need to go 30 miles one way?" Find some place to get additonal charge, preferably at the location of your stop for a day of work that you can plug into 110v.

In all of the other situations the Leaf is the Perfect commute car. My wife drives 19 miles R/T commute but we are still driving the full 15,000/year rate (300 miles per week) allowed by our 3-year lease. No need to take the Leaf on those 90 mile each way trips. We take our ICE, unless it is over 1,000 miles and then we rent a new car.

kubel said:

My parents, for example, want a car that they can drive across the country.

Click to expand...

Really? Most people I know just fly. Also Amtrack is a great way to travel for the non-fliers.

My Leaf suits nearly all of my weekday driving since I commute to work, but my 19 mpg SUV is driven 90% of the time on weekends due to either the need for range, 4WD, ground clearance, towing ability, cargo room, etc. I love my Leaf but if I had to pair it down to one car, the SUV would win.

Obviously this has been discussed on this board and 100's of others at great lengths already. But just to throw in a few other issues.

A HUGE portion of the population prefer to drive large pickups and SUVs. Currently there is no mass-market product available in this segment. (I don't count VIA motors as they are WAY too overpriced)

There is also a HUGE problem with consumer ignorance. Most do not know EVs exists, and those that do lack understanding of how they work or how much they can be bought for.

Its going to be slow progress, guys. It is going to take another 10 years to really get to the point where the average person will really start to question their need for a gasoline vehicle.

adric22 said:

Obviously this has been discussed on this board and 100's of others at great lengths already. But just to throw in a few other issues.

A HUGE portion of the population prefer to drive large pickups and SUVs. Currently there is no mass-market product available in this segment. (I don't count VIA motors as they are WAY too overpriced)

There is also a HUGE problem with consumer ignorance. Most do not know EVs exists, and those that do lack understanding of how they work or how much they can be bought for.

Its going to be slow progress, guys. It is going to take another 10 years to really get to the point where the average person will really start to question their need for a gasoline vehicle.

Click to expand...

As I said: