We took delivery of a 2012 LEAF on AUG 19th, and since have put over 1,100
miles on it for use w/ our family of 4. Daily commuting (mainly freeway) as
well as errands and weekend family adventures. One Saturday on a full
charge we went from our home in North Seattle, down to Kent, up to Kirkland
and back home (again, mostly freeway.) Effectively a loop around Lake
Washington.

Here in the Pacific NW, we get a lot of electricity from dams on the
waterways, less from coal/nuclear. We now have 3 DC Quick Chargers in the
city of Seattle, that will get me to 80% battery capacity in 20minutes -
this will get us 60-90 miles, dependent on conditions. There is a network
of these DCQC's being built out along the "electric highway" - starting in
Bellingham along the WA/Canada border, down to the OR/CA border. CA is
working on their network to complete the connection to the Mexico border.

LEAF owners have regularly made the trip between SEA & PDX, as well as
across WA2 to Wenatchee. Sure, there's a lifestyle change with the "range
anxiety" - but I've learned in the 18 months of owning my Vanagon, that
part of the adventure is the drive moreso than the destination. I go 150
miles in my van before I like to fill up, not too far off with the range we
get in a full charge in the LEAF.

... just wanted to make sure some decent "real world" info on current
electrics is getting passed around.

CHEERS!
-Fel
Seattle, WA

On Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 7:10 AM, Automatic digest processor <
LISTSERV@gerry.vanagon.com> wrote:

> There are 7 messages totalling 1118 lines in this issue.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Tom Hargrave
> Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2012 12:56 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Electric conversions (Chevy Volt)
>
> Electricity for electric vehicles comes from natural gas or coal burned at
> the local power plant, unless you live near a Nuclear Power Plant like I
> do.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
> Scott Daniel - Turbovans
> Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 11:36 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Electric conversions (Chevy Volt)
>
> Obviously the shift from the Age of Oil to the Age of the Electron will
> happen, has to happen.
>
> I would also say there is a serious problem, in the bigger picture, about
> where all this electricity will come from.
>
> On 9/14/2012 8:17 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
> > My company in its effort to be green has installed a dual charging
> > station in two of our facilities and let electric car owners us them
> > free
> of charge.
> > We have a brother/sister pair with a "Volt" each, one black (his) and
> white.
> > The two of them just rave about driving them. I am curious though if
> > they are effective for long distance use say NY to Florida. I am
> > currently down in Florida and ended up renting a 2011 Ford Focus. In
> > mixed driving it is still doing ~33mpg. Doing highway from the airport
> > to moms house it was doing almost 40mpg. Except for lots of tire noise
> > from worn out tires, the slipping transmission, and confusing controls
> > at first I am almost beginning to like it!
> >
> > Dennis
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> > Behalf Of Kim Brennan
> > Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 10:23 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Electric conversions (Chevy Volt)
> >
> > I recently replaced my main commuter car with a (leased) 2013 Chevy Volt.
> > I'm addicted to electric only (300+ all electric miles only on it
> > since I got it.
> -----
> No virus found in this message.
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Date:    Sat, 15 Sep 2012 08:53:22 -0500
> From:    Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
> Subject: Re: Electric conversions (Chevy Volt)
>
> Well, for right now, electric only cars like the Leaf are not for highway
> use, they are for commuting.  Hybrids, whether Volt type or Prius type are
> for use on the road.  I guess the Volt remains to be proven.
>
> Eventually you will be able to pull off the road into a battery station,
> swap batteries, and keep moving, no longer stop than you do now for liquid
> fuel.
>
> American manufacturers have been reluctant to build electric vehicles
> because of the cost of development and the cost of proving the market, not
> because they are a bad idea.
>
> I agree that the manufacturers will reach 50 mpg for a sedan.  They won't
> reach the equivalent of 80 or 100 mpg, unless they opt for electric
> propulsion.
>
> mcneely