Two Electric Cars Meet At The Pump

Two 2012 Nissan Leafs at the free charger at
Kraft Nissan on Mahan Drive in Tallahassee

Wr just got back from a trip grocery shopping at Walmart. On the way there - we drove by the Nissan dealer to look at cars. Sunday is a great time to visit car dealerships because many of them are not open - there are no salesmen to pester you.

We stumbled upon a new free electric filling station. This young couple was filling up their 2012 Nissan Leaf - one just like ours. They are from Monticello which is about 20 miles east of here. They own a pecan farm - and we swapped stories about our electric car adventures. They do not have a 220 volt electric car station in their home - so they charge it on a 110 station which takes much longer.

This station at the Nissan dealership is the 440 volt variety - you can get a full charge in 20 to 30 minutes. Of course it can only do one car at a time. A full charge that would power you almost 100 miles costs about $3.50. So it is a nice fringe benefit of buying a Leaf - free fuel. A full fillup costs the same whether you do it on a 110 volt - 220 volt - or 440 volt charger. It fills much faster here - plus you do not have to pay anything.

I have never charged my car on a fast charger yet - but I would like to try. To get a 440 volt charger on your home would require a special electrical line. The 220 volt line I have is just like a 220 volt line you have for a dryer or an air conditioner.

I did not catch the guy's name - but if he sees the picture he might email his name for the caption.