Canada's first all electric car

[Topaz]

A man from Ottawa has purchased the first all electric-car and like others Canadians he was tired of the high cost of gasoline. My question is how much is it going to cost to recharge the batteries on his hydro which take seven hours to do so? http://ca.news.yahoo.com/fully-electric-car-makes-debut-canada-185059628.html

[bush_cheney2004]

I don't know how much the electricity will cost him, but I know how much this car has cost the American taxpayer:

WASHINGTON — The Nissan Leaf electric vehicle and its lithium-ion battery packs will both be produced in Smyrna, Tennessee, now that the U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to lend $1.4 billion to Nissan North America. The loan closing was announced Thursday by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. Nissan will use the money to modify the Smyrna facility for Leaf vehicle and battery production.

The loan is part of the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which was included in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.

[capricorn]

A man from Ottawa has purchased the first all electric-car and like others Canadians he was tired of the high cost of gasoline. My question is how much is it going to cost to recharge the batteries on his hydro which take seven hours to do so? http://ca.news.yahoo.com/fully-electric-car-makes-debut-canada-185059628.html

That's 7 hours on a special charging dock hooked into the home's hydro, which costs about $2,000. to install. It would take 20 hours on regular hydro for a full battery charge; that's not good news if you have a smart meter and have to pay peak hour hydro rates.

Before you get too charged about cutting your commuting costs, consider that the Leaf's $38,395 starting price would purchase many more substantial vehicles. You must also factor in about $2,000 to have the Nissan-branded home charging dock, with its industry-standard connector, wired into the house's electrical panel and installed where the car will be parked.

The charging dock in Borba's garage will fully fuel the Leaf in less than eight hours; a recharge takes closer to 20 hours when the car is plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet. A higher-voltage charging system, designed for places such as shopping mall parking lots, would charge a spent battery to a maximum of 80 per cent of its capacity in as little as 30 minutes.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Charging+into+future+driving/5451697/story.html

It's about 160 km (115 miles) from Ottawa to Montreal. I suppose your electric car could get there if you don't run into too much traffic, construction or the odd accident, or turn on the air conditioner in summer. Then in Montreal you'd have to locate a public charging station and have to spend the night there waiting for the juice up. Just to be safe, you'd probably stay home and limit yourself to trips to the local mall. Convenience and freedom of mobility? Not by my standards.

[Wild Bill]

A man from Ottawa has purchased the first all electric-car and like others Canadians he was tired of the high cost of gasoline. My question is how much is it going to cost to recharge the batteries on his hydro which take seven hours to do so? http://ca.news.yahoo.com/fully-electric-car-makes-debut-canada-185059628.html

I've read that the actual electricity from charging a Leaf at night, when McGuinty's rates are cheapest, is about 1/6th the cost of an equivalent amount of gasoline.

Of course, there was no mention of all the related costs people in this thread have already mentioned. Also, if enough people switched to all-electric cars how long would it be before the government jacked up the price of electricity? Those of us old enough to have been driving in the early 80's can remember how diesel fuel was MUCH cheaper than regular gas! Then there was a bit of a move towards more diesel cars and suddenly the cost of diesel rose to be the same or even a bit more than regular, seriously hurting the truckers!

This was even more suspicious when you consider that diesel grade is refined first, and THEN refined some more to make regular gasoline! It should ALWAYS be cheaper!

Both the oil companies and the government are in cahoots to ensure that Joe Citizen is always being bled just to the point of dying, without actually killing him!

[Topaz]

The oil companies are now into the Green Energy, so no matter what consummers go to these companies are making the money.

[Wilber]

That's 7 hours on a special charging dock hooked into the home's hydro, which costs about $2,000. to install. It would take 20 hours on regular hydro for a full battery charge; that's not good news if you have a smart meter and have to pay peak hour hydro rates.

According to Nissan, that's 7 hours charging at 220V, which our homes already have. Using their 480V charging dock, it will charge to 80% in 30 minutes. These times are from a depleted battery.

[capricorn]

Thanks Wilber.

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index#/leaf-electric-car/faq/list/charging

I was going with the information provided in my linked article. Obviously, an owner would opt to install the Nissan quick charger.

[Wilber]

Thanks Wilber.

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index#/leaf-electric-car/faq/list/charging

I was going with the information provided in my linked article. Obviously, an owner would opt to install the Nissan quick charger.

Guess it would depend on what you are using if for. Many people might not find it necessary if just doing short commutes or city driving. It could also depend on what kind of charging options you might have at your destination.

[Keepitsimple]

The oil companies are now into the Green Energy, so no matter what consummers go to these companies are making the money.

That's the sad thing about the naiveness of the anti "Big Oil" crowd. Big Oil doesn't care about whether you buy their oil - or build so-called Clean Energy facilities to stand alongside their oil. They have the money and when the time is right, they'll gladly accept the government grants and invest their money in "green" alternatives. Remember - Big Oil is not a collection of oil companies - they are energy companies and their money will go where it makes the most sense for their shareholders. And in the meantime, these anti-oil dupes will be creating conditions that help to raise the price of oil. Consequently, there's no "conspriacy" in Big Oil against clean energy or "the fight against Global Warming". They win either way. There's no Darth Vader - just a bunch of shareholders waiting for a solid economic business case to plow more money into clean energy.

Edited September 30, 2011 by Keepitsimple

[waldo]

... they are energy companies and their money will go where it makes the most sense for their shareholders....just a bunch of shareholders waiting for a solid economic business case to plow more money into clean energy.

that's right, Simple... you've captured it most succinctly... the BigOil timeline aligned with shareholder gain, at the expense of the planet's pain! Notwithstanding, of course, your ignoring of the actual influence BigOil is bringing to bear on your stated preferred BigOil/shareholder timeline.

[Bonam]

I got a ride in a coworker's Nissan Leaf a few days ago. First time I'd ridden in a production all-electric car. It's pretty cool. Super quiet, and the acceleration profile is very very different from a gas car. Has some fancy gauges that let you monitor exactly how many kW of power you are using. You can see the power usage change as you turn on lights/beams/AC, etc. You can also see the power you're regenerating when braking.

When I next buy a car, probably in a few years, I'll definitely look into electrics. The range should be further improved by then, and a wider range of models should be available.

[jacee]

That's 7 hours on a special charging dock hooked into the home's hydro, which costs about $2,000. to install. It would take 20 hours on regular hydro for a full battery charge; that's not good news if you have a smart meter and have to pay peak hour hydro rates.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Charging+into+future+driving/5451697/story.html

It's about 160 km (115 miles) from Ottawa to Montreal. I suppose your electric car could get there if you don't run into too much traffic, construction or the odd accident, or turn on the air conditioner in summer. Then in Montreal you'd have to locate a public charging station and have to spend the night there waiting for the juice up. Just to be safe, you'd probably stay home and limit yourself to trips to the local mall. Convenience and freedom of mobility? Not by my standards.

I don't think anyone is planning on using them for distances, but we should have had them for cities long ago.

[bush_cheney2004]

I don't think anyone is planning on using them for distances, but we should have had them for cities long ago.

We did....1880's to about 1920. Guess what replaced them and why.

[Bonam]

I don't think anyone is planning on using them for distances, but we should have had them for cities long ago.

It's not realistic for many people to have two different cars, depending on where they are planning to drive that day.

[fellowtraveller]

There's no Darth Vader - just a bunch of shareholders waiting for a solid economic business case to plow more money into clean energy.

Yep. Witness Shell moving bigtime into LNG production and all other aspects of global natural gas recently.

I wonder if the Leaf runs better or worse on power prodcued at coal plants?

It's not realistic for many people to have two different cars, depending on where they are planning to drive that day.

It is also not necessary. A 160 km range before charging is pretty good, certainly enough for most people who live in city or suburbia. I guess you could rent a gasoline car for long trips.