Lucky Family First to Get a Volt & a Leaf

msirach · #1 01-28-2011, 10:31 PM

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/kramers-fleet-jan2011.jpg

Felix Kramer - CALCARS - January 29, 2011

Felix Kramer was an early adopter of EV technology. He has shown his faith in the manufacturers cars and it will be interesting to hear his comparisons. --Ed.

So far we haven't found anyone in California or anywhere else with BOTH new mass-produced plug-in cars. Since my wife Rochelle Lefkowitz and I both work from home, we're not that typical. Still, as early adopters, it's a privilege to be an ecumenical plug-in household.

Which car is better? The real competition is the electric mile versus the fossil-fuel mile. But we enjoy competition among plug-in design solutions and carmaker races -- so here are our initial impressions and our first match-ups.

Since we got our Volt on Dec. 22 and our Leaf Jan. 24, I've felt like we've taken a time machine to the future. Since as the Founder of CalCars.org I've been doing little else but talk and evangelize about this for a decade, I thought I'd be ready for this moment. But now that it's really here, it's far better than I ever imagined!

Each car is like a 21st century space capsule, gliding silently through streets clogged with last-century vehicles. I was never so aware of the unique and ugly sounds from each gas-guzzler. At stop lights I even feel their low-frequency vibrations. As a driver of a Prius since 2004, which 60,000 miles ago in 2006 was converted to a plug-in hybrid, and as an occasional driver of a RAV4 EV or a Tesla Roadster, I've had glimpses of how this feels. But it's completely different to drive this way almost all the time!... [Read More]

Harold · #2 01-28-2011, 11:14 PM

Very interesting article! Thanks for the post. H

SentraSE-R · #3 01-29-2011, 01:12 AM

Judging from the author's car usage, he'd have been way ahead to rely on the Leaf for local trips, and rent a car for his Lake Tahoe trips.

ItsNotAboutTheMoney · #4 01-29-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

Judging from the author's car usage, he'd have been way ahead to rely on the Leaf for local trips, and rent a car for his Lake Tahoe trips.

You do have to take into account they are deliberate early adopters and therefore their purchase of the cars is more related to advocacy.

msirach · #5 01-29-2011, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

Judging from the author's car usage, he'd have been way ahead to rely on the Leaf for local trips, and rent a car for his Lake Tahoe trips.

He is an EV advocate and one of the most renown in the US. The 04 Prius in the pic is one of the 1st 7 that was converted in California.

The Volt is his and the Leaf is his wife's. What is the difference in having a Volt for a second car and a standard car???

75% of Americans drive less than 40 miles a day. 40 miles a day times 5 days a week can be off of EV without any gas consumed. If on the 5th day, he wants to cruise to Tahoe, it's not a problem and he can still get from 35mph to over 50mpg as stated in the article.