I went to my second EVCO meeting last night. I knew a demo Volt from a local GM dealer would be there, and maybe the Tesla, owned by Doug George (the first Tesla in Canada), but I was really surprised to finally another privately owned Nissan LEAF nearby, the second one delivered in Ottawa!
The first two Nissan LEAFs delivered in Ottawa
Darren and his wife took delivery of their nice looking ocean blue Leaf about a week ago. Having the two LEAFs side-by-side was a great sight.
The LEAF and the Tesla side-by-side. Wanna race? 🙂
The star of the night was really the Tesla. I had never seen one “in person” and it’s beautiful. Doug George, who I knew from a previous life, as a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, was kind enough to give me a ride. And what a ride it was. It accelerates from 0 to 100 Km/h in about 4 seconds. The best way to describe the feeling is like going down hard on a roller coaster. First a big punch pushes you to your seat, then it keeps you there, and it keeps you, AND IT KEEPS YOU THERE. The acceleration never seems to end and you start feeling your heart pulling out of your throat.
The LEAF and the Volt.
Another first for me was also seeing the GM Volt for the first time. A local GM dealer brought a brand new one to the meeting and gave rides to the members of the EVCO. The salesperson was fairly knowledgeable about the car, but he was surprised when I asked him if he had heard the gas engine kicking in on the highway, even with the batteries still charged.
Volt under the hood: 5 Watt 30? No, 5W30 -- that's the oil cap!
Canadian Leaf 