Originally published on Sustainnovate.
In Europe, at least, drivers of the 100%-electric Nissan LEAF actually drive about 50% more than average drivers of petrol- and diesel-powered cars. This helps to bust the myth that electric cars are inadequate for the average driver, and that electric car drivers don’t drive very much.
It also indicates that Nissan LEAF owners must be saving a lot more money than generally assumed. Electricity for powering a car is much cheaper than petrol or diesel. The average driver will save several thousand dollars (or euros, british pounds, etc.), but someone who actually drives much more than average is going to save a great deal more money.
“Nissan reveals that European owners of its 100 percent electric car, the Nissan LEAF, travel more than 50 percent further per year (10,307 miles) than the European average for a traditional internal combustion-powered vehicle (6,721 miles),” Nissan wrote yesterday.
“Spanish Nissan LEAF drivers come out on top, covering on average more than 228 miles each week, Swedish drivers (211 miles) come second and the UK third with 201 miles.” (Now I’m wondering how many miles the LEAFs pictured above that I photographed in Spain had, and have, on them.) Those figures above compare to about 129 miles a week from petrol and diesel drivers, and a 198 mile average for the LEAF across Europe. Here’s more info from other countries in table form:
One of the key advantages of the LEAF is that drivers can charge at home. Nissan’s data show that about 89% of LEAF drivers charge overnight, while enjoying the comfort of their beds and pillows. (Okay, Nissan didn’t provide data on the beds and pillows, just the overnight charging.)
“Since the beginning we have said that the Nissan LEAF is much more than just a city car or second car and now we can show the data that proves this. Our customers frequently tell us that they buy the Nissan LEAF as a second car, but end up using it far more than their other vehicle and the information we receive from CarWings reinforces that message,” said Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan in Europe.
Nissan has sold over 150,000 LEAFs worldwide, and over 31,000 in Europe, both of which are records for electric vehicles.
Images by: Nissan / Business Wire; Zachary Shahan / EV Obsession / CleanTechnica; andNissan / Business Wire
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