I mentioned in a previous post that I recently quit my normal job to focus more on Crossing Borders. What that means for me, is doing DoorDash so that I can have a flexible schedule while making the money I need to without burning myself out. However, I have a lease vehicle with only 30,000 allotted miles- which means I can't drive around all willy-nilly delivering food to the wonderful people of Rochester.
Off I went to virtually search for an affordable, reliable, car that I could dump miles onto without feeling bad about it. Insert Carvana, thank goodness for Carvana honestly, and I started looking. The most affordable car that repeatedly came up was a 2015 Nissan Leaf. Not only was it affordable, but its also zero emissions! What better than to zip around making deliveries than in a car that's good for the environment, or at least better for Mother Earth anyway. But this has come with some unforeseen challenges, just things I didn't think about because I've never even owned a hybrid car let alone one that's full electric. I just kind of dove right in.
The first issue I discovered was that I HAVE to be mindful of how I drive the car. The Leaf only gets about 84 miles per full charge, which is already not a whole lot (about enough for a 4-5 hour shift of driving, now that I know what I'm doing) but if you drive this thing like a regular ol' car, you'll find that, that 84 miles doesn't last as long as you think. I was accelerating hard to get up to speed quickly, driving on the expressway, and speeding which are all my normal driving habits (sorry mom). For speeding, I also realized that I was going more miles over the speed limit than I usually would without realizing it, probably because the damn car is so quiet and smooth, I'd look down at the speedometer and be like "OH NO!" and start going at a reasonable speed. From internet research I discovered that I have been driving this car ALL WRONG (and probably my normal one too, whoops!). Then there was my excitement about the heated seats and steering wheel, as it was winter when I got it, and just using the heat in general. Literally all of this effects how efficient the car is and how many miles you can actually get per charge. I was so disappointed after my first drive; my car only lasting maybe 2 hours, that I worried I had made a HUGE mistake.
Now I keep the heat off, unless its necessary like to defrost during rain or when its below 45 degrees F, the radio off (I use a little speaker instead), drive mindfully- speeding up gradually, paying attention to the monitors on the dash, not taking expressways so I don't use up energy to go above 50mph, stopping gradually or taking my foot off the gas here and there to charge it back up, no more heated seats (though I may keep using the heated steering wheel when winter comes back around again), and definitely sticking to the speed limit. This might sound like a pain, but actually it hasn't really bothered me at all and when I do need a boost to get up a hill or when I do need to get up to speed quickly when entering a busy road, I turn off eco mode and my car gets a little more oomph! I of course return it back to eco once I've gotten up the hill or up to speed.
So why the heck haven't I returned this yet from something I can go farther in without having to think about it? Well, for quite a number of reasons! I do like feeling good about not destroying the planet with added emissions from a car for hours and hours on end while I deliver. But, there's also the cost. The upfront cost was inexpensive. Being a used vehicle, I snagged it for less than 9 grand and that was with an extended warranty through Carvana- and that was WITH the bells and whistles. I probably could have gone even cheaper had I known the heated seats and steering wheel weren't as much of a positive added feature as I though they would be. My sister does door dash and spends A TON of money on gas every week. Guess what? I don't. And the cost to plug it in to an outlet in the garage has been unnoticeable in my monthly electric bill. There are no oil changes required, though I expect the oils/lubricants in the battery will need replacing/ topping off at some point (however that works) but its far less often than a gas car. It drives nicely, is very quiet (it even has a beeping noise when backing up...I'm guessing for exactly that reason), the design is cute and compact and the perfect size for me, and it has a lot of space for me to put drinks, snacks, my wallet, sunglasses/regular glasses, and anything else helpful for while I'm out Dashing.
All in all, would I ever get another electric car? Hands down, yes. This vehicle is 6 years old now and I'm sure the advancements they've made in electric vehicles since then make it an even better choice for a car. However, I do think I would buy new. I imagine that over time the battery lasts for shorter and shorter miles, much like the battery in a phone lasts a shorter amount of time between charges as it ages, though I'm not really sure if that's true for EVs. But I would love to use one in its prime, right off the dealer's lot even just to compare.
So if you're thinking of going electric but not entirely sure about it, hopefully I've provided a little insight through my own personal experience as to what you can expect from EV ownership.
As always; take care, stay safe, and keep healthy. And thanks for reading!
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