Enough said of the electric car

Anyone with half a brain knows the Chevy Volt is a POS and not worth driving on a college campus, much less an interstate. But this is great.

Duke Energy stops use of electric car charging station

Electric car charger center of investigation in house fire

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke Energy is asking customers who own their electric car charging station to stop using the product after a house fire in Mooresville last month.

Duke Energy sent an e-mail to about 125 customers in the Carolinas and Indiana who currently participate in their plug-in electric vehicle pilots and have the same type of charging station installed at their homes to stop using it.

Investigators have not determined if the electric car charger was the source of a house fire in Mooresville on October 30, but the product has been the center of the investigation...

The real funny part. In two states there are all of 125 owners of these damned things. There are more F-150 owners in my subdivision, but this is the car of the future.

On the subject, Consumer Reports seems to have uneasy feelings about the Nissan Leaf

Driving the Nissan Leaf: Hurray for traffic

Nov 8, 2011

I drove our all-electric Nissan Leaf over the weekend and while I was happy to drive past gas stations, it still came at a price.

My turn in the Leaf started last Thursday night, and I had an easy commute from our Yonkers headquarters to my New Jersey home. The car was warm from the sun and only used 25 miles of charge. On the way back in Friday morning, I was concerned the Leaf would drop battery power quickly on my regular 33-mile highway commute over the Tappan Zee Bridge, so I opted to travel fewer miles and pay the $12 toll over the George Washington Bridge and another $2.25 over the Henry Hudson Bridge. Luckily traffic was light, but so was my wallet.

Driving over the weekend was great in the Leaf as I was running errands and only going short distances. The car was relatively fun to drive and the kids enjoyed the quiet ride, as well. I charged up during the afternoon for five hours on my garage standard plug, but the charge only brought the range up 25 miles to 75 miles. Consequently, I wasn’t confident we would make it there and back to our dinner location, which was 60 miles round trip. My husband noted that the possible cost of a tow truck added to the cost of dinner and the babysitter would make for a very expensive date.

I didn’t charge the car overnight Sunday since I had 70 miles left. Plenty for my 33 mile trip back to work, or so I thought. The car was skimmed with ice Monday morning, so I had to use the defroster for a few minutes, but after that I kept the heat off even though it was 39 degrees out.

I decided to head out on my regular long commute, with the cheaper toll, but saw the Leaf quickly run though the charge and drop to 39 miles about halfway through my trip and I was freezing. I was very happy to see stopped traffic on the New York State Thruway (that’s a first) as that calmed my range anxiety and I saw the estimated range actually increase by six miles. The last two miles of my trip, I put on the heat with 24 miles left, but it did little to warm my already numb fingers and toes. I made it to the office with 17 miles to spare.

This electric experiment definitely forces you to think about your driving and always leave at least a 20-mile cushion. Heat is a luxury only allowed when driving short distances close to home. Likewise, fast highway driving may get you to your destination quicker, but it also quickly reduces charge. It seems Leaf ownership is best if you are not in a hurry or live in a climate where the temperature remains moderate, so you can avoid using the climate control for heat or air conditioning.

I have long had a fond view of future of electric cars and how it would be great to have quick-charging stations at the grocery store while I was shopping, on the street parking meter while I was out for dinner, or at the movie theater or mall. I assume this will happen in the years to come, but until then I’ll need to remember to wear my boots and gloves.

And you can put out of you mind that the electricity comes from coal. But the quote of the story, "Heat is a luxury...". Heat, a luxury in a 30 thousand plus micro car.

Lady, please buy one of these damned things and I'll laugh at you on the side of road with your boots and gloves as I go by warm as hell in my F-150.

What a waste.