August Leaf update

	Odometer	Miles	Kwh	Mi/KWh	Cost	Per mile	MPGe	Temp(F)
March 2011	2118	650	208	3.1	$24.13	$0.037	105.3	45.1
April 2011	2958	840	272	3.1	$31.55	$0.038	104.1	45.5
May 2011	3570	612	185	3.3	$21.46	$0.035	111.5	52.3
June 2011	4259	689	177	3.9	$20.53	$0.030	131.2	59.4
July 2011	4911	652	173	3.8	$20.07	$0.031	127.0	64.2
August 2011	5664	753	194	3.9	$22.50	$0.030	130.8	66.0

This will probably be the last Leaf-focused update for a while. Owning the first mass-market electric vehicle has been far less dramatic than anticipated. Another month gone by without stalling out on the highway, exploding in flames, or blacking out the neighborhood. I keep looking for an excuse to visit the dealership, just to say "Hi". But our first scheduled service isn't for another 5 months, and that's to rotate the tires and change the cabin air filter.

So, is the Leaf the perfect car? Any vehicle is a compromise. We're limited to 100 miles before a lengthy recharge, we can't tow a boat, or haul 20 bags of compost home from the nursery. But we can do pretty much all of our everyday driving without burning fossil fuels. Think about that as information about the Keystone pipeline and the Alberta tar sands begins to hit the mainstream media. Do you want to continue to be part of the problem, or do you want to be part of the solution?