IT’S never too late to make a change. And at 63, Stephen Hodges has made the shocking decision to go all-electric for his automotive needs. His choice: a 2011 Nissan Leaf.

“There’s no question that Jamaica is a victim of climate change and I wanted to be part of the solution,” Hodges told Auto.

An environmentalist at heart, Hodges has been keeping his carbon footprint low in his daily life. And when it came time to part with his beloved diesel Hyundai Getz, the appeal of going to a full-electric vehicle made perfect sense to him.

“I did some research and imported the Leaf,” he said.

The Leaf is Nissan’s first full-electric offering. Using an 80kW AC synchronous electric motor, it generates the equivalent of 107bhp. However, more significantly over its zero tailpipe emissions is its fuel economy ratings of 106MPG/92MPG (city/highway) according to US government ratings. It has a listed range of 84 miles per full charge.

“When I first had it, I used to get range anxiety, but not anymore once you understand how it works,” Hodges explained.

Part of his lack of range anxiety comes from the fact that he’s run it ‘flat’ before and tested how far the car can go with a full battery.

“I’ve driven it as far as Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth.”

With time, he said, it’s just a matter of planning out your journeys. As for daily driving, Hodges thinks it’s the perfect commuter vehicle for Jamaica despite the lack of a public charging infrastructure as in the First World nations.

“It feels like a regular car.”

According to Hodges, it takes seven hours to charge to 80 per cent using the car’s port that can detect 240v or 110v. One full charge is the equivalent to three quarters of a gallon of fuel, and to keep things even more cost-effective he uses solar power to recharge the vehicle. His daily route to work and then home, up and down Red Hills, a total distance of 20 miles is little problem for the Leaf. In traffic, the instant torque of the electric motor is hugely positive.

The Leaf boasts all the modern conveniences expected and other than the engine, Hodges explained that it’s mostly standard Nissan parts.

“It’s been basically trouble-free. There’s nothing to wear out engine-wise, and other than the special eco tyres I haven’t had any problems getting anything.”

His only trouble seems to be animals, given the vehicle’s lack of noise.

“Pedestrians are fine, but animals don’t seem to be able to recognise that there is a car around them.”

Hodges hopes that his move to electric will spur on others to do the same and the government to put the necessary charging infrastructure to support the full-electric vehicles.