More bad news about electric drive autos...

[tinrobot]

43. You don't need to be "wealthy" to drive an EV

Take the Leaf, for example. It's based on the Nissan Versa. The lease on a Leaf is $369/month, the lease on the equivalent Versa is $269/month

http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/paymentestimator

If you drive 12,000 miles per year, the 30mpg Versa would consume $1,600 worth of gas at $4/gal. This adds $133/month to the cost of the car, bringing it up to $402/month. Add in a few dollars for oil changes as well. Higher gas prices mean higher fuel costs.

The Leaf consumes about $30-40/month worth of electricity for the same mileage, making the cost almost exactly the same. Some utilities give breaks on power for EVs, so this amount could be less.

You don't need to be wealthy to drive a Versa, and a Leaf costs the same or less, so you don't need to be wealthy to drive that car, either. Also, because you're leasing, you give the EV back long before the battery needs replacing.