Our first Electric Vehicle - A Nissan Leaf

Well we finally got there, and took delivery of our first all Electric Vehicle (EV) on Tuesday the 13th this week with our fingers crossed!  It was only a couple of weeks ago we took the plunge and placed our order, and before we knew it, we were driving our new Nissan Leaf away from the dealers forecourt off into the real world.

Having lived with the car for a few days now, I thought it a good idea to write a few lines about our first experiences with it.

We had researched the the Nissan Leaf fairly well and are pleased to say that, so far we have had no surprises. We just drive it during the day, shuttling from home, to work, to school, to the station, plug it in at night into a standard 13amp domestic socket, and by the morning it is fully charged, ready for use again at the cost of approximately £1.50 - It will even email you to remind you to plug it in should you forget! 

The 90 miles fully charged range works well for us as our daily mileage is roughly 40 miles, and needless to say, the zero emissions and zero rated Road Fund licence are a real plus.

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Fully charged with 98 miles and ready to go!

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In addition to that, it's very comfortable, and very quiet, almost silent inside. This all helps to make it the most relaxing car we have ever driven and somehow it always makes you feel very happy driving it.

We were surprised that people seem to know very little generally about EV's, and one of our friends was even surprised to find that it not only had a heater, but also full climate control! The reaction from most people when seeing it is usually amazement, that it is powered only by batteries, and not some kind of hybrid. Also, just how like a "normal" car it is and when taking them for a drive, how unlike a milk float it is! 

So, the only time we stop at a petrol station now with the Leaf is to grab a paper, or pick up a sandwich for lunch!

To be continued...

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