Nissan Leaf 20,000 to be presold in USA
September 30, 2009 by Alborz Fallah
Nissan’s first mass produced all electric car, the Nissan Leaf is expected to have have at least 20,000 customers in the United States before even hitting showrooms in the third quarter of next year.
“We are confident we will have 20,000 reservations for the Leaf by the time it goes on sale,” Carlos Tavares, Nissan’s chairman for the Americas, said today.
The Nissan Leaf is competing against the Mitsuibshi I-MiEV and the Subaru Stella with all three cars powered only by electricity.
In order for the cars to work in a city environment, a recharging grid must be available to bring the Leaf back to life. In the United States Nissan has worked with authorities to have the infestructure ready prior to launch.
The Leafs delivered to US customers will initially be imported from Japan but starting in 2012 they will be built in Tennessee where Nissan has invested over $2.5 billion ($2 billion USD) to manufacture 150,000 Leafs a year and 200,000 lithium ion batteries, starting in late 2012.
The Nissan Leaf’s electric motor is capable of 80kW and 280Nm of torque, it will manage 160km on one full charge which takes eight hours however Nissan says a 30 minute charge will still get the car around 120km.
As far as Australian customers go, the car is expected to arrive here in 2012 if the infestracture can be put in place to support electric vehicles. Melbourne and Canberra will be the first cities expected to be Lead friendly.
Pricing wise, it will compete against its Japanese rivals and similarily attract a higher premium.
Print it: 
Bring it on I say – the sooner we can rid ourselves from dependence on the bloodsucking, ripoff merchant oil companies the better I reckon.
For going to work everyday, the range of 160k’s looks more than ample for most city people.
Finally an attractive alternative to oil use.
The Subaru Stella? Is this the first car with the same name as a beer? Holden could rename the Commodore the “Holden Victoria Bitter” and Ford can rename the Falcon “Ford Carlton Draught”. Further to this Nissan could rename the Micra the “Nissan Bacardi Breezer”.
About average for the US market of any reasonable vehicle. This thing is ugly, people really have no stlye.
Sounds like a serious move from Nissan … I have confidence that Sydney too can build some electric car infrastructure very quickly … Maybe …
Is it just me or is that a quicktime logo on the display?
Fantastic interior, but a bit fugly on the outside. But Nissan don’t exactly make good looking cars. So at least it looks good from the steering wheel.
ur right. You spend most of your time inside and that should be the best part of the car. This thing is a good experiment for the car of the future. Eventually the only two viable technologies will bw hydrogen and electric. At least this will keep the oil sheiks at bay.
wow! i’m blowen away! just like the car! hahahaha
Useless!
With a range of 160kms, most people will need two cars anyway.
People usually massively underestimate the CO2 required to BUILD a car, its nearly the same as 6 years of daily driving!
Not to mention that an electric car will take even more energy to produce.
Atleast it has a cool interior.
Theme : Nissan Leaf will lift the world, No Need For Heartbreaking Wars !
Some say the Leaf and the i-MiEV have a cruising range of 160 km on one battery charge, that is about one-third of the distance a gas-powered car can cover on a full tank of fuel.
In 21st century, home, workplace, or stores etc also serve as a power station as electricity is everywhere. and the other developments that come in a range of 200 to 300 miles between charges are on fast-tract toward mass-market, as well.
In this economy, fuel price is hovering around $60 to $75 a barrel, which highlights the actual value might be much the same as the peak price last year, and it will continue to spiral up unquestionably.
All it takes for the entire world to live in peace would be to change our antique notion as technology is already here, energy independence lies with people’s will and attitude. Today, the size and scope of investing in future energy will determine the future and fate of a nation.
1. The range of terrific EVs are sufficient to meet the daily driving needs of more than 95% of drivers ((The vast majority of people (95%) drive less than 100/km a day, 82% of the respondents said they drive 40 miles or less a day, with an average daily driving distance of 27 miles.)).
2. What’s more, as for long trip needs, all but Americans and many of developed nations have existing automobiles, in this regard, EVs are best suited to their daily use until the infrastructure comes into wide use. And people are already doing that. It’s time to end carrying a heavy suitcase for a long trip on a daily basis as it is unsustainable.
3. The price has not yet been announced, but Nissan says it will be priced similarly to a well-equipped sedan in the vicinity of the high $20,000 and with government tax break.
4. Manufacturing volume, innovative battery technology will drive down cost.
5. Very little maintenance fee.
Easy to drive and low likelihood of accidents, their only controls are the accelerator and brake.
6. MILES PER GALLON : MORE THAN 10 VS 1 (Leaf : 367MPG) compared with general combustion engine cars.
Applied to a different methodology from DOE formula, the notable EVs suffice to reach 200 to 300 MPG .
As an innovative Chevy Volt shows, even excellent hybrid cars and modern diesels are not comparable to EVs in light of fuel economy as the current fuel price went beyond the level of these autos and they failed to overcome this great recession, I guess.
How Can An Electric Car Travel 100 Miles For $1?
Please search http://www.treehugger.com/file.....dollar.php for informative details.
7. EVs will likely be less expensive for people to drive with low-cost nighttime charging.
Sometimes EVs can be charged at workplaces or stores etc.
8. Batteries will become more efficient on the whole and their price will drop, whereas the oil will simply go up and up as it becomes more scarce. As simple as that.
9. EVs are simple and felt smoother and more torquey than the petrol models, and quiet, fun to drive.
10. Better Place is partnering with Nissan to create the charging infrastructure and a system for swapping depleted batteries for fully charged batteries in less than 2 minutes. This can extend the range of the vehicle to hundreds of miles.
11. Nissan has developed an IT system for its EVs, connecting the vehicle’s on-board transmitting unit to a global data centre to support EV driving 24 hours 7 days a week.
The system shows the driving radius on a maximum range display under the current state of charge and calculates if the vehicle is within range of a pre-set destination. The navigation system points out the latest information on available charging stations within the current driving range
12. The car will charge to 80 percent within 30 minutes on a quick charger. A full charge requires eight hours on a 200V outlet.
13. It features a timer function that will start the car’s air-conditioner or battery charging at a specified time to benefit from more favorable electricity rates by a mobile phone or the Internet, as well. An SMS can be sent when the battery is fully charged and the car ready.
14. The 24 kilowatt hours laminated compact lithium-ion battery pack is placed under the vehicle floor for more efficient packaging. The battery layout also allows smooth underfloor air-flow which helps reduce drag.
15. The regenerative brake system employed to recharge the battery during deceleration and braking extends the driving range to more than 160 kilometres (depending on driving style and conditions) under a full charge.
16. Durability is achieved by employing an additional frame for the battery pack to significantly improve the rigidity of the platform.
17. The electric motor will develop 80 kilowatts, which is the equivalent of about 107 horsepower.
It has a maximum speed of 90 miles per hour.
18. It takes a practical approach towards the family market with its tagline: “5 passengers, 5 doors” .
19. The design is streamlined and stylish.
20. In place of selling battery, leasing it represents not merely holding the price down but taking charge of its quality issue, from my position. And it is benefiting its recycling, as well.
21. even when electricity is produced by coal, an electric vehicle will indirectly release less carbon than a liquid fueled vehicle. One source suggests 60% less: http://green.autoblog.com/2009.....es-beat-g/
22. The vehicle-to-grid communication technology is helping the battery serve as a storage to prevent the costly blackout standing at about $90 to 100bn per year. That means utilities are shedding cost for additional storage facilities and ratepayers are selling electricity for peak hours so that EVs can make more economic sense, as we know.
It is also in the best interest of electricity utilities that EVs are going mainstream, thereby they need to put in charge stands where needed around highways, major roads with card readers or cell phone tech.
Once the U.S. switches the ‘unsustainable’ war and military wasting like health care wasting into investing in a smart grid, charging station infrastructure, the entire world will live in peace as U.S. spend more on military than the next 25 countries combined.
An extended mistake, oil wars, might barely sustain national automakers, not international, for some time at best, especially considering the invaluable lives and unsustainable military costs.
I’m convinced just like digital cameras, EVs are going mainstream sooner rather than later. Most recently, an analyst from Credit Suisse said: ” we believe the electrification of the car appears increasingly inevitable, with plug-in hybrids providing the bridge technology to full electric vehicles.”