Got a 2013 leaf from Premier Nissan in San Jose, California, on July 4th. Its a lease.
The car was "for my wife", but I figured out rapidly it made sense for whoever commuted to
drive the car, since that cuts the gas used.
The car was $189 lease on $4000 drive off expenses. With california rebate of $2500, that takes
the driveoff down to $1500. I figure it takes my $2000 approximate yearly gas cost down to $500,
so this leaf is pretty much free.
I accelerated my plan to get the leaf mainly because I found out that my company was finishing
the install of 12 level 2 chargers, and I could charge up at work. That would save me from needing
a level 2 charger immediately.
In practice, I have more than enough charge options. The level 1 charge at home has been sufficient
for my commute, and I'll be putting in the level 2 charger at home this weekend. There is a DC
charger a couple of blocks away that I tried out mostly for the fun of it.
So far, the vehicle is great. I have been using it for all tasks, and my gas truck has been sitting
at home. The car is very zippy and has more room than my ranger does in the cab. because I have
got in the habit of leaving the car charged whenever possible, errands have not been a problem.
I only got down to 10 miles left because I wanted to, so I could see how the fast charge works.
If I might brag a bit, here in California, an electric car is a guilt free experience, unlike what has
been going on in the press of late. We get between 20% to 30% of electricity entirely from
renewables, and the rest is natural gas.
Imagine what it would be like if everyone who had a second car got an electric as the second car.
the resulting drop in oil would send a shock around the world!
Scott Moore
in San Jose, CA