Volt vs. LEAF: Can't We All Just Get Along?

By Tom Moloughney · July 10, 2010

I, like many of you out there I'm sure, read the various blogs and message boards that are dedicated to discussions about the upcoming electric cars from GM and Nissan. What strikes me as a little odd is how fans of either of the two attack the other car with extremely negative comments.

I suppose it's because they, to some degree, measure the validity of their own decision to choose one over the other by how successful that car is as compared to the other. Chevrolet Volt supporters write about how the LEAF is an under-engineered piece of crap and how the people that buy them are going to GET stuck all over the place when they run out of charge. Nissan LEAF fans will never let anyone forget that the Volt is a gas burner and needs all the maintenance that every other ICE vehicle needs including oil changes and tune-ups.

It's obvious both cars have flaws as well as many benefits. However one thing all EV supporters can agree on is that both of these vehicles are a huge step in the right direction and they both will help us begin to reduce our oil consumption.

I have been driving my MINI-E 35,000 miles over the past thirteen months and have really enjoyed every mile of it. I think future Volt and LEAF owners are going to realize they like their cars more that they even thought they would once they have the opportunity to experience electric drive. There are so few of us that have had the pleasure of leasing or owning a highway capable electric car and that's going to change real soon with these two cars.

I predict both cars will be very well received and sell at least as well as projected. These cars are different enough that they can both succeed without cannibalizing the others sales. A healthy debate is always a good thing, just remember, we're all on the same side in this fight.

About the author

· Tom Moloughney

Tom is in his 2nd year of BMW's MINI-E trial lease program. In his first 12 months with the car he logged over 33,000 miles, the most miles of any of the 612 MINI-E's that were made. In doing so, Tom has helped to disprove that myth that a 100 mile BEV is only good for short distance, local driving, a fact that he frequently points out. Tom is also a restaurant owner and and real estate developer in New Jersey.

Tom is an passionate EV advocate as well as a proponent of US energy independence. Tom charges his MINI-E and powers his home with his 8.8kw solar PV system and expresses his support for EV+PV combinations.
Tom maintains a blog about his experiences with the MINI-E. You can view it at:
http://minie250.blogspot.com/

Full bio · 116 posts

Comments

· Sean (not verified) · 7 weeks ago

You think the Volt vs. leaf war is bad? Look at Camaro and Mustang owners. They have been slamming each other for 40 years. It's just how we think. My car rocks and yours is a POS

· theweakend (not verified) · 7 weeks ago

This is everythingin life android vs iphone, apple vs microsoft, gm vs ford, love vs hate. I see it like this as live as I am provided a choice I don't care. Cause in this crazy capitalist world at one point one is going to be better then the other and that's why I want choice.

· Anonymous (not verified) · 7 weeks ago

My problem is I still can't afford one.....plain and simple.

· brian clark (not verified) · 7 weeks ago

I hear about people saying they drive a electric car...where do you get one?
rav4 electric,mini-E,...where in the world are these folks getting there cars?

· ex-EV1 driver · 7 weeks ago

Anonymous,
I feel for the problem of affording them. Unfortunately, we can't give up on alternatives just because most people can't afford them initially. The only plan that really works for change is to start where we can and then bring prices down. The good news about plug-in vehicles (a viable alternative) is that in the long term, battery prices can drop so that they will become affordable. In the mean time, their very existence is pressuring the oil companies to keep gas prices low in order to discourage people from demanding alternatives. As long as people who would normally buy Lexus, Lincolns, Cadillacs, BMWs, etc instead start buying Leafs, Volts, and Model Ss, there will motivation for the car companies to put alternatives into high volume, low-cost production as well as to expand their alternative lines to more types of vehicles (trucks, vans, wagons, etc)

· ex-EV1 driver · 7 weeks ago

brian clark,
EVs are very difficult to get a hold of today. Actually, the only new EV that one can buy is the Tesla Roadster which costs over $100,000. The RAV4EV was only sold in California for about a 6 month period in 2002. Toyota only sold about 300 of them. They built over 1000 of them. Some are in vehicle fleets (mainly Southern California Edison and the City of Santa Monica, CA).
BMW only made 500 Mini-Es and only leased them out in NJ and CA back in 2009 on a 1 year lease. One had to work very hard and know the right people in order to get these cars.
The good news is that things look like they are going to change a lot over the next 2 years as Nissan and Chevy plan to release their Leaf and Volt (respectively) in only a few markets initially. All 10,000 of Nissan's 2010 Leafs have been spoke for, however, you can still get on the list for future models.
You can get more information about these cars and their availability elsewhere on this website.

· LEAFguy (not verified) · 7 weeks ago

Volt or LEAF? LEAF or Volt? Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be either/or. Why can't it be both? Granted, they wouldn't be the right fit for everyone, but I can see some instances where a family might own a LEAF and a Volt. As mentioned in the article, both have their advantages and disadvantages. Interestingly, in that sense, they complement each other for those reasons.

With the upcoming launch of the LEAF in select markets in December, I found myself more and more interested in the LEAF. Not finding a site that adequately addressed all of my questions, I created a consumer based site dedicated to the LEAF - http://livingleaf.info. If you would like more info on whether the LEAF might be the right vehicle for you, please check it out.

· Tom Moloughney · 7 weeks ago

LEAFguy: I agree with the "both" scenario. I plan on having a BEV and an EREV until battery technology advances so that the single charge range will be 250 to 300 miles and quick charge stations are available. I know the Tesla S will have a battery option that can bring the range up to 300 miles but that's going to be something like $20,000 option and the car is going to take a long time to charge at level 2 charging. Even though I use my MINI-E for about 95% of my driving, there are still the few times a year that I need the extra range like this weekend when I'm driving 200 miles (each way) to Vermont and the EREV would be perfect for that.

· Christof Demont... · 7 weeks ago

Tom,
It'll be both an EV and EREV/PHEV for us too. I think the car makers -- in contrast to many of the individuals who've aligned themselves with one or the other (my impression in going to GM-Volt.com is that there are more anti-LEAF folks in the Volt camp than vice versa) -- recognize that there's a potentially large segment of an also comparatively affluent population with two cars in the garage right now that will want one EV AND one EREV/PHEV.

In fact, I had a guy post to my web site just today who plans on solar-charging a LEAF and a Volt (he, like me, already has the solar system -- he's just waiting on the EV AND PHEV)

Of course, I'm ready to ditch EREV/PHEV as soon as we have 300 mile EVs that are affordable and can be quick-charged without the batteries paying the price for too many of those quick charges.

· abasile · 7 weeks ago

We have a deposit on a LEAF and will likely stick with that choice, but we would not feel comfortable with a LEAF as our only vehicle, either. Here in the southern California mountains (6100' elevation), it'll make sense for us to keep our gas-burning SUV for the winter months, as we do get multiple feet of snow at a time. And the SUV seats eight and can take us on longer trips. Wait another decade, and we should be able to replace the SUV with a BEV equivalent. On the other hand, if we lived in the "flatlands" and kept only one vehicle, a Volt would probably make more sense at this time.

· darelldd · 7 weeks ago

Your comments are spot-on, Tom. They're two different cars that have advantages and disadvantages. Just like a sedan compared to a pickup truck. Having choice is the ticket - something I've not seen before on any sort of reasonable scale. Very soon we'll have the CHOICE of a BEV or an EREV. How great is that?

· Tom Moloughney · 7 weeks ago

Darell,
It is great. Soon many others will have the opportunity to experience what you and I have and they will see why we have been advocating EV's. You really do get hooked!

· Samie (not verified) · 7 weeks ago

Agree Tom

The dumb blogosphere posturing seems silly to me, just like the Android vs. Apple junk. What I care about is having competitive choices for consumers and how to expand the market so to better improve technological advances and competition. Anyways, there are two things I will be looking for in the future:

1. Generally speaking, battery electric vehicles (BEV) should at some point be cheaper to make than extended range electric vehicles (EREV) and/or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). This puts pressure on GM to make significant upgrades to the Volt (EREV) in the future, as costs will become an issue if we are to think in terms of BEV vs. PHEV.

2. Battery cost will do down, and driving range per charge will go up. It seems logical that GM must extend the extended range of the Volt in the next generation of the Volt.

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Volt vs. LEAF: Can't We All Just Get Along?

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Volt vs. LEAF: Can't We All Just Get Along?

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