But even driving a Prius, you’re still going to the gas pump and your gas expenses, while shrinking, are not going away. There is a way to make gas a thing of the past, however, and that’s to embrace a full electric, like the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf has a range of up to 100 miles, and can be recharged in about 7 hours from the same 220V power outlet that your clothes dryer is plugged into. If you’re like most Americans, owning a Leaf as a second car would allow you to entirely eliminate gasoline from your daily commuting – and drop your cost below the price of a latte. Nissan says a full charge costs about $2.40, based on the average cost of electricity in the U.S.
But as attractive as is the notion of kissing gasoline goodbye, we’re willing to admit that an electric car – even as a second car – doesn’t work for all but the most enthusiastic of early adopters. And that’s pretty much why General Motors developed the Chevy Volt. The Volt only has an electric range of about 30-35 miles, which is still far enough that many people could use it strictly as an electric car during their weekly commuting. But the Volt also has a gasoline-powered engine in it. So when you run out of juice in the Volt, it automatically switches on the gas engine and the car suffers no degradation in performance. Then you can just recharge it when you get back home. It’s the perfect way to try out the electric lifestyle, without any of the worries about adapting your vehicular needs to the range of your battery pack.
Research the Nissan LEAF
Nissan LEAF & Information
Nissan LEAF Specs
Nissan LEAF Local Dealer Price Quote