One man’s story of using the all-electric Nissan LEAF for long-distance driving was recently posted at Torquenews.com. His tale defies the stereotypes of electric car range and charging. How did Brian Keez of Fontana, Calif. manage to put 2,000 miles a month on his 2011 Nissan LEAF?

Chuck and Angela Bateman of Mechanicsburg, Penn. earlier this month became the first owners of a Nissan LEAF in central Pennsylvania. The LEAF's availability is expanding and the electric hatchback is now hitting dealerships across the Midwest and Northeast. "Reducing our carbon footprint, that’s the big thing," said Angela Bateman. "The higher the gas price goes, that definitely made a big difference. We’re trading in a gas guzzling minivan." Chuck Batemen added, "And no dependence on oil of any kind, foreign or domestic."

The Nissan LEAF is a great car. It’s probably the best car we have ever owned. Getting accustomed to the range issues has been a small challenge, but a fun one. Out of love for this car, I wanted to share some thoughts on how to make the LEAF insanely great. These aren't major changes, just small tweaks that would make a good driving experience even better.

Our Nissan LEAF was delivered June 10, 2011. It now has about 5,900 miles on it. We decided to try an experiment: A trip to our friends in Del Mar, a distance of about 140 miles. With a range of about 70-100 miles, that would be impossible without charging the batteries along the way. That’s where the adventure begins.

The burgeoning electric car industry is under attack more fervently than it has been since the modern resurgence began. Misinformation and, sometimes, a willful disregard for the facts has led to a drive to take away the tax credits that help them gain a foothold, but getting rid of those supportive policies would be incredibly shortsighted.