Leaf makes a believer out of GP

POWERING UP: GP Chris Reid charges his borrowed electric vehicle, a Nissan Leaf, via a power lead from the window of his Kerikeri surgery. PICTURE/PETER DE GRAFF

An initially sceptical GP has been won over to fossil-fuel-free transport after borrowing an electric car for a three-day trial.

Chris Reid, who works at Kerikeri Medical Centre and is an elected member of Northland District Health Board, was loaned the Nissan Leaf earlier this week to see if it was suitable for a busy GP.

Dr Reid was doubtful at first, given that he commutes daily from Russell, makes the odd house call and is regularly on after-hours duty. The Leaf can travel 110km before it needs recharging.

However, Dr Reid said he had been won over by the time he handed the car back.

As well as his usual daily travel he had seen a patient at home on Tuesday morning and driven to Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa on Sunday night without problems. He recharged the car overnight and topped it up during the day by running a power lead out his surgery window.

Dr Reid said he was mindful of the cost, and the effect on the environment, of his daily commuting - but used to think relying on an electric car was "laughable".

"It's actually quite do-able. Ninety per cent of what I do is within 100km."

He would now consider switching one of his family's two cars to an electric vehicle, for use as an everyday run-around, while reserving a petrol or diesel vehicle for longer trips.

He would also suggest the health board look into electric cars, for example for its district nurses, and hoped councils would do the same.

"If it's not viable now, it won't be too far away," he said.

It was also a chance for Northland to lead the way. The savings in fuel, and the impact on the environment, would be huge, he said. Dr Reid was also impressed by the Leaf's performance.

"It's the nippiest, fastest car I've driven in years. It has loads of torque too."

The Leaf belongs to Paihia electric vehicle enthusiast Craig Salmon. He did not need it for a few weeks so was lending it to Northlanders he believed were open to new ideas, to see how it worked in their daily lives.

"When you get people in the car, they suddenly realise all the benefits."

It cost about $5 per 100km to run, he said.

Mr Salmon is a member of the Regional Electric Vehicle Utility Project (REV-UP), an advocacy group promoting electric cars, charging stations and opportunities for Northland businesses.

Northland already has the country's first public charging station. Northpower's rapid charger, which can charge a car to 80 per cent in 20 minutes, is on Alexander St in Whangarei and costs nothing to use. The Northland Regional Council has a charging station on Water St.

Last year Mr Salmon was the first person to drive a production-model, fully electric car from Cape Reinga to Bluff. He then had to drive it home again.