Patrick and Debbie VanDerHyde of Seattle did something they usually don’t do.
“We joke that we agreed to buy the car before we’d ever been inside of it or driven it or anything,” said Debbie VanDerHyde.
That’s the kind of appeal the new 2011 Nissan Leaf has sparked.
The couple picked up their 100 percent electric car Wednesday afternoon at Renton’s Younker Nissan. They are some of the first people to do so.
They saw the car back in 2009 at Winterfest at Seattle Center and drove it for the first time in mid-November.
So, what’s so great about the Leaf?
Lots of things, said Patrick VanDerHyde.
“No more gasoline, that’s one thing, “ he said.
He likes being able to wake up every morning to a fully charged car, not contributing to pollution and not contributing to more dependence on foreign oil.
Michael Hayes, general sales manager at Younker, estimates there probably has been 10 to 20 Leaf deliveries so far from California to Washington, but there are about 20,000 people on the waiting list to receive the car. The dealership has delivered two in the last two days and expects to deliver 20 to 30 in the next three to four months.
The car can be plugged in over night for eight hours and it will have a full charge the next day, with a range of up to 100 miles. After that time, it needs to be recharged.
“We don’t travel long distances, so the Leaf is a good fit for our lifestyle that way,” said Debbie VanDerHyde.
She explained that they have sustainable values, shopping locally and living locally with their activities and children’s school all within a short radius of where they live.
They couple is satisfied with what they got, saying the car is fun to drive, quiet and intuitive.
They got a quick charge port on the front of the car and a charger installed in their home for free as part of a government program that offers the incentives in exchange for collecting data from the car.
The VanDerHydes didn’t have their two children with them, but said they are very excited about the car too.
“And another reason for this is we’re trying to make a change for our kids for the future and provide a better place for them,” said Patrick VanDerHyde. “And this is a good first step to do that.”
The Leaf costs $33,000 with a $7,500 government rebate, said Hayes.
“As fast as they build them, they’ll be sold,” he said.
