Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.
My first EV, a 2014 Nisan Leaf. My first ebike. Timpanogos Aspen Grove Trailhead. Sundance Utah. May 20, 2014. Fritz Hasler photo.
On February 31, 2014, twelve years and four months ago, I took the plunge and leased my first battery electric car, a 2014 Nissan Leaf. As you can see from the 100% electric sticker, I immediately became an EV evangelist. At $200/month, I figured that I would easily save that much doing all my local travel on electricity instead of buying gas. It had an EPA range of only 81 miles. I could make the 42-mile run to Salt Lake International Airport and the 49 miles to my winter job as a ski instructor at Brighton Ski Area, but only if I stopped to charge at one of the only three CHADEMO chargers in the metropolitan area at Nissan dealers in Salt Lake City on the way home. If that single charger was occupied, I had to wait while the other driver finished charging. I often had to slow down, dress in full ski gear clothes in winter, and drive with the heat turned off in order to make it back to my $700 L2 charger in my garage. In the summer, I often had to turn off the AC to make the trip. I could also make the 43 mile trip to my daughter’s house in Park City, Utah, because she had purchased a Tesla Model X and had a charger, where four hours of charging at her house would get me back home again.
