Six-month test of Nissan Leaf hits halfway point

[ruimegas]

Six-month test of Nissan Leaf hits halfway point

[IMG]http://www.driving.ca/cars/7105893.bin[/IMG]
The 2012 Nissan Leaf's decals are a magnet for electric-vehicle conversation.

"Now nearly halfway through my six-month test drive of the 2012 Nissan Leaf, I’ve come to appreciate a few things about driving a fully electric vehicle.

First, and despite having put thousands of kilometres on the Leaf, there’s the rather enlightened feeling of being outside the realm of Big Oil, Price of gas? Not even in my vocabulary these past few months.

Second, there’s a profound sense of being on the leading edge of a revolutionary technology that will be commonplace in the next few decades. While many of my motor head colleagues grind their gears in a knot over encroaching electric vehicles — the Long Live the Combustible Engine! crowd — after living with the Leaf since May, I’m convinced EVs are here to stay, and their numbers will only continue to grow.

And third, one that brings me to the conclusion of the second, is the huge interest the Leaf attracts from the general population. Often I’m quizzed by people who see me getting into or out of the Leaf about the merits of the car. How much does it cost? How far can you go? How long does it take to charge? Really, you never have to go to a gas station?

And with the recent addition of a graphic decal package adorning the Leaf and promoting The Vancouver Sun Driving ... Unplugged — complete with QR code — my on-the-spot, impromptu EV workshops have increased significantly.

On the subject of that QR code, the day after the graphic wrap was applied by Signmaster Signs, I spotted a suspicious looking character lingering around the parked Leaf, seemingly peering into the back seats.

Only when I was a few metres away did a notice the smartphone in his hands.

Turns out he was scanning the QR code, which takes you to my blog.

EXTRA CHARGE: As a sponsor of the second annual National Tree Day, Nissan Canada is providing a 2012 Nissan Leaf SL as the grand prize for a new Tree Canada contest that asks Canadians to “Get Treemotional.”

In celebration of National Tree Day, which takes place on Sept. 26, Canadians can submit an image of their favourite tree at nationaltreeday.ca, and explain what makes that tree special in 50 words or less. The grand prize winner will be selected at random on Oct. 2, 2012."

Em: http://www.driving.ca/cars/Charged+abou ... story.html