range anxiety

Greetings!  As posted on April 30, my “green” evolution drove my interest in moving from a hybrid to a completely electric vehicle. After a fair amount of studying the matter, I happily purchased a Nissan Leaf. Surprisingly the electric car has a fair amount of power. It’s much zipper than my 2005 Toyota Prius. The Leaf has a number of nonessential amenities I came to appreciate. However, I fixated on the mileage with every single outing. On a full charge the Leaf can go plus or minus 100 miles. When I was considering the purchase that seemed plenty as my daily commute never exceeds 60 miles. 

Here are the mileage quirks: the 100 electric miles do not actually work as a true true mile for mile. The Leaf uses extra energy 9miles) when climbing hills and during Interstate travel. The heater also draws on the power source and deletes the number of miles. Thus, on a full charge the 60 mile commute used over 80 units of power in cold weather. Since I’ve been posting on this site, I have been clear about my distaste for being cold. In tandem these items led to a severe case of range anxiety. Furthermore, the occasion change of plans during a day or inability to secure a charging station (regular cars parked in reserved charging spaces) caused mileage concerns for me.

Outside of the range anxiety, the great state of Georgia withdrew all incentives for having an alternate vehicle. Moreover, the Georgia legislature further penalized electric car drivers for their environmental commitment by tacking on a $200 charge to the annual ad valorem taxes. I crumbled under the stress of it all.

Though I loved the idea of having a fully electric car, now is not the time. Thus, I returned to the hybrid. To my delight the 2015 Prius increased the capacity of the electric mode giving it an average of 55 miles per gallon. If you drive carefully you can get 60. Funny enough, after the transition back to a hybrid I remain fixated on millage, now I am celebrating more miles rather less.

Avoid range anxiety. Run.

Tom