Electric Vehicles Gaining Momentum and Advocates

LOS ANGELES – Electric vehicles are expanding in scope, size, and shape.  It’s a transformation that started nearly a decade ago and is just now solidifying.  Established car makers like Nissan have invested big because they are confident in an electric revolution.

“Let’s jump the end game.  The end game is a full-electric car,” said Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer.

Electric Vehicle Advocate Chelsea Sexton agrees that electric cars are no longer an idea of the future. 

She said they’re the cars with the most class and “cool.”

“They’re cool and they’re fast and they’re fun and the new thing to have,” said Sexton.

Electric cars started slow.  The first models were less advanced, but the latest Nissan LEAF and even newer Infiniti LE take going electric to a higher tier.

“It’s quiet and it’s clean.  There are so many merits around it,” said Palmer.

“This is no longer if it will happen and maybe.  It will happen.  This is, it’s happening,” said Sexton.

Nissan has already sold 28,000 LEAFs worldwide.  There are so many drivers in San Francisco, for example, that they actually formed a club called the BayLEAFs.

“I’ve been in high technology all my life.  I’ve worked for Apple.  I’ve worked for Microsoft.  I’ve worked on the space shuttle.  I’ve done all kinds of crazy things, and the next big thing has always been my passion.  EVs are the next big thing,” said BayLEAFs President Gary Lieber.

Lieber signed up to buy a LEAF two years in advance.  He and his wife have driven it for a full year now, and they’ve put 14,000 miles on it.

“I got home and it was phew, this was a good idea.  And I haven’t looked back since.  We love the car,” said Lieber.

There are thousands of LEAF drivers like Lieber in California -- so many that he almost stopped doing the LEAF salute.

“You can’t go anywhere without seeing two or three of them, and it’s kind of like at first everybody is waving at each other.  But now there’s so many of them that you sometimes forget that you have to wave to your fellow EVer,” said Lieber.

It’s an electric community that seems here to stay.

“It gives me a real warm feeling that this type of transportation is making such great advances,” said Lieber.

“It’s really nice to see momentum.  We have cars on the road.  We have cars coming, and we have a lot of enthusiasm and not just by a few EV drivers anymore,” said Sexton.

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