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I made the leap to an electric car in May 2018 when we purchased a 2018 Nissan Leaf. Since then, I’ve put on more than 12,500 miles and survived the coldest temperatures Minneapolis has seen since 1996. I am still in love with this car! People often tell me they’d like to buy an electric sometime in the future and then give me an excuse for why it can’t be today. The reality is the technology is further developed than you think. It does take a leap of faith to make the switch, but after you’ve charged your car for the first time, you will be proud of the huge way you are helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and how you are saving our planet for ours and future generations! Below is my rebuttal to each of these excuses.
1) I drive a lot. Would an electric car be able to get me where I need to go?
In the 8 months that I’ve owned my Nissan Leaf, I’ve put on over 12,500 miles. My commute to work is 30 miles, so each day I’m driving at least 60 miles. In the summer, even with this distance, I only need to charge my car every other day (120-150 miles). In the winter (15-30degF), I need to charge more frequently (90-120 miles). As it gets colder than that, I won’t run the battery down as far between charges because you just never know if you might happen on cold and icy roads. I’ve been charging daily when the temperatures reach 0-15degF (60-75 miles). When it was ridiculously cold last week (-30degF), I plugged it in every time I got out of the car so I could use the pre-heat function (read question 3).
One trip from Minneapolis to Rochester, MN, that I made around Christmas was a little rough. There is a stretch of 87 miles between charging locations. This isn’t a big deal in the summer, but with reduced range combined from the cold temperature and constant highway speeds, I kept the heat off to be able to get more distance. I was miserable by the time I got to my destination, but I’m hopeful someone will add a charging station along Hwy 52 and this won’t be an issue in future years.
2) What happens when the car runs out of battery power?
“Jumping” an electric car wouldn’t help you. If you run out of power, you will need to get your car towed and then recharge it. Despite driving long distances and dealing with extremely cold weather, I haven’t had any instances yet of running the battery down too low or getting close. Owning an EV does require a bit more planning. I need to have an idea of where I’m going the next day, so I know when I know if and where I need to charge. This is something that takes a bit of an adjustment, but within a few months, your “range anxiety” will go away and knowing when to charge will become like a habit (same as knowing when you need to gas up your car).
3) It’s very cold where I live. How will an electric car handle sub-zero temperatures?
Last week, I drove my Nissan Leaf when it was -30degF. It was so cold, the post office shut down. The only negative I noticed in driving my EV, was that my range was reduced to about 75 miles. But who would want to drive more than 75 miles when it’s that cold?
A few positives of driving an EV in that kind of cold – 1) There’s no fluid in an electric car, so there’s nothing that can freeze. The battery does not have to work any harder. The reduced driving range comes from the battery being cold, and as I’m running the heat or the defrost it’s drawing power from the main battery. 2) There were so many cars that didn’t start in our parking lot at work that they brought in a car service to jump cars. There were no issues starting any of the electric cars. 3) If anything, you should be jealous of EV drivers in sub-zero temperatures. Before I get out of my car, I program it with my return time and what temperature I want the car heated to. I never got into a cold car last week, despite it being -30degF.
4) I don’t have a way to charge an electric car at my home. How would I keep it charged?
There are three ways to charge your car, and the first is just plugging it into a wall outlet (110V) in your garage. This is all that we currently have, and this has worked just fine for us. It takes about 30 hours to fully charge the battery, but I’ve never needed to fully charge the battery from home.
The second way to charge is a level 2 station (220V). This takes 7-8 hours. We have several level 2 stations at work. I plug my car in, go to work, and when I am ready to leave, my car is fully charged. If you don’t have a level 2 station at work, you can install these in your garage. The electric company often offers the electricity used on this on this line at a cheaper rate.
The last way to charge is a quick charger (440V). This charges your battery to 80% in 30 minutes. This is how you travel long distances. As more and more of these quick charge stations are being built, it will get easier and easier to drive anywhere with an electric car.
5) Aren’t electric cars more expensive?
The price tag of an electric car is higher than those of comparable internal combustion engine models. But this initial cost is not the only price of driving a car. First, there is still a tax credit available for some models of electric vehicles. This is a little confusing, and the best people to ask are the car salesmen, but essentially there is a $7,500 tax credit if you purchase one of the first 200,000 electric cars from a car maker. Tesla and General Motors have already reached this cap, but Nissan, Ford, Toyota, and BMW have not yet. This can be a great way to bring down the initial cost of the vehicle.
Now consider the price of driving the car. You will never buy gas again. And there are several places where you can charge your car for free. When was the last time someone bought you gas? I’ve owned my car for 8 months, and I’ve only paid to charge my car at a public location 3 times so far. My employer offers free charging, Nissan dealerships are free, and Hy-Vees offer free charging as well. In the winter, I’ve had to charge at home, so driving an EV isn’t entirely free, but electricity is cheaper than gas.
6) What about the battery? Isn’t it expensive to have to replace?
The battery is expensive, yes. But this is something else to talk with a car salesman about. The battery of our Nissan Leaf is included in the bumper to bumper warranty, and we purchased an extended warranty to cover us through 8 years, which is realistically when we will need to replace the car based on how much I drive. This extended warranty includes the battery, so it doesn’t matter that it’s expensive. Also consider that there isn’t as much that can break under the hood of an electric car compared with an internal combustion engine. Overall, maintaining an electric car should be cheaper.
7) Are electric cars safe?
The 2018 Nissan Leaf has a 5-star safety rating in the European NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) Crash Tests. My car has also handles well on ice, snow, and in the extreme cold.
8) What if electric cars are just a fad but don’t have a long-term future in the US?
According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), in 2016, 28% of the US greenhouse gas emissions resulted from transportation (this is tied with electricity generation). This matters a lot because global carbon emissions reached a new high in 2018. According to the UN Report from Oct 2018, if we make no changes, our planet will reach the 1.5degC global tipping point in climate change as early as 2030. In order to keep Earth from reaching this Tipping Point, as a planet, we need to cut fossil fuel usage by 50% in the next 3 years, and then another 50% in the following 10 years.
Essentially, electric vehicles can’t be just a fad – it is one of the key changes we need to make to save our planet from destruction.
9) Electric cars aren’t really zero emission, are they?
When you drive an electric vehicle, you emit no greenhouse gases. There’s no tailpipe on an electric car. Whether or not it is zero emission therefore depends on where the energy came from that was used to charge it. If the energy came from a coal plant, then there were emissions generated. But more and more charging stations are becoming solar-powered, and then yes, drive to your heart’s content – you are driving emission free!
10) What’s the harm in waiting a few more years?
The harm in waiting is huge! I’ll repeat the statement from the 2018 UN report again – We need to cut fossil fuel usage by 50% in the next 3 years and then another 50% in the following 10 years to avoid global catastrophe. 50% worldwide! That’s you and me that need to make a change right now. If you buy a new car gas-powered car today and drive for 8 or so more years, we’ve passed the chance to save our planet. That means more wildfires, more droughts, more hurricanes, droughts, and on and on. When you need to purchase your next car, please please, please at least test drive an electric car! Talk with the salesmen. Talk with other EV owners. If you have questions, send me an email: NatureImpactsUs@gmail.com
Say goodbye to your gas bill and enjoy a pre-heated car in the cold. There are plenty of other benefits to owning an EV in addition to the environmental impact you’ll be making.