When This Van's a Rockin'...

The boys are probably having another tussle.

There are a number of factors that make the all-electric Nissan LEAF a viable option for our family. We have commutes to work that are within range. We live in a home where we can install a charger. And, we have The Van. It is a 2004 Honda Odyssey with 220,000+ miles on it.

We have taken The Van on countless road trips. It is routinely stuffed with flats of flowers on spring weekends, camping gear on summer weekends, lumber and Sheetrock on fall weekends and a tangled mass of skis and snowboards winter weekends. It is cavernous enough to transport an entire exhibit for a 20 x 10 foot booth to trade shows.

Our children grew up in The Van. It has taken our kids and up to four of their friends to birthday parties and playdates. It has logged hundreds of trips to and from karate and music lessons. The kids' teachers would be horrified to learn what percentage of homework is done not at a quiet desk, but in The Van.

I often rue the amount of fossil fuels burned getting to 220,000 miles, but The Van is indispensable for our family. And we are far from the only family in our town who feel this way. Sometimes I think we live in Minivanland, U.S.A. Open house at the school looks like a minivan convention. We often stand outside the wrong Odyssey in parking lots, wondering what is wrong with the remote opener.
Back in 2004 I went to our local Honda dealer and asked to look at a Honda Pilot. The salesman cocked his head and said I should really look at the Odyssey. I said, "Do I look like the kind of person who drives a minivan?" His eyes went to the infant I was wearing in a BabyBjörn on my chest. He didn't actually say "yes" but he didn't need to. I agreed to the test drive and was quickly hooked.

I don't see giving up The Van anytime soon, but we will make a conscious effort to replace as many gasoline miles with electric miles as possible. Beyond that, based on the number of minivans around, I have to assume that our family is pretty similar to many other families in our town. I'm sure many of them share those factors that make a Nissan LEAF a viable option for us. Let's hope we can convince some of them to check out the EV option when they shop for a new car. For us, and maybe for them, a minivan and an electric car are the perfect pairing.
Yesterday's Statistics

• Description: Commuting, return on the highway
• Starting Range: 87 miles
• Miles Driven: 54.8 miles
• Ending Range: 32 miles
• High Temperature: 46
• Low Temperature: 28
• Wind: 12
• Average MPKWh: 4.1
• Average MPG: 24.5
• Energy Cost/KWh (Wind): $0.0899
• Delivery Cost/KWh: $0.092
• Unleaded Regular/Gallon MA: $3.430
• Savings/Mile: $0.096
• Total Savings: $5.24
• Lifetime Savings: $41.34

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