LEAF: The New Nissan Electric CarThe new mass production Nissan electric car called the LEAF is the first all-electric car that sort of falls within the buying capacity of middle income earners. Slated to cost $32,780 not including federal tax savings, this vehicle will appeal to the environmentally conscious motorist who can't afford a vehicle such as the exorbitantly expensive Tesla Roadster. Key attractions about this car aside from the price are its performance. It can travel at up to 90 miles per hour, though there are no details on the manufacturer's website about the acceleration of this vehicle. Likely, this means it is fairly slow to accelerate. Sadly though the vehicle is only capable of a 100 mile range between recharges. This means it is basically limited to city or suburban use, with long road trips out of the question. That said, a 100 mile range will allow for 2-3 days of daily suburban driving before you need to recharge it.
Other than the all-electric powering of the vehicle, you can expect the Nissan LEAF to have all the mod cons of a new car, such as built in navigation, cruise control, air conditioning, power steering, loads of airbags and so on. Of course, let's not forget the good old cup holders. SummaryIt's great that electric cars are coming down in price and it's also good to see a major car company putting an electric car on the production line. However in my opinion the price is still too steep for a town run-around car, especially when there are many very fuel efficient small cars on the market for as little as a third of the price of the LEAF. Still, if you've got the cash to spare this is a great pro environment choice. More InformationFor more information on this vehicle, visit the Nissan website. Return from Nissan Electric Car to Electric Cars or return to the Green Planet home page for more Solar Power Facts. |
