Carl Faber (@cxfaber)

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Carl Faber

@cxfaber

Most-time Lighting Designer for live experiences at @carlfaberdesign. Clipboard enthusiast.

3 years ago

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First Year with a Leaf

In January 2022 we crossed 10k miles driven in a used #NissanLEAF we bought in December 2020. Here's our story + cost comparisons (with graphs!) of 3 years before and 1 year after going #EV. If you're looking to switch and want some real-world stats, give this🧵a read.

We picked up this 2013 Nissan Leaf SL to replace a 2010 Ranger that wasn’t practical to carry our toddler around. Oregon’s incentive is huge: by purchasing at a dealer, we got a $2500 rebate on a *USED* fully electric EV, dropping our effective purchase price to under $5k.

I'd read that batteries built pre-04/2013 were vastly inferior. Ours is a 05/2013. LeafSpy + OBD sensor confirmed battery had only recently lost its first bar...pretty great for a 2013 with 65k miles. Today at 75k it still has 11 bars.

I installed a 16A Level 2 @ClipperCreek LCS-20 in our driveway myself for around $500 including parts & permit. Federal tax credit knocked 30% off the cost. The popular 40A chargers are twice the price & overkill for a small EV. This one goes empty to 80% in a few hours.

Maintenance is near zero: No oil changes & fewer working parts means that other than tires & brakes, there’s nothing to do. So far I've replaced the cabin air filter ($10) and a "gummy" button on the climate controls (used part on eBay for $50). mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=598221

How much did we save? First up: Gas. No surprise, in going from 2 gas cars to 1 gas + 1 EV we cut our fuel expenses in half. 2018-2020 average annual gas cost (2 gas cars): $1,500 2021 annual gas cost (1 gas + 1 EV): $678

We also cut our trips to the gas station in half. 30 fewer trips vs the average of the previous 3 years. At 30 minutes each (roundtrip to the nearest Costco), that's 15 hours saved. I'm a freelancer, so that time is money. Another benefit to overnight charging.

Electricity bill increased $300/year compared to 2018-2020 average. Hard to quantify exactly since we don’t have a “smart” charger, but that's about $25/month or $1/day to charge to 80% overnight 6 days a week. Again, that's: $1/day.

Different states/counties will probably handle this differently, but the fee to register an EV in Oregon is double the rate of gas/hybrids. So every 2 years instead of paying about $200 to renew the tags, I'll pay $400 (but, plus side, no DEQ visit). oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/fees/vehicle.aspx

Back-of-the-envelope calculation gets us to a savings of around $1000/year. Obviously lots of variation expected year-to-year, especially in maintenance and time saved, but that's not nothing! EV essentially pays for itself in 5 years (probably much sooner at current gas rates).

As expected (link below), the drive experience is fantastic. Tons of torque & instant power. With M+S tires and a low center of gravity, it handles much better in snow than the vehicle it replaced (2010 Ranger) and comparable (seriously!) to our AWD CRV. mrmoneymustache.com/2017/10/06/electric-car-vs-winter/

We were initially apprehensive to lose the utility of our pickup truck, but found other ways to make up for it. For example: we lost flatbed hauling, so we put a hitch on our CRV and the 2 times a year I drive to the dump or carry sheets of ply, I rent a trailer for $20.

The most important advice I’d give to someone on the fence about an EV: Know your 95% use-case. If you want a silver bullet EV (one car that does everything and fully replaces a gas-powered equivalent) you’re either going to be disappointed, or you’re going to spend a lot. ...

Instead, find a cheap EV that fulfills 95% of your needs. Most of our daily driving is within a 20-mile radius, so we bought a used EV for under $5k with an 80-mile range. On days we need more, we charge mid-day. Don't overspend for range you won't need 95% of the time. ...

How do you make up the other 5%? For us, (2-car family of freelance artists who usually work within city limits with 1 kid in preschool) we keep 1 efficient gas-powered car in the driveway for road trips/busy days & use the EV for essentially everything else.

The #NissanLEAF was step 1 in a 3-step process to reduce our fossil fuel reliance. We completed step 2 this past February when we installed an induction cooktop in our kitchen. 3: next year we'll replace our 20-year old furnace with a heat pump and shut off our gas line.

If you liked this thread, you should give @curious_founder a follow. Fascinating reporting and research on climate/green energy, and gave me the inspiration to share these EV stats. #energytwitter #climatetwitter Graphs: @Canva

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: typefully.com/cxfaber/UOp2kz6

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