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Electric Cars Continue To Improve For The 'In Between Times'

Mark Savage
The First Nissan LEAF's mileage was only about 80 miles on a single charge. Now, the 2019 model has a 250-mile range on a full electrical charge.

Electric cars have come a long way over the past few decades, but they still only run a short distance. Once limited to traveling less than 100 miles before needing a recharge, some modern electric vehicles have doubled that mileage.

"I guess what's impressive to me is that electric cars are coming on stronger and stronger. They have more distance, more range than they used to have, and there's more of them out there," notes automotive contributor Mark Savage.

However, most electric cars still pale in comparison to most gas-powered cars, which can travel around 300-400 miles on a full tank. Savage notes that the 2019 Nissan LEAF has come a long way since its first model, which could only travel about 80 miles on a charge. Now the LEAF can travel up to 250 miles and can be fully charged in 35 hours, according to Savage.

READ:2019 Nissan Leaf SL Plus Review

"Long-term I think we will see more electrics, but for the 'in between times,' which I feel we're in right now, the hybrids still are a great choice because you get the best of both worlds," he notes.

But how are these fully electric vehicles doing in the marketplace and how quickly will their technology catch up to consumers’ needs and desires? Savage joined fellow Lake Effect’s automotive contributor Dan Harmon to weigh in:

Dan Harmon was one of the original members of Lake Effect (formerly At Ten). He started at WUWM in November of 1998 and left December of 2015 after 17 years of production.
Mark Savage writes the auto review column, Savage On Wheels, for WUWM (formerly for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) and Savageonwheels.com. He is the former executive editor of American Snowmobiler magazine and FineScale Modeler magazine, both part of Kalmbach Media in Waukesha.