I'll get technical about the Leaf and talk "geek" as this blog progresses , but also expect some mundane observations from a not very politically correct dude.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

ELECTRIC Bragging Rights

People have been noticing our LEAF when we drive by. On occasion, I've been asked what kind of car it is. I think some people realize it is different but don't know what makes it different, or that it is all electric, not hybrid.

Soon after getting the car I thought I might get some chrome letters and customize the rear badge situation. See for yourself. It is quite simple - the car has a "LEAF" on the left and a smaller "Zero Emission" badge on the right.
Click on any picture for a larger view.

At first I thought I'd do something clever like replace the badge on the right with "24kWh Li-ion" or "Lithium-ion" to signify the battery power the LEAF uses. A subtle hint that it is an electric car.

Still it wouldn't be clear to the average person that the car is electric. I decided I would remove the ZeroE badge and replace it with "ELECTRIC." I did a google search and found that someone had already beat me to it. In the "My Nissan Leaf" forum there was a thread on the subject and a link to an eBay listing.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3310

Here's the car after I removed the ZeroE badge. I followed the instructions in the forum and removed the badge with thread. The glue left on the car was easily cleaned-off.

Now it looked like many cars you see on the road that only have one badge. Mind you, at this point I'm staring at the rear of every car I see. I'm figuring out what I like and dislike about the different badging styles I see. What are the trends and designs used by different car manufacturers.

Does it seem like I have a lot of time on my hands? You're probably thinking "...who the fuck cares." How about all the people in the above forum that also modified their Leaf. I'm not the only frivolous car owner that ever lived. Americans like customizing their rides. I'm including all Americans - North, Central and South Americans for all you geographically-challenged people. (But that's another blog: Mexicans Are Also Americans) Where was I?

I installed the "ELECTRIC" letters I ordered from eBay. Not too difficult, but something was missing - it didn't look right to me.

I kept staring at car-rears and then it hit me. I decided to see if there was enough glue left on the ZeroE badge to apply it below the "ELECTRIC" left justified.

Maybe I do have too much time on my hands, but I do believe I have bragging rights. Not everyone can say they have an all electric vehicle.

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