“Electric vehicle getaway”: Australia’s first long-range Leaf goes for a long drive

The Driven

Canberra couple Shane and Karen Maher, thought to be the first owners in Australia of a long-range Nissan Leaf e+ with 62kWh battery – thanks to grey import laws – have delivered another installment of their experience of owning the electric vehicle (EV).

Readers may remember our report of the couple’s first few weeks of ownership in which they described the Leaf+ with 62kWh battery and up to 370km driving range as a “game-changer”.

This time they share their experience taking “Yuki”, as they have named their trusty EV hatchback, on a 1,000km plus drive from Canberra, to Wagga Wagga, Hay and then back to Yass via West Wyalong.

Posted on Youtube via their channel “EV4ME2” (and which you can view below at the end of this article), Shane says, “Say goodbye to the traditional Aussie long weekend away and say hello to the electric vehicle get away.”

According to Shane and Karen, their weekend was not ruined by their choice of an EV, and despite facing a few range challenges largely due to the Leaf’s passively-cooled battery and partly due to headwinds.

Pundits will know that lithium-ion batteries will deliver less driving range on a hot day, and as the Mahers point out on their Youtube channel, factors such as driving style and conditions also have an effect on range of an electric vehicle (and any combustion vehicle for that matter).

The difference, however, between owning an EV and owning a combustion vehicle is that charge points are still relatively few and further between than petrol stations. So some planning is required because of the lack of infrastructure.

The Leaf+ is billed with a 385km driving range under the European WLTP cycle and 370km according to the US-based EPA fuel economy rating. As Shane and Karen show, it can also be considerably less, depending on conditions, but with a bit of planning and understanding the EV’s capabilities, a good road trip can still be enjoyed.

To read the full version of this story, please go to our EV-focussed sister site, The Driven and click here…