Electric car engine Photo by Danny Fulgencio
Don and Jeanne Hatfield plug in their Nissan Leaf at night so they can drive it the next day.
“It’s just like plugging in a toaster,” Jeanne says.
Some electric car drivers install an at-home charging dock, but using a regular wall socket works just fine for the Hatfields. The Preston Hollow residents aren’t trend followers; they bought their Leaf because they firmly believe in reducing both their carbon footprint and U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
In the Hatfields’ case, “going green” includes powering their car with water. The Leaf is an all-electric, zero-emission car, but they wanted to make sure the electricity powering it would be clean, too. So the Hatfields selected an electric provider that uses hydroelectricity, generated by water, “and not something dirty like coal,” Jeanne says. When they drive, they rest at ease knowing “the only emissions generated are a little pure water,” she says. “Pretty clean, end-to-end.”
Before purchasing the Leaf, the Hatfields also looked at the Chevy Volt and the Honda Prius. The couple has become very active in the electric vehicle community. Jeanne often posts in electric car forums online to try to promote positive changes for the Leaf’s construction.
Before jumping in and driving an electric car, people need to understand the vehicle and how it operates, Jeanne says. A full charge gives a driver roughly 75 travel miles, but that requires a consistent speed and monitoring the car’s other operations.
“I had a ‘lead foot.’ I had to re-train myself how to drive,” Jeanne says.
According to Jeanne, when the couple had two gas-fueled cars, they paid about $250 a month for fuel. Now that they’ve gone electric, they spend roughly $12.50 a month driving the Leaf. They still incur some gas fuel costs with their other car, but say that the difference is significant. The Leaf costs them $2.50 for a 75-mile charge, and the Hatfields estimate they drive the Leaf about 500 miles a month.
Even so, they’re not completely satisfied with their Leaf. Jeanne would like heated seats, for example, and Don would add a dry cleaning hook. But in terms of car purchases, they believe they made a good investment.
