Charging Costs
As far as the cost of driving, we're still at zero fuel costs due to our home's solar power and the Time of Use electrical rates for EV charging from our utility, SCE. I should mention some detail on that. During the winter months, the Time of Use rates are less beneficial to us because the Peak rates during the daytime peak solar generating hours are lower than those during the summer. Because of this, because the sunny hours are fewer, and because of our higher household power usage, especially during the holidays, we had another month when our monthly charge was close to $100. But we began the month with a net metering credit of $224 due to a credit balance built up during the summer months. So after December, month ten of our net metering year, we still have a credit balance of $124.
By the end of February, when our net metering year ends, we'll probably have used up our credit balance and we'll likely owe a small balance of under $100 for the entire year. That cost will cover all of our household power use as well as the cost of charging our LEAF. Some of this extra cost will have been due to LEAF charging, but an almost equal amount will have been due to having extra family members living with us for the last eight months of the year. We'll see how this settles out in a couple of months, but I'm very happy that our total costs for electrical power will be so low.
So what else might you be wondering about the LEAF?
How far can I drive on a full charge?: Between 70 and 85 miles under most circumstances. A bit less at high speeds or aggressive driving, or on hills or in very cold temperatures. A bit more at lower speeds and with conservative driving. The "tank" is full every morning, so you can drive mileage like this every day. How many miles do you drive daily?
To learn more about LEAF driving range, read this thread on the My Nissan LEAF forum. A member, Tony Williams, has developed a downloadable mileage chart for various driving speeds and conditions. here
How long does it take to charge?: About four hours, most nights, while we're sleeping. Quick charging stations are being installed which will charge a LEAF to 80% full in about 30 minutes.
Is it slow and pokey, like a golf cart?: Absolutely not. The LEAF is peppy and quick, like a normal small car, but it does it with incredible smoothness and quiet. It also climbs hills like a champ.
Doesn't charging an EV just shift the pollution to the power plant?: No, even if all of the power came from a coal-fired power plant, the pollution and CO2 produced would be less than from the same number of miles driven with a gasoline car. And don't forget that drilling, transporting and refining that crude oil into gasoline uses a bunch of power and causes even more pollution. By contrast, electric cars can be charged using power from cleaner sources, such as hydro, wind geothermal, natural gas and solar, as our car is.
Won't we need to build a lot more power plants to charge EVs?: No. EVs are most cost effective when charged during late night hours, when electrical demand is low. We could put millions of new EVs on US roads without building a single additional power plant.
What about maintenance costs?: So far, our maintenance costs have been zero. That includes the first maintenance at 7,500 miles, which included just a tire rotation and some inspections. Because the LEAF has so few mechanical parts as compared with a gasoline car, maintenance costs are expected to continue to be low.
But what about the cost of replacing the battery?: The main batteries of the LEAF are warrantied for eight years and 100,000 miles. When they need to be replaced, the cost will be several thousand dollars. But these costs are expected to drop over time, as have the replacement cost of Prius hybrid batteries. And compared with the expected maintenance costs of a gasoline car over eight years, the costs will likely be similar. But our choice was to lease the LEAF for 39 months, so we won't be paying for any battery replacements.
What problems have owners been having?: Very few, really. Some have recently reported that the sidewalls on the tires are not very durable, and there has been some edge wear on the front tires. The car lacks a spare tire, which, given the relative fragility of the tires, seems short sighted (though the LEAF comes with three years of roadside assistance and towing). Some windshields have cracked, but this is common on new cars, as the glass is made thinner to reduce weight. The brakes are grabby at very low speeds, like when driving slowly in parking lots. There have been a very few reports of unexpected electronic faults, but these have been unusual and sporadic. Some owners feel that the paint is thin. The climate control is designed so that if you need to defrost the windshield, the heater must come on, which reduces driving range. There may be a few others, but that's about it.
In Next Month's Post: Month Ten in our LEAF and an update on what's going on in the world of Electric Cars.
EDIT: I realized that this post would be a good one in which to summarize our solar power production and our calendar year total power usages for 2011.
Our solar PV system size is 24 Sunpower panels of 215 Watts each for a total of 5,160 Watts DC installed on a 20 degree roof facing slightly west of due south with slight shading from trees in December and January.
For the 2011 calendar year:
Total Solar PV Generation: 8,556 kWh
Total Usage (including EV charging): 10,293 kWh
Total EV (LEAF) Charging: 2,483 kWh (April 1 through Dec 31, does not include public charging)
Now for the monthly report on our LEAF-related usages:
The Numbers:
2011 Nissan LEAF SL Placed in Service: March 30, 2011
All Home Charging Done Using: 220 Volt Aerovironment/Nissan Level 2 EVSE
Month: December 2011
Total Miles at Month End: 8,174 miles
Miles Driven in Month: 1,003 miles
Electric Power Used for Charging in Month: 325.3 kWh (measured at wall power source, includes public charging)
Public Charging in Month, Power Use: 18.2 kWh
Charging at Home in Month, Power Use: 307.1 kWh
Energy Efficiency, Month of December: 3.15 miles/kWh (wall to wheels)
Total Charging Energy Used, Lifetime, YTD and Net Metering YTD: 2,586.4 kWh (Includes public charging)
Energy Efficiency, Lifetime: 3.16 miles/kWh (wall to wheels)Energy Efficiency, Lifetime: 31.6 kWh/100 mi (wall to wheels)
Number of Charging Days in Month: 24
Most Electric Energy Used for Charging in a Day in December: 19.6 kWh (5.2 charging hours)
Most Electric Energy Used at Home for Charging in a Day in December: 19.6 kWh (5.2 charging hours)
Least Electric Energy Used for Charging in a Charging Day in December: 7.9 kWh (2.1 charging hours)
Average Electric Energy Used for Home Charging in a Charging Day in December: 12.5 kWh (3.3 charging hours)
Household Power Used for Month: 937 kWh (without car charging)
Total Power Used for Month: 1,244 kWh (includes car charging)
Solar PV Power Generated for Month: 519 kWh
Net Power Used or Sent to Grid for Month: 725 kWh net used
December Electric Bill, So Cal Edison, Schedule TOU-D-TEV: $99.92 (A charge in this amount will be added to our net metering total charge for the year.)
Solar Net Metering Year Total Cumulative kWh Used at Month #10: 1,983 kWh (Total of 1,983 kWh net used for the net metering year. This is total usage minus solar PV generation.)
Solar Net Metering Year Total Cumulative Cost at Month #10: -$124.17 (Total cost is still a credit for the net metering year to date due to TOU rates)
Cost for Charging Car in December: $0.00
Cost per Mile: $0.00
Cost for Charging Car, Lifetime: $0.00
Cost per Mile, Lifetime: $0.00
(If We Didn't Have Solar Power, Est Cost for Charging Car in December: $39.92)
(If We Didn't Have Solar Power, Est Cost per Mile in December: $0.04)
Average (Mean) Miles per Driving Day in December: 34.6 miles
Average (Median) Miles per Driving Day in December: 35 miles
Longest Day's Driving in December: 71 miles
Shortest Day's Driving in December: 14 miles
Number of Times we Took the Prius Instead of the LEAF Due to Low Charge: 3 times
Unexpected Low Charge and Unable to Reach Destination: Never