Florida by car: more frustrating on Nissan Leaf than Tesla, regrets Quebec couple

An elderly couple from Montreal’s South Shore experienced a stressful and frustrating trip as they traveled to Florida in their electric car. They quickly realized that their journey was more uncomfortable in a Nissan Leaf than it would have been if they had driven a Tesla.

Gilles and Patricia Fortin visited friends in Key West, but the CHAdeMo socket in their 2022 Nissan Leaf gave them several headaches during their trip. Two weeks ago, Le Journal told the story of another Quebec couple who had the most amazing trip. But in their case, it was Tesla.

For the Fortins, they had all the trouble in the world finding a place to charge their car.

“Once we crossed the American lines, finding charging stations became very difficult,” explains Gilles Fortin. The further we got from Quebec, the harder it became.

“We arrived at places where there were 20 charging stations, but only one was compatible with our car. For Teslas, they were everywhere.

The two retirees had additional stress on their shoulders. Because of Mr. back problems. Fortin, the two Quebecers and their car had a train to catch in Virginia.

“It was stressful. We didn’t know where we had to go to connect our car, he adds.

“When I left Quebec, I had three requests to find charging stations. I was 12 years old when I came back.

“We reached the areas where the stations were defective. There were no other positions with CHAdeMO that worked.”

Hours of waiting

Seeing that their prayers were not 100% reliable and that they were going around in circles in the far corner, they were directed to the local Wal-Mart by passers-by. Again, an unpleasant surprise awaited them.

“One time, we waited three hours before being able to load,” says Mr. Fortin. The further south we went, the worse it got. In Florida, opportunities that offered CHAdeMO were even rarer.

“We took it as an adventure, but we could have done without it!”

When they returned to Quebec, they started looking for an adapter so they could connect their Nissan to other connectors. However, none are approved by the manufacturer. The two veterans did not want to risk damage that would void their warranty.

Regret and pain

After this accident, the Fortins regretted buying their Nissan Leaf.

“We are very disappointed,” says Gilles. We realize that we had little information about the technology that was there.”

He shows their condition and old technology.

“We were not told that we were being sold BETA video (CHAdeMo) when VHS (CCS) was taking over the market,” explains Mr. Fortin is annoyed.

“We didn’t know the difference. I asked about replacing the plug in our car, but it’s as expensive as buying a new one.

“Knowing what I know, I wouldn’t have bought this car.”