On the fence about EVs? Nissan has 3 reasons for you to own one

Nissan continues to demystify electric vehicles (EVs) with the continuation of its educational video series. The Japanese brand wants to give the public several insights to EV ownership. The brand wants to tell its consumers that EVs are the way to go for the future, and that ownership will be just like that of a normal fossil fuel powered car without the drawback of emissions. 

Nissan aims to electrify several of its markets in South East Asia. The Philippines will also be receiving Nissan’s best selling EV, the LEAF. Electrifying things are coming to the Philippines in 2020. A lot of changes are being made as the country braces itself for the first wave of fully electric vehicles that will be available to autobuyers in the country. In fact, Nissan claims that more than one-third of South East Asian consumers are already considering an EV for their next vehicle purchase noting that there is room for change and progress in terms of electrification. 

In a country of  gas and diesel guzzling cars, EVs are few and far between, with only a few examples seen in the Philippines. More prevalent but accounting for only a small amount of traffic, hybrids are the happy medium that most car buyers, at least in other countries, go to because it is the best compromise between a totally different lifestyle and the current practice of going to the gas station every time you’re running on empty. Though keep an open mind and consider these tidbits of information. 

Electric motors have less moving parts. It goes to reason that with less parts there are less things to break, hence there are less things in your vehicle to maintain. Maintenance and service costs are considerably lower for EVs. In the United States owners can save up to $650 or more on maintenance expenses. Considering that labor in the states is expensive, this number is quite substantial. 

As technology continues to improve and trickle down to the more basic models, the cost for acquisition will be much lower. Also, if you have an electric vehicle we don’t expect you to spend on gas now right? So you save there as well. 

Have you ever seen a Tesla out accelerate a GT-R? No? You should hop on Youtube right now and search for videos because EVs are not like they once were. Many consumers still think that EVs are compromised versions of their gas powered cousins in terms of space and acceleration, but this is far from the truth nowadays. 

An electric motor is, by design, compact and efficiently sized for the vehicle. Whereas a gasoline or diesel engine needs to take up the entire front, rear, or middle of the car, an EV can have its engine placed in other areas that free up even more space for more cargo and for more passenger space. Also important to note is that EVs don’t need tail pipes. Because there are no exhaust pipes, this translates to more space in the interior as no indentations need to be made to accommodate the entire system.

But what use is a compact motor if it is too compact to use and bring the car up to speed? Well big performance comes in small packages. Coming from a gasoline engine it is hard to imagine that something without displacement being so powerful and capable. Believe me, there are a few things you need to wrap your head around when trying to deduce the actual performance of an EV. For petrolheads kiloWatt hours (kWh) and amperes are such alien terms. Although it also goes to reason that the higher the number the better. It gets a little muddier to think that EVs can perform well considering all the batteries and added weight they have. 

Hold up though, weight is a factor yes, but with the electric motor having instantaneous torque, and high numbers in terms of torque, you won’t have to worry about your ‘toy’ being sluggish on the road. The LEAF has 148hp to spare, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about 7.9 seconds. 

The car has no emissions. Air pollution is the highest environmental consumer concern in Asia-Pacific. With EVs having no pollutants deposited with each use, consumers get to minimize their individual carbon footprint. They also get to do so quietly. EVs do not have an explosion going off inside a block of metal every few half seconds, so operating an EV is very silent. This is important noise and vibrations that seep into the cabin from time to time can be attributed to the engine purring along or screaming as it is wrung out. In any speed however, an EV such as the LEAF will have silent operation whether your foot is stepping on the brake or flooring the ‘gas’ pedal. Or should it now be called the accelerator pedal? 

At any rate, EVs are coming, but they are getting more and more familiar, taking the shape of cars that we see on our everyday roads. The future is electric and so far there are a few steps that Nissan is taking here in the Philippines in order to bring its brand of LEAF to our archipelago. Let’s hope the dream does not dry out and fall from the tree. Only time and openness to the concept of an electrified future will tell. 

With all this being said, let's all take a moment to keep our heads open about EVs and the advancements made in that segment of car.