From A V8 Camaro To A Nissan LEAF

Glenn Groves from regional Victoria shares his journey from a V8 Chevrolet IROC-Z Camaro to a completely electrical Nissan LEAF by way of a Toyota Prius hybrid. He contacted me via the Nissan LEAF Fb web page. I’ve written about individuals’s love of the V8 Camaro beforehand. Glenn covers it from a earlier proprietor’s perspective, and now an EV proprietor’s perspective. The remainder of this text is by Glenn Groves (with solely minor edits).

By Glenn Groves

Hello, I noticed your submit on the Nissan LEAF web page. I drove an IROC Chevy Camaro for 15 years; then a snug however gutless early Prius hybrid for a couple of 12 months; then purchased an EV, a Nissan LEAF, about 6 months in the past. I’ve executed round 17,000 km within the LEAF since then. The expertise of V8 to hybrid to EV is likely to be fairly related.

I first noticed the Camaro whereas driving to work. The automobile was sitting in a entrance yard, going through away from the highway — and I spent the subsequent few days admiring it as I drove previous. A couple of days later it was parked going through the highway, and I grew to become very upset — ‘that lovely automobile has been broken!’ It seems the earlier proprietor had pushed the automobile right into a tree, thankfully at low pace, damaging the entrance. I purchased the automobile broken, and spent twice the acquisition worth over the subsequent few months repairing it.

Glenn’s V8 Camaro. Picture courtesy of Glenn Groves.

When it was absolutely repaired, I picked up a member of the family and went for a drive. After about an hour it was clear I needed to head house and get out of the automobile, because the automobile was inflicting me bodily ache, and the ache wouldn’t cease whereas I remained within the automobile. My face was hurting. I couldn’t cease grinning, and very similar to going to the gymnasium for the primary time may cause underused muscle mass to complain, no matter muscle mass are used when grinning like loopy for hours on finish weren’t used to that have.

I used to be cautious to not exceed the pace restrict, however the Camaro did attain the pace restrict with rapidity. It additionally had a good looking firmness, smoothness and confidence about it. A fantastically engineered murals that may very well be pushed.

There have been compromises; the gas invoice was huge; the seats have been so low that I type of fell into the automobile and climbed out of it; the doorways have been so lengthy and thick that I needed to channel my interior limbo dancer to get out and in of the automobile in a decent parking spot; and the engine noise left me frightened that I is likely to be nearly declaring a noise warfare on my neighbours.

15 years later, somebody determined that consuming their burger was extra essential than driving safely, and bumped into the again of the Camaro. The repairer did a horrible job, leaving unrepaired accident harm, even unrepaired structural harm; the insurance coverage ultimately agreed to put in writing it off. Even when the accident had not occurred, by that stage it was excessive mileage and close to finish of life anyway, until huge quantities of cash have been spent on a significant restoration.

The automobile price me about $15,000 to purchase and restore initially. I had it for about 15 years, and was paid out about $15,000 on the finish. My journey with the automobile began resulting from harm on the entrance of the automobile, and ended resulting from harm on the rear of the automobile. A type of symphony of symmetry; a palindrome in petrol.

Toyota Prius

An EV was my first alternative for changing the V8 Camaro; however I didn’t need to spend a lot on the time. A plugin hybrid was my second alternative, however once more, I didn’t need to spend the quantity wanted. I ended up shopping for an early Toyota Prius, being the closest I may get at the moment to an EV for the cash I used to be keen to spend. I favored it when it was driving on electrical solely; however that was not a lot of the time and never for lengthy. And it was, amazingly, horribly gutless. By my calculations it did 0 to 60 in ultimately seconds.

Toyota Prius. Picture courtesy of Glenn Groves.

Nissan LEAF

I made a decision to spend the additional cash and change the hybrid with a full EV. I’ve been travelling commonly, however not lengthy journeys — no multiple and a half hours every method — and after a number of months selected a second-hand Japanese import 2018 Nissan LEAF with “excessive mileage”; it was actually about half the worth of most different EVs, and nonetheless had the vary I used to be after … for all typical journeys, anyway.

Nissan LEAF eventually. Picture courtesy of Glenn Groves.

The LEAF had round 170,000 km on it once I purchased it — and over the subsequent eight months I added almost 20,000 km to it, nonetheless on the unique battery. The LEAF is called one of many worst vehicles for battery degradation — mine nonetheless has 83.6% battery well being, so it nonetheless has about 83.6% of the vary it had when new. If this fee continues, the LEAF will nonetheless be usable at 500,000 km for brief journeys. And aside from pothole harm (oops), it’s nonetheless in lovely situation.

EVs like palindromes too — the LEAF hits 188,881 km. Apparently, I spend extra time driving than cleansing the LEAF.

LEAF loves palindromes. Picture courtesy of Glenn Groves.

The LEAF has on the spot get-up and go — the efficiency, at the very least at decrease speeds, is much like the Camaro; although, to be honest, I by no means pushed both automobile really, actually onerous. The Camaro had vast wheels and tyres, the LEAF presently has skinny wheels and tyres, so the LEAF does spin the wheels simply if I push it onerous. The LEAF’s response is on the spot. And I’m not waging an unintentional noise warfare towards my neighbours.

There are various variations between the V8 Camaro and the LEAF; I at all times felt drained on the finish of a journey within the Camaro. Completely happy, however drained. The fixed droning of the V8 not solely price my neighbours, it price me. I really feel far more energised on the finish of a journey within the LEAF. The LEAF feels extra like I’m gliding above the highway than driving on it, it’s fantastically clean and quiet; a bit like my each day second of Zen. I budgeted about $50 per week for gas for the Camaro; I cost the LEAF at house, and it has elevated my house electrical energy payments by about $60 a month, so the “gas” for the LEAF prices about 25% of the gas for the Camaro. The Camaro was surprisingly inexpensive to service, however the LEAF primarily wants no servicing aside from unintended harm (rattling you, potholes, rattling you.)

There are some compromises; the LEAF has about half the vary of most EVs. It was additionally about half the worth of most EVs. I reside regionally, and the charging community isn’t adequate but for a shorter vary EV for some journeys. It’s bettering, and on the present fee of charger installations, inside maybe one 12 months there ought to be sufficient chargers in regional Victoria for the occasional longer journeys I want to do. Charging away from house is presently generally handy and generally inconvenient. It has an enormous payoff — each second of driving is gorgeous, quiet, and clean, and I arrive on the finish of a journey feeling comfortable AND nonetheless with power, not like the Camaro.

If given a alternative once more between the V8 Camaro and the LEAF, I’d select the LEAF each time. Although, a Camaro transformed to electrical may tip the steadiness of the scales again once more. I anticipate the worth of changing an ICEV to an EV to maintain dropping, so in the future I is likely to be again in a Camaro, simply electrified. At some point….