Oftentimes when we cover Robert Llewellyn, it's his plug-in-centric show Fully Charged that's in the spotlight. However, this time 'round, it's Llewellyn and his Nissan Leaf that come into focus.
It's no secret that Llewellyn is a plug-in fan and that he is truly brilliant at conveying his message through various forms of media. But actions often speak louder than words, and Llewellyn has chosen to live what he preaches.
Here's the headline: Llewellyn has managed to drive his Nissan Leaf 1,000 miles at a cost of only £5.38 ($8.46 U.S. at the current exchange rate). That's equal to approximately 118 miles per dollar. For comparison, a Toyota Prius would require roughly 20 gallons of gas to cover 1,000 miles. At today's average price of $3.59 per gallon of gas, a Prius would cover 1,000 miles at an approximate cost of $71.80.
Here's how Robert did it: three months ago, Llewellyn had solar panels installed on the roof of his home office. He then documented the energy generated by the panels generated and calculated how much of that he used to charge his Nissan Leaf. To date, he reckons, 85 percent of the energy used to charge his vehicle has come from the sun, with the remaining 15 percent coming from grid electricity when the sun doesn't shine on Robert's home and from the UK's not-always-free network of charging stations.
Some number crunching lead Robert to the conclusion that his Leaf has covered 1,000 miles for less than $9. Of course, that figure doesn't include the cost of his solar setup, which comes in at a healthy £11,500 ($18,088 U.S.), but we don't factor in the cost of installing gasoline pumps when we calculate cost-per-mile numbers for gas vehicles, either.
