MLG&W, the power utility in Memphis, TN, has a great program where you can pay a monthly charge to get a percentage of your electric power from renewable sources. I pay $16 per month to ensure that I have more than enough renewable power to charge my Nissan Leaf. I live in a condo building and can't install solar panels on the roof.

I agree. One should be able to start a long trip with the Rex running to keep the battery charge as high as possible. That way the battery would retain a lot of charge for a much longer distance, and the performance of the car wouldn't suffer. Of course, one would have to stop frequently to fill up the mini-tank, but that's not a a bad idea anyway, for safety's sake. If you take frequent breaks, you're less likely to fall asleep at the wheel.

There is no free market in the US. The market is distorted by the machinations of the oil, gas, and coal companies. The government with it subsidies is trying to level the playing field a little bit for alternative energy technologies.

Check out the BMW i3. It will have a 90 mile all electric range and a 600 cc motorcycle engine as a range extender. I have a Leaf. I need every bit of its range for my travels around the Memphis area. The i3 sounds like the right compromise to me for a range extended vehicle. It is a bit smaller than the Leaf though.

To go from Memphis to Nashville I rent a car. Otherwise I drive my Leaf.

And there's no maintenance cost and practically no fuel cost. Electricity is cheap in Tennessee, where I live. There's nothing to wear out except the battery, which has a long warranty. By the time the warranty is up, batteries will be much better and much cheaper. Battery electric cars totally change the economics of automobile buying. Leaf sales people need to stress these points. It's just silly to look at the initial sales cost and compare it to the cost of a gasoline car which requires expensive fuel, expensive maintenance, and has lots and lots of expensive mechanical parts to wear out. By the time that the Leaf battery wears out, a gasoline car will need a rebuilt engine.

That depends on your driving habits. I have a Leaf as my only car, and it works, because I drive mostly just around Memphis, TN, all of which is within the Leaf's range. The few times I need to drive to Nashville, I rent a car from Hertz. For longer trips I fly and then rent a car from Hertz. For people that regularly have to take longer car trips, the Volt would be better.

What battery anxiety? I have a Nissan Leaf, and I got a 100,000 mile warranty to cover the battery. If the battery goes dead in less than 100,000 miles, they give me a new battery for free. After 100,000 miles I'll be ready to buy a new car anyway. I had no interest in either leasing the car or leasing the battery.

I just checked into Hertz' On Demand service. It has a limit of 180 miles per day. That would be useless, if I wanted to drive somewhere, like from Memphis to Nashville, which is over 200 miles. I find Hertz' regular rental a good deal on weekends, but rent from a Nissan dealer during the week to save money. It certainly doesn't pay to own a second car to drive to Nashville a few times per year. Around Memphis, the Nissan Leaf has plenty of range.

I have a Nissan Leaf, and I charge it in my assigned parking space in the basement garage of the Nettleton Condos in Memphis, TN, where I live. However, I had Eco Totality install a level 2 charger connected to my condo unit's metered power. The DOE paid for the charger and the installation. I would side with the land lord in the case you presented. It's the car owner's responsibility to install a charger connected to his metered electric service. Any competent electrician can do this. It just costs money. I was lucky that I got covered by the EV Project in Tennessee, and had the cost covered by the DOE Grant.