Electric Cars
How Many Years Will a Nissan Leaf Battery Last?
Regular readers will know that I am the proud owner of a 2012 Nissan Leaf. While I love my little car, I have to admit that anxiety about replacing the battery is part of my daily life. A simple Google search for “Nissan Leaf Battery Degradation” will return a litany of articles about how all Leaf owners will eventually have to replace their car’s battery. Nissan pulls no punches with regard to battery replacement. The company has set the price of a new battery at $5,499 with additional costs for older models, no small sum. Will I eventually be doomed to spend my kids’ college fund on a new battery? The news may not be as bleak as you’d expect. Owner Tolerance One aspect often ignored by the pessimists when discussing battery replacement is how much battery de...
EV Charging Connector Types Explained
So you’re considering an all-electric vehicle (EV)? Welcome, we’re glad to have you on the team! What’s that you say? You don’t understand why some chargers look different than others? You’re thinking about sticking with your gas-guzzler because the new technology is just too confusing? This is stressing you out? Calm down Francis. We’re going to explain the differences between the different chargers and why these differences are no big deal. First and foremost, we’re going to have to apologize to our readers outside of North America. This article will only focus on the different types of chargers used here. We may revisit the topic for other markets in the future if there is an interest. Level-1 and Level-2 Charging Yesterday, we wrote about how ...
Top 8 Best EV Blogs
We here at enrg.io are big fans of everything to do with all-electric vehicles (EVs). As passionate as we are about the subject, we realize we’re not the only ones. In an effort to promote our friends in the business and let our readers know who we read, here are the best 8 EV blogs on the Internet today. 8. Teslarati While it is a bit Tesla-centric, Teslarati does cover news relating to other EV companies. I like that they also cover Space X and Solar City news as well. I’m pretty sure they have a reporter following Elon Musk everywhere he goes, just in case. 7. Charged EVs Charged Evs features the latest news in electric and hybrid vehicle technology from around the world. The site also features interesting articles about EV infrastructure and a running list of industry event...
How Long Does It Take to Charge a Nissan Leaf?
In an article posted yesterday, we reviewed Nissan’s battery warranty policies for their Leaf line. Today we ask a simple question on behalf of Leaf owners everywhere: how long does it take to charge a Nissan Leaf? The answer, like it is for most questions in life is: it depends. Charging times can vary greatly by year of the model and which level of charging the owner is using. Level 1 Every Leaf comes with a level 1 charger that will work with your standard 120-volt electrical outlet at home. Level 1 chargers are the slowest, offering about 5 miles of range per hour plugged in. While it is not recommended as we mentioned here, most drivers (myself included) will plug their cars into their level 1 charging station and allow the car to charge overnight. Level 2 The next step up from ...
What Is (and Will Be) the Longest Range Electric Vehicle?
We listed the top ten all-electric vehicles (EVs) by range here. The Tesla Model S is hands down the current champion with a whopping 335 miles of range on a full charge. Well, that was easy. I’m sure my editor will be happy with my work. But seriously folks, while the current crop may be impressive, the future also looks VERY bright. Tesla Musk Motor Company is the current leader in range and its not even close. In addition to the Model S being the undisputed king of range, Tesla’s Models Y and X are a close second and third respectively. During a shareholder’s meeting in June, Elon told investors that, “It will not be long before we have a 400-mile range car.” While he didn’t elaborate on what “long” meant exactly, this is encouraging. Tesla plans on r...
When Do Nissan Leaf Owners Get Complimentary Battery Checkups?
Being a Nissan Leaf owner myself, I like to keep up to speed on issues Leaf drivers are dealing with. A quick perusal of various online forums dedicated to Leaf ownership will yield numerous discussions about battery life and warranties. Because I purchased an older vehicle, the specifics of Nissan’s warranties and how they relate to battery checkups don’t really apply to me. In an effort to keep my fellow Leaf drivers informed however, I will attempt to explain these policies. The First Two Years Nissan’s battery warranty will cover any battery that is less than five years old and has less than 60,000 miles on it. As soon as the car reaches its fifth birthday or 60,000 miles are driven, the warranty is no longer good. For the first two years of the car’s life, Niss...
Forbidden Fruit: 5 Great EVs You Can’t Buy in the US
Enrg.io is largely based in the United States. As such, we have access to some of the best electric cars in the world from Tesla, Nissan, and others– but we don’t have access to ALL of the awesome electric cars out there. Markets like China, Russia, and Europe get cars we probably won’t see here for years– if at all! That fact– and the fact that we all want things that we can’t have!– inspired us to put together a quick list of “forbidden fruit”. So, here they are: 5 Great EVs You Can’t Buy in the US. Enjoy! Volkswagen e-Up The Volkswagen e-Up! (yes, the “!” is part of the name) is all-new for 2019, and it is everything you’d expect in a modern electric hot hatch that was built by the people who invented t...
Do Electric Vehicles Pay Road Tax?
It’s time to talk about everyone’s favorite subject: taxes! Okay, so taxes are probably everyone’s least favorite subject, but we all have to deal with them. As the old saying goes, only two things are certain in life: death and taxes. While policies may vary from country to country, this article will only focus on the United States. It is possible that we may revisit the subject for other countries if our readers are interested. What is a Road Tax? A road tax is typically defined as a tax placed on a vehicle that needs to be paid so that it can be used on a public road. In the United States there is no federal road tax. Each individual state is responsible for determining what taxes to levy on new and used vehicle purchases. States also can and do impose yearly registrat...
Are Electric Car Charging Stations Free?
I have to admit I was a bit incensed the other day when I parked in one of the electric vehicle spots at my local shopping center. Having once provided charging for free, the owners of the garage were now demanding payment for the service. To add insult to injury, the only way to pay for the charge was to download their app and give them a bunch of personal information. No bueno! This development shouldn’t have surprised me. The company that manages the shopping center is notoriously greedy. A few years ago they began making customers and employees at the shopping center pay for parking. Still, this got me thinking: are we headed in this direction with every electric car charging station? The Good News The very, very good news to be more specific is that the vast majority of charging...
10 Celebrities Who Have Gone All-Electric
As much as we may hate to admit it, celebrities are interesting. Whether they be stars of stage, screen, or sport, celebs are often at the forefront of the national discourse surrounding politics and culture. While we may not always agree with their positions, we can recognize and appreciate it when celebrities make positive contributions to society. To show our appreciation for purchasing all-electric vehicles (EVs), we would like to thank these ten celebs who have gone green. 1. Jay Leno In addition to owning about a billion other cars, this former Tonight Show host is the proud owner of a Tesla Model S. In a recent interview on CNBC, Leno explained to the host why he loves his car. “I have a Tesla. I’ve had it for three years. I’ve never done anything. There’s no fluids to change. Ther...
1000HP Hispano Suiza Carmen is One Pricey EV
If you’re a fan of the sort of steampunk, art-deco styling seen in Metropolis or the old Ayn Rand novels, you are going to love the car I’m going to introduce today. Meet the Hispano Suiza Carmen– a car with a century-old name that’s steeped in gear head heritage with styling that wouldn’t seem totally out of place in a 1930s Grand Prix race car, the Carmen promises to be unlike any of the other supercars in the parking lot of you condo in Monaco. I’m just assuming you live in Monaco, because, in addition to the heavy name, the car carries a hefty 1.5 million Euro price tag. I guess you could live in Dubai, too. Maybe central London. In any event, 1.5 million Euros is a whole lot of money. That’s the bad news. The good news, however, is that the ne...
Top 10 Electric Vehicles Ranked by Range
As we’ve noted previously, range anxiety is the number one roadblock for many potential all-electric vehicle (EV) buyers. In an effort to promote EVs, we here at enrg.io have found 10 models that won’t leave you stranded. Here are the top 10 EVs for 2019 ranked by range. 10. Audi e-tron: 205 Mile Range Audi’s first all-electric offering is the stylish e-tron crossover SUV. In addition to a 205 mile range, the e-tron comes with all-wheel drive and seating for five. Audi plans on debuting additional EVs in 2020. 9. Nissan Leaf Plus – 225 Mile Range Being a Leaf owner myself, I am a bit biased about how great these cars are. Compared to my 2012 model, the 2019 Leaf is even more amazing. With 214 horsepower and a 225 mile range, the new Leaf is definitely impressive. It...