"NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It's been a long road to jumpstart the electric car and only in recent years has the concept of an electric vehicle grabbed widespread attention.
Jeff Heeren is the owner of Middle Tennessee's first Nissan LEAF.
A self-proclaimed "gadget guy", he told Nashville's News 2 he has always asked about buying a car that goes just 100-miles without refueling.
"My lifestyle does not consist of me driving more than 100 miles a day so to be able to buy a car that I could refuel at home was intriguing," he said.
Heeren purchased the new, zero emissions Nissan LEAF for $43,000, including tax, title and fees, and for doing so, received a $10,000 government incentive package that includes $7,500 on the car and $2,500 for installing a home charging station, which cost a little more than the incentive.
Right away, Heeren's electric bill went up $100 a month but it will take him a complete year to do a cost analysis when factoring in the usual car care and maintenance such as oil changes, plugs and belts.
Charging stations away from home is Heeren's most glaring hurdle.
Stephanie Cox runs the ambitious government-funded EV Project, which hopes to have charging stations in Tennessee's four largest Metro areas by the fall and a charging corridor so that people can drive between them.
She said, "There [are] two sides of the equation that need to happen, you have to acceptance of the vehicle but you also need acceptance of the charging infrastructure."
That includes businesses like Cracker Barrel, BP and McDonald's, who plan to offer 30-minute full recharging.
Heeren told Nashville's News 2 he's okay with waiting for infrastructure to catch up, adding, "You have to plan, you just cannot be spontaneous."
The electric car is generating plenty of sparks, but the full connection still needs to be made."
Em: http://www.wkrn.com/story/14180102/niss ... ectric-car