4 ms·

I have a Nissan Leaf. It retails at $29k, before the tax incentive. They can be leased with no down payment for $250/mo. It's fun to drive, well-made, I absolut

by embwbam 11y ago

I have a Nissan Leaf. It retails at $29k, before the tax incentive. They can be leased with no down payment for $250/mo. It's fun to drive, well-made, I absolutely love it. Teslas are expensive, but if you want an electric car there are many affordable options.

ghaff 11y ago
You pay for it with range though in the less expensive options. Even as a second car, 80 mile battery range is pretty much useless for me. Yeah, I could run some local errands or commute to my office but I couldn't even drive in to the city for dinner or some other evening activity (a bit over 40 miles each way).
- mikeash 11y ago
  If you can charge while you do your evening activity (becoming pretty common these days) then it would be practical for that. I don't mean to argue that this makes the EV perfect, but it's something to consider just on the off chance that you'd otherwise want to buy one.
  - ghaff 11y ago
    Not really an option. It's typically street parking. I'd seriously consider an affordable and nice to drive EV but my range threshold is probably 200 miles--at least 150. Otherwise, there would be too much "Do I have enough range?" fiddling for my common use cases--especially once the battery degrades a bit.
    - mikeash 11y ago
      I'm pretty much with you. If and when the prophesied $30,000 200-mile EV happens, it'll really change the game. I do see a lot of Leafs charging around here in various places, so it does seem like a reasonably practical alternative for many. I get nervous if I have to charge away from home, myself.
      - ghaff 11y ago
        I have a sporty 2-seater Honda del Sol that gets great gas mileage (but which was apparently too impractical for the typical Civic buyer and not enough of a sports car for the typical Miata etc. buyer). An EV would be a perfect replacement if it holds out long enough. But the range needs to be able to cover all my local area drives even if I'm willing to forgo using it for longer drives out to the mountains in favor of my SUV.

by embwbam 11y ago

ghaff 11y ago

You pay for it with range though in the less expensive options. Even as a second car, 80 mile battery range is pretty much useless for me. Yeah, I could run some local errands or commute to my office but I couldn't even drive in to the city for dinner or some other evening activity (a bit over 40 miles each way).

mikeash 11y ago
If you can charge while you do your evening activity (becoming pretty common these days) then it would be practical for that. I don't mean to argue that this makes the EV perfect, but it's something to consider just on the off chance that you'd otherwise want to buy one.
- ghaff 11y ago
  Not really an option. It's typically street parking. I'd seriously consider an affordable and nice to drive EV but my range threshold is probably 200 miles--at least 150. Otherwise, there would be too much "Do I have enough range?" fiddling for my common use cases--especially once the battery degrades a bit.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    I'm pretty much with you. If and when the prophesied $30,000 200-mile EV happens, it'll really change the game. I do see a lot of Leafs charging around here in various places, so it does seem like a reasonably practical alternative for many. I get nervous if I have to charge away from home, myself.
    - ghaff 11y ago
      I have a sporty 2-seater Honda del Sol that gets great gas mileage (but which was apparently too impractical for the typical Civic buyer and not enough of a sports car for the typical Miata etc. buyer). An EV would be a perfect replacement if it holds out long enough. But the range needs to be able to cover all my local area drives even if I'm willing to forgo using it for longer drives out to the mountains in favor of my SUV.