How Low Would Gas Have To Go For You To Turn Back?

[GaslessInSeattle]

So, now that you've gotten a taste of how amazing it is, and economical too, to drive an EV, how low would the price of gas have to go to before you'd give up your LEAF?

I was struck by a thread that reports that a Saudi Prince is getting nervous about the US finding other alternatives to oil: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4141&p=97660&hilit=saudi+prince#p97660. "clearly, the higher the price of oil goes, the more they (the west) will go and find alternatives" My first response was, it's already to late. My second thought was to consider just how low the cost of gas would have to go to have me discouraged enough to abandon the LEAF.

Early on after getting the LEAF, I was amazed to see how inexpensive it was to charge. I figure I'm paying the equivalent of around 50 cents a gallon to drive the LEAF. I was stunned to learn that the break even point for going electric was likely surpassed decades ago even when the price of oil was much cheaper.

So, my answer to Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is, if he wants my business back, he's going to have to lower the price of oil enough to get gas down below $1 dollar a gallon ... in other words, it ain't going to happen, you've already missed the boat! Truth be told, if it were even equal in cost per mile, I'd probably still continue advocating for EV's because I see no other way out of the mess we've gotten ourselves into.
g

 

[LEAFfan]

For me, it wouldn't matter if gasoline hit $ .01/gal. I would NEVER go back to using ANY natural resource for fuel including cng. I'm paying absolutely ZERO for the electricity since we have PVs and there is no bill for me. When I deduct from my lease payment all the expenses I had with my Honda Civic GX, the LEAF will pay for itself in a short time. More importantly, I love driving clean and not giving any money to BIG OIL, other countries, and all the terrorists that use that money.

 

[Stoaty]

I wouldn't go back at any price, since I love the smooth, quiet drive of the Leaf. In addition, I purchase green electric power, and want to get off fossil fuels wherever possible. Of course, the chance of gas going much lower than $3.50 is about nil, unless the high price of oil sets off another recession/depression.

 

[smkettner]

I will not trade for 10 years but if I was trading today gas would need to be 50 cents and no increase on the horizon.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I had an EV when gas was under $2. It's not about the price of gas. Once there are some affordable higher performance EVS more people will buy them, the LEAF is a bit dull to drive VS other EVs and more performance will attract more buyers.

 

[mwalsh]

They would have to pay me to use gas. And give me a new car too! And not just a cheap car....a really nice premium model!

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

For me, it wouldn't matter if gasoline hit $ .01/gal. I would NEVER go back to using ANY natural resource for fuel including cng. I'm paying absolutely ZERO for the electricity since we have PVs and there is no bill for me. When I deduct from my lease payment all the expenses I had with my Honda Civic GX, the LEAF will pay for itself in a short time. More importantly, I love driving clean and not giving any money to BIG OIL, other countries, and all the terrorists that use that money.

I can't wait to get PV installed here, it's something we are looking seriously at now, even in rainy Seattle... it's kind of amazing how the LEAF is potentially a gateway to a whole other way of life for a lot of folks like me, who otherwise didn't really realize how viable all this stuff already is!

g

 

[surfingslovak]

Just a month ago I was thinking of selling the Leaf. However once you have learned to appreciate an EV and adjusted your expectations, you don't want to go back. Gas cars look like horse-drawn buggies to me now.

 

[Electric4Me]

I didn't get a Leaf to save money. That's just gravy. :lol:

 

[klapauzius]

I would not want to drive an ICE powered car, even if gas was 50 cents a gallon.
Driving a regular car, now that I have tasted electric driving, feels like riding a 19th century steam engine.
The noise, the rattling, the smell....
Sure, you can get nice ICE cars, with good noise/vibration insulation and all, but even a brand new E-class Mercedes cannot beat the smooth, silent acceleration that I get from my Leaf.

Electricity in Seattle is dead cheap and since I have PVs I rarely get into higher tiers, so its $.049 per KWH or conservatively estimated, ~ 1.6 cents per mile (or less in Summer, when the PVs can handle our consumption AND the Leaf).

 

[occ]

Good topic question.

Answer: never

For all of the reasons from other posters, but mainly for our children. They deserve a better future. I'm sure there will be other pressing problems for their generation, so let's start the transition out from under this oil muck that is the cause of so much problems for our generation. Oil has already given us what we have but its detrimental effects are tipping the scale - it's more harm than good now. Better sooner than later to give the next generation some more time.

 

[zashai]

give me more miles and i stay forever .

 

[garypq]

After 2 months and 1900 miles in the Leaf, the price of gas is no longer even relevant (but it is fun to annoy people with the money I save).
ICE are stinky, loud and obnoxious. The are slow and clumsy. When the light turns green, I'm halfway down the block while the ICE are lumbering forward, and I'm in ECO mode!
I wonder how many man hours are spent just standing at the gas pump?

 

[jhm614]

It's not about the price of gas for me, it's about the price of the car and the electricity. As long as I can afford to drive electric (both the car payment and the utility payment), I will never go back to gas. And I'm willing to commit more to car+e than I was will to commit for car+gas. In other words, this wasn't a financial decision for me to go electric -- it was a decision to lower my carbon footprint and to reduce our county's dependence on foreign resources. Next step? Solar panels!!

 

[thankyouOB]

For me, it wouldn't matter if gasoline hit $ .01/gal. I would NEVER go back to using ANY natural resource for fuel including cng. I'm paying absolutely ZERO for the electricity since we have PVs and there is no bill for me. When I deduct from my lease payment all the expenses I had with my Honda Civic GX, the LEAF will pay for itself in a short time. More importantly, I love driving clean and not giving any money to BIG OIL, other countries, and all the terrorists that use that money.

what he said.

 

[sparky]

I think 2006 will go down as the year I bought my last fossil-fueled car. Just can't see any reason why I'd want another oil-burner; even if gas went to $1/gal.
With rooftop PV in SoCal, an EV makes so much sense I have to suppress the smug lest it overtake the smog. I don't proselytize, but do end up gushing when asked about the LEAF.
I can't believe how quickly my wife, who was not very interested, has become an EV convert.
So, I'm looking to add another in 2012-2013. Hope there's some good options out there, with Porsche performance and LEAF efficiency.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzQBz3h5gnc[/youtube]

 

[intrepion]

Perhaps if too many people are driving electrics and the global average temperature starts getting dangerously low, I will do my part and get a hybrid. :lol:

 

[gascant]

We'll hang onto our Altima Hybrid until there's an affordable EV with ~200 mile range. I'm guessing that will be within 5 years, at which point we'll buy it and keep the LEAF. As an alternative, I'm thinking of buying back my '97 Acura Integra from my neighbor and doing an EV conversion--the idea being to load it up with batteries so I can go far (since it's a 2-door anyway, why worry about back seat capacity?).

 

[tps]

I'm still impatiently waiting for Nissan to let me buy a LEAF and have the EV driving experience every day. Until then, I'll be visiting the gas station from time to time to fill up the tank in my Chevy Malibu. Looks like I'll be doing that until next spring.

I had a taste of the LEAF driving experience last week when I rented the Hertz LEAF from NYC for a couple days and brought it to my house so I could try using it a bit. The price of gas is irrelavant to me. The LEAF is simply a better driving experience. My friend said I should have called Hertz and told them I wasn't bringing the LEAF back so how much did I owe them.

 

[Caracalover]

Ok, so you want to pry the Leaf out of my hands to go use this stuff called gasoline.

Now, I charge my Leaf at home, could I do that with gasoline? No? I have to stop in my travel to fill up a tank with a combustable liquid that could explode? Hmmm

What if I can't find a station? I can get electricity at home, work, and most places I go, but to get this gasoline I have to go someplace where trucks that burn gasoline bring it? So there are these huge combustable vehicles on the road with me? Hmmm

What about service? I mean, the Leaf has to get the tires rotated every so often, would gasoline stop that - that would be nice - No? Still have to do that? What, and smog checks? Oil changes, you mean gasoline isn't the only thing that has to be replaced? Sorry, you lost me, don't think you will be able to sell any of those around here, I mean come on now, are you serious?