Driving an EV in Spain: What it's really like to own a Generation 2 Nissan Leaf. EV Trips in Spain and France

About this book

We are on the cusp of a monumental change from carbon burning cars to electric vehicles. Tesla are showing the way started by Nissan and Renault with the Leaf and the Zoe. Every day now there are new electric vehicles being announced by the legacy car makers. They are coming along kicking and screaming with a fear they will lose their hold on the car making business. There is also the Green movement pushing for clean air in cities and the stopping of pumping carbon into the atmosphere. Many cities are banning vehicles from the city centre but you can still drive through without paying an extra fee or tax if you're in an electric vehicle. Seriously, the writing is on the wall for the old fashioned fossil burners. Some countries are doing better than others. Norway is a shining example of how to use legislation to get everyone into electric cars. Lately the Tesla Model 3 is the biggest selling car in Norway. Highest sales number of all types of car, not just of electric cars. The beauty of driving an electric car is the silence of the drive. Electric cars are so much more refined and pleasant to drive. There is much to love apart from the fact you are not pumping out poison into the atmosphere. No need to visit smelly petrol stations and the cost of driving and EV is much cheaper overall. They might cost more to buy in the first place still but the energy costs to drive are extremely low. Then there is the lower cost of maintenance. An electric motor has much fewer parts so there is less to break and go wrong. No oil changes, no exhausts, timing belts or brake pads to replace. Most of the braking is dome using the electric motor and that's why the pads seem to last forever. The accelerator pedal is called the happy pedal because of the instant torque giving fantastic acceleration. Another reason to love the car. In this book I rant and rave a bit about the poor experience I had buying the car through a dealer from Nissan. As soon as I have the car I get happy and drive many kilometres in the first year. The car is so much fun to drive I go on day trips just for the fun of driving and to explore the charging infrastructure in the north of Spain and the are in France just the other side of the border.