Nissan Leaf available in December for $21,380 in Calif. with rebates.
Nissan Leaf, First Drive;
By Andrew Frankel, Edmunds Inside Line contributor, Apr 28, 2010
You're going to be stunned by the Leaf's smoothness and refinement. It should be renamed the "Leap", a word to describe its throttle response!
The 2011 Nissan Leaf is a brand-new, purpose-built, mass-produced, battery-powered family car and, as such, the very first of its kind in the world. And we've driven it.
This is a full five-seater with a conspicuously large trunk. You sit a little higher than you might expect because there are 48 lithium-ion battery modules under the floor, but that's no bad thing. The cabin is spacious, airy and promising. The electronic dashboard works particularly well, using state-of-the-art graphics to present almost certainly more information than you will ever need, a way to reassure you that the Leaf is not going to run out of electrons without giving fair warning first.
The Fun-To-Drive Quotient
You ease the Leaf through the first corner and see a long straightaway appear, so naturally you nail the throttle to the floor, expecting acceleration of the barely discernible variety. But that's not what you get.
Because maximum torque is always and instantly available, the Leaf jumps forward with sufficient alacrity to make you wonder if it should not be renamed "Leap," a word that describes both its throttle response and game-changing technology with equal precision. Nissan reckons this electric vehicle's midrange punch is on a par with a sedan powered by a 2.5-liter V6 (probably it really means a Nissan Altima 2.5 with its inline-4, but whatever), and we'd not argue with that.
Because the Leaf represents a clean-sheet design, Nissan created a platform that centralizes the weight of its heaviest components — the batteries — within the span of the wheelbase. And this bit of physics when combined with a very low center of gravity makes the Leaf very responsive to directional changes.
That is to say, all this makes the Leaf implausibly good fun to drive, able to corner both flat and fast, a pleasant surprise.
You can even talk to the 2011 Nissan Leaf through your mobile phone, telling it, for instance, to warm up its interior on a cold morning while it's still parked and charging in your garage, saving you battery life and a cold backside. Once it's charged, it will send you a text saying it's hot to trot.
But there's another saving, too. Where a conventional car needs an annual checkup, the Nissan Leaf effectively looks after itself. In fact, Nissan says the only routine maintenance required at the dealer will be the renewal of brake pads, and since the Leaf's regenerative braking system minimizes pad wear, it could be some years before the car needs any maintenance at all.
Reality Bites
Currently the 2011 Nissan Leaf has a range of just 100 miles. The math still adds up for most people, since we live in cities, and as we're constantly reminded, 80 percent of us cover less than 60 miles daily.
In around five years, however, the Leaf's lithium-ion batteries will only take around 80 percent of their original charge, so you might feel inclined to change them, partly because the replacements will almost certainly have far greater range than the old ones even when they were new. Indeed Nissan says it has targeted a cruising range of 300-350 miles for the Leaf.
Nissan has actually been developing a 200 mile range battery, and its expected to come out in 2015.
March 30, 2010; Zan Dubin Scott: Plug-In America
Nissan Leaf Pricing a Game Changer
All-Electric Vehicle Will Help Speed Widespread Adoption of All Plug-In Vehicles
Highly affordable pricing for Nissan's all-electric Leaf will lead to rapid adoption of the sedan and help to accelerate widespread adoption of plug-in vehicles as many new models hit the road in 2011 and beyond, Plug In America officials said Tuesday.
With a sticker price of $32,780, and after a federal tax credit of $7,500, the Leaf will only set you back about $25,280 plus a charging station. With federal tax credits, the base-model Leaf - plus a home charging station with installation included - will cost $26,380, according to Nissan. In California, a $5,000 state rebate for the car will drop the price to $21,380.
"For the first couple of years, every Leaf built will be spoken for before it ever gets to a dealership," said Plug In America president Dan Davids. "Like the Prius, these cars won't linger in showrooms. There is huge pent-up demand for electric cars and at this price-point, Nissan might have to accelerate completion of its new Leaf factory in Tennessee."
Indeed, Plug In America continues to push for more funding in the California Air Resources Board's Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. The organization's members are also working in states across the country to advocate for local rebates and tax credits. A complete summary of existing incentives is available at http://www.pluginamerica.org/state-incentives.
Nissan will take reservations for its Leaf between April 20 and May 15 from those who have already registered their interest on the automaker's website. Reservations will require a fully refundable $99 fee and reservation holders can start placing orders at dealerships in August, according to Nissan.
"We've known all along that the sure-fire way to rapidly build a robust EV market is simply to let people drive these cars," said Zan Dubin Scott, Plug In America's communications director. "With the Nissan Leaf's low price—less than that of a Toyota Prius—consumers will finally be able to buy an EV for roughly the same price as a gasoline car. That's a game changer."
About Plug In America
Plug In America is leading the nation's plug-in vehicle movement. The nonprofit organization works to accelerate the shift to plug-in vehicles powered by clean, affordable, domestic electricity to reduce our nation's dependence on petroleum and improve the global environment. For more information: http://www.pluginamerica.org.
Nissan announced the Leaf will be available in some markets this December
(one month after the Chevy Volt)
Nissan announced on March 30 
that its new electric vehicle (EV), the Leaf, will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $32,780 for the standard model. The vehicle, designed to travel 100 miles on an average battery charge, will be available in some markets this December, with nationwide sales beginning in 2011. Nissan said it would begin accepting online reservations for the Leaf on April 20 for a fully refundable fee of $99. The automaker noted that each Leaf would be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, as well as any potential state tax rebates for such alternative transportation. The nonprofit Plug In America called the pricing for the Leaf a "game changer" that will help to build a robust EV market. See the Plug In America press release.
As part of the buying process, Nissan will offer to install personal charging docks that operate on a 220-volt supply. The company said the average cost of the docks would be $2,200, but they too would be eligible for rebates. Using current national electricity averages, Nissan estimated that Leaf will cost less than $3 to recharge. The Leaf will also be available for leasing, with monthly payments starting at $349. In January, DOE closed a $1.4 billion loan to Nissan to retool and expand the company's factory in Smyrna, Tennessee, for the production of the Leaf and the battery packs used in the vehicle, with the goal of eventually producing 150,000 vehicles per year. See the Nissan press release, the Leaf Web site, and the DOE press release on the loan.
The Nissan Leaf also will be the sole vehicle participating in The EV Project, under which the Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation, or eTec, will provide free home charging stations and installations for up to 4,700 Nissan Leaf owners in 10 cities in five states: Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona; San Diego, California; the Oregon cities of Corvallis, Eugene, and Portland; the Tennessee cities of Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga; and Seattle, Washington. The EV Project will also deploy an additional 6,510 EV charging stations in those cities. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the project was awarded a DOE grant of $99.8 million in August 2009. It was officially launched in October 2009 and will continue for three years, with the aim of gathering the lessons learned from these initial deployments and applying them to future efforts to deploy EVs and charging infrastructure. See The EV Project Web site.
contact Obama! 