Comments on: Pondering the Nissan Leaf

By: Tom Fuller

Tom Fuller — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:40:00 +0000

I have found that ever since I got my Xtracycle my car use has dropped dramatically, My 1997 SaturnSL1 gets 45 on the highway and I refuel every 5 or six weeks.

By: Frank BR

Frank BR — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 01:00:00 +0000

You are absolutely right!! The Leaf is still a car and uses more than 10 times the energy to go from A > B!!! A leaf weighs about 3000# as compared to about 80# for a cargo bike. it takes energy to move all that extra weight!!! I have 2 electric recumbent bikes (www.evalbum.com/3034 and http://www.evalbum.com/3397) that I use for over90% of all my trips. I have a ’94 Hyundai Excel that gets 45MPG highway when I use it! a tank of gas lasts over 1 month or more.

By: Don

Don — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:06:07 +0000

Yes, I love the quick feedback we get regarding our electricity usage. It’s helpful in reducing our consumption.

Unfortunately, the bigger component of our energy use is natural gas, because we use gas for our furnace, hot water heater, clothes dryer, fireplaces, and stovetop. While I can see our total gas usage on our utility bill at the end of the month, I can’t monitor our use on a daily or hourly basis. Without the immediate feedback, we have less incentive to lower the thermostat or take shorter showers. I’m hoping we will have that capability someday.

By: RobertM

RobertM — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:59:08 +0000

Great review. That’s interesting now that most of your family’s energy consumption comes from one source and you can easily compare the costs of your daily activities.