With the release of the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt, the future of electric vehicles is finally here. However, this does not mean that an electric vehicle is right for everyone. As with any new technology, there are several potential problems that could make the purchase of an electric vehicle impractical. Before you even consider purchasing an electric vehicle you should ask yourself these three questions:
Electric Vehicles are not cheap! The Nissan LEAF is an all-electric vehicle and costs $10,000 more than a Nissan Altima 2.5 S, while the Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid (featuring an electric motor with a gas-powered engine for backup) that costs over $18,000 more than a fully loaded Chevrolet Cruze LTZ. If you decide to purchase either the LEAF or Volt you will have a monthly payment of over $600 even with a 10% down payment. You will also need to buy a charger for you house, which can cost $2,000. However, there is a $7,500 federal tax credit to offset some of the vehicle’s price, there are tax credits for the charger, and some states have additional tax credits.
How far do you drive? The Nissan LEAF runs on electric power only and has a maximum range of 73 miles (according to the EPA) before it will need to be recharged. If you frequently take round trips longer than this maximum range, then the LEAF is definitely not right for you - unless you have another vehicle you can use for such trips or if your destination has a charging station. Range can be reduced in both very hot and cold weather because the air conditioner and heater are both powered by the battery. The Chevrolet Volt does not have the same issue with range because of its gas engine backup. You should still consider how far you drive on a regular basis for the Volt, because its gas-only fuel economy is just 35/40 mpg, worse than several hybrids and not much better than some gas-only models.
Do I have a place for a charging station?Both the LEAF and Volt need to be plugged in, and it takes quite a few hours to fully charge their batteries. With the 120-volt charger (connected to a standard house outlet) it will take 20 hours for the LEAF and 10 for the Volt. If you purchase the 240V charger this will be reduced to seven hours for the LEAF and four for the Volt. Do you have a garage? Does your apartment complex have charging stations? If you do not have a secure place to charge your LEAF or Volt, an electric vehicle is probably not a good choice. There are portable chargers on wheels, but these will not fully charge up the LEAF or Volt and they will be extremely heavy. What's more, it seems undesirable to haul a portable charger out to your vehicle and then either hang around for several hours while it charges or leave a very expensive piece of equipment unattended.
If you've answered yes to all three of our initial questions, then an electric vehicle could work for you. If you've answered no to any of them, then don't even consider an electric vehicle until the technology improves enough so that you can answer yes to all of them.
