Onell Soto was the first reporter in the United States to test-drive a Nissan Leaf last year.
"So I signed up for the Nissan Leaf last year, partly as an excuse to stay on top of announcements about the electric car, partly because it's exciting to be in front of a trend, partly because I wanted to take part in cutting our addiction to oil.
From a practical perspective, the car's range limitations don't bother me.
Nissan says the Leaf has a range of 100 miles before recharging. The EPA puts it at 73. So there's the fear that you'd get stuck with a dead car far from a plug. And that mileage varies significantly with the weather, terrain and your driving style. The weather's not a problem here, but San Diego is hilly, and I like going freeway speeds on freeways.
Still, I live five miles from work. I can use a company car for trips to the nether reaches of my beat, and the other car in our two-car household, a convertible VW New Beetle, for road trips.
Then there's the money. I've only bought a new car once — I'm of the school that thinks you get a better bang for your buck with a used car. And my current car, a 2005 Nissan Altima, works just fine, getting 22 mpg around town. All things being equal, I'd probably stick with that car for another three or four years, at least until we pay off the other car in the house.
At $38,630 including tax, destination and other charges, the Leaf I ordered isn't cheap, though there are generous incentives. The state is offering a $5,000 rebate. The feds, a $7,500 tax credit.
I signed up for a program that will give you a free home charging station if you take part in an electric-vehicle research program.
So, is the electric car worth it? When I ordered the car, I figured I'd do the math when the time came and decide then.
And I kept putting that off, because I knew delays from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami had caused problems with deliveries. Nissan sent me an e-mail just last week saying the car won't be here until June.
Then, this week, the Nissan dealer called. The car is here. Yikes. It's time to do the math.
The quick math calculation is this: My car payment today is zero. Buying the Leaf will cost $38,630 before the incentives, which, if I put $5,000 down will give me a monthly payment of $631 a month, at 4.79 percent interest over five years. (Nissan is leasing the car for $379 a month, with $1,999 down, but I don't like leasing cars.)
Zero being less than $631, this is simple. Advantage old car.
But, of course, it's not that simple. First, there are the fuel costs.
I drive about 1,000 miles a month. At 22 mpg, that's 45.5 gallons of gas. And at $4 a gallon, that comes out to $181 a month in fuel payments.
The EPA estimates that driving a Leaf 15,000 miles a year will cost $561 for the whole year. That's $46.75 a month. Now, our electric rates are higher than the national average, but I drive less than that. And figuring out exactly what I would pay isn't easy, because what SDG&E will charge me will depend on when I charge. Less at night. More during the day.
Here, it's advantage Leaf: From a pure cost perspective, driving electric will save about $135 a month, and that's assuming gas prices stay at $4 a gallon. (The average price of gas in San Diego Thursday was $4.21. It will go up this summer. It will go down this fall. I'm assuming it will average $4.)
The difference in fuel and financing comes to $499.
Add in the extra $30 a month it will cost to insure the Leaf, and that's $529.
So far, the economics are tilting towards keeping the old car.
But it's an old car. I'm spending about $600 a year on maintenance. The Leaf doesn't need oil changes, and for a while, the maintenance costs will be zero.
Buying the Leaf will cost me $479 more a month than driving my Altima.
But here's where the economics get interesting. Remember those state and federal incentives designed to get people to buy electric cars? Well, they're $12,500.
Lookie here. I could stash that money aside, and pay for the extra cost of driving the Leaf for 26 months, until the summer of 2013.
After 2013, the economics tilt back towards keeping the old car.
By the time the Leaf is paid off, in 2016, I'll have paid $14,460 more than it cost to keep the old car. (Assuming gas prices don't go up, and maintenance charges stay the same, and I actually keep the old car.)
Over those five years, the average extra cost will be $241 a month. That's the cost of buying a new car over an old one.
I haven't decided. What do you think?"
Em: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011 ... uy-a-leaf/