Atlanta Leaf Life

It's a pretty self-explanatory title, but I think this is big news for the EV industry. Today, Tesla Motors announced its first profitable quarter ever. To me it is big news. I mean, a startup making electric vehicles was able to get the jump on all the major automakers and produce a high-demand car that runs on pure electricity. Sure, they're still pretty expensive cars, but from what I've read, Tesla plans to continue iterating towards cheaper models, with its next iteration targeting the $30k range, last I read. So, keep an eye out!

I vacationed to a cabin last weekend, taking the Leaf on a 90-mile drive to the North Georgia mountains. During my period surviving off a 120v outlet in the cabin's garage, the Leaf took part in two separate runs to nearby towns for sightseeing and groceries.

Efficiency

Driving around mountains in winter isn't exactly the ideal conditions for efficient driving. I saw some of my worst hypermiling results on the drive up to the cabin, averaging around 70 miles of full battery range. To make sure I'd be able to finish the trip, I was glad that I had stopped at a dealership in Gainesville to get a few hours of charge while eating and bowling. I chalk this decrease in range up to the rapid increase in altitude between home and the cabins. With a few factors like that looming, I tried to make sure I had more mileage than I needed throughout the weekend. The drive down the mountains was pretty awesome. I got the most regeneration I've ever seen during that mountainous descent, making it the whole way home without stopping.

Convenience

After committing to taking the Leaf and having to survive off a 120v outlet all weekend, I originally assumed that the Leaf would not be usable while there due to the slowness of charging. That's because I know that the Leaf takes 20 or so hours to fully charge on a 120v outlet, and that the mountainous roads would take a noticeable toll on my range. Throughout the weekend, I found my assumptions to be incorrect in some important ways.

I drove the Leaf on two trips into nearby towns throughout the weekend, which was almost too much traveling, since the goal was to spend time with family while there. Each trip totaled to around 30 miles, so I finished the steep climb back up to the cabin with between one-third and one-half the battery's capacity remaining, reducing top-off time on the wall outlet. After throwing in the fact that I didn't have to pay the hiked-up gas prices around town, and that I was essentially driving around for free off the cabin's electricity, I guess you could see why my original, hesitant assumptions had transformed into a feeling of somewhat-reserved confidence. Sure, a pair of 90-mile and 30-mile trips aren't anything spectacular, and the Leaf was charging pretty much the whole weekend. And maybe I just got lucky this time. Who knows. But driving around the mountains off a regular wall socket was kind of cool, and I caught myself thinking that I could survive up in the mountains with my Leaf, assuming electricity was reliable, and that the odd charging station or two were thrown in.

Some time back in June, I hopefully had someone in the car with me to take this picture in front of my face while I was driving. I've been taking the HOV lane to and from work for almost a year, and after passing so many stopped cars it just became a routine. As I'm flying by stopped traffic, I used to think, "Wow, I'm saving so much time." Nowadays, my thoughts seem to be more along the lines of, "Man, I hope another jackass doesn't jump in front of me while I'm going 65, like they did the other day." So, I've become used to it, I guess. In an effort to remind myself, I thought it'd be good to have a quick post about how awesome it is.

I have yet to sit in traffic with everyone else during a commute, so it's not easy for me to gauge the time savings I enjoy. Even more tricky, I leave for work at varying times, and usually past the peak rush hour time, so there's that. Peak rush hour sometimes affects the HOV lane, but always less than the other lanes. Traffic might be at a standstill in the other lanes, but the HOV lane is always moving, and always moving comparatively faster if things are slowed down. The one exception I've seen has been when there was an accident one morning in the HOV lane, and we had to merge out and then back in. That was probably my longest commute, and I sat in traffic for an extra 20 minutes or so that day.

Isn't that illegal?

Currently, Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) are permitted to travel in the HOV lanes of Atlanta, provided they have opted to apply for the AFV license plate. According to the legalese of Georgia Code 40-2-86.1:

A special license plate to be issued for alternative fueled vehicles, which license plate shall be similar in design to the license plate issued to all other residents of the state except that the commissioner shall place a distinctive logo or emblem on the license plate which shall distinguish the vehicle as an alternative fueled vehicle eligible to travel in travel lanes designated for such vehicles under paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of Code Section 32-9-4. The words "alternative fueled vehicle" shall be imprinted on such special license plate in lieu of the county name decal. The funds raised by the sale of this license plate shall be deposited in the general fund.

I can't specifically measure how awesome being able to commute with the HOV lane has been, but I know that there is some awesomeness, and I am the enjoyer of it! I hope the DOT keeps those 'AFV OK' signs up for many years.

I am late to the party, but when glancing at charging stations a bit ago, I noticed what I think is the first big installation of public chargers in Georgia, just down the road at Lenox. They are Blink chargers, and unless I'm mistaken, they are the direct result of the EV Project expanding to Atlanta.

Compared to the average combustion-engine car, I go through a couple extra steps each morning before I drive away. By now, I do those steps without thinking. But, when thinking of things that others may find interesting, I landed on this as something easy to do:

Spoiler alert, the extra steps are:

• unplug the car
• close the lid
• glance at the Blink display to see how much my most recent charge costed

It's been 5000 miles in my Leaf. To mark this occasion, I've not only prepared a blurry-as-hell, instagram-ified picture for you, but I've also got a couple of insightful comments about the current state of affairs. You're riveted, I know:

1. No matter how fun the car, your commute will become repetitive. Even with a Nissan Leaf, depending on your caffeine levels in the morning/evening, your commute might even become boring.
2. You can get used to anything — even zippy, silent cars. Honestly, the only time I notice that I drive an EV anymore is when someone else rides with me in the car. It makes me want to drive people around more. When passengers first feel the car start moving, I guess I feel a little refreshed with the first impressions that I used to have. "Whoa, it's moving! I thought it was off!"