480-mile road trip in a Nissan Leaf? It's possible and positive

We'd venture a guess that most Nissan Leaf owners wouldn't trek from San Diego, CA to Tucson, AZ – a distance of approximately 480 miles – in their electrified hatchbacks. The Leaf has many skills, but, as we all know, tackling long-distance trips in a reasonable amount of time isn't the Leaf's forte. This little hindrance hasn't prevented U.S. Army veteran Jerry Asher (aka EV Jerry) from setting out on the aforementioned 480-mile journey.

The trip took Asher seven days to complete – as opposed to the ten or so hours it could take in a gasoline-fueled vehicle – but getting there quickly wasn't the point. Asher intended the journey to be part leisure trip, part goodwill tour for the Leaf. Someday, says Asher, quick-charge stations will allow the Leaf to make it from San Diego to Tuscon in 24 hours.

Back in 2008, Asher toured the U.S. in a converted plug-in Toyota Prius named "The Spirit of DC." That vehicle, with lots of cruising range, earned Asher the title of "Most Traveled PHEV."

Photos copyright ©2010 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

[Source: All Cars Electric]