Though a little late to the party, Nissan unveiled its long anticipated electric vehicle (EV) offering on Sunday. Bluntly named “Leaf“, the 4-door EV hatchback is slated to hit the U.S. market around the end of 2010; roughly the same time other Japanese carmakers are scheduled to begin sales of their EVs.
Another Leaf In The EV Tree
While the body styling of the new Nissan Leaf is somewhat different for EV’s (not having that ‘hybrid’ chopped/sloped back-end look), the car itself has essentially the same specs and features as many of the other comparably sized EVs coming out in 2010. With a top speed of 90 mph (144 km/h) and a cruising range of at least 100 miles (160 km), the Leaf will suit the needs of about 80% of the world’s drivers. But like almost all EVs, the Leaf can’t seem to get over that 100 mile per charge hump. This is largely due to the limitations of the lithium-ion battery technology being used in current generation EV vehicles.
Price has yet been determined by Nissan, nor has a decision been made to allow buyers to lease or buy their battery packs. The idea has been thrown around by many EV-makers on whether or not to include battery packs in the price of the car, making the sticker price much higher, or leasing the battery packs to the car owners allowing for lower purchase pricing and maintenance costs. The only clue as to how much the Leaf will be is in Nissan’s statement that it “will be priced in the range of a standard family sedan”
Why No Hybrids?
Unlike other car companies, who have either already released hybrid models or are feverishly developing them for production, Nissan has been conspicuously absent from the rush to build hybrids. Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosen has even downplayed the significance of the recent hybrid trend for years saying all-electric cars were a much better long term investment for both consumers and carmakers. Given this position, Nissan, along with its French partner Renault, have been focusing their efforts solely on electrics. Yet despite his very publicly stated opinions, Ghosen recently conceded that Nissan is beginning to develop hybrid models for its higher price range models. When asked why the sudden shift, Ghosen replied
“you just cannot abandon the market — you’re going to have to continue to develop your product line-up with combustion engine, clean diesel, hybrids, etc.”
The Good: Nissan is finally entering the ‘more environmentally friendly’ vehicle game with an all-electric plug-in car that has the signature styling, features, and performance one would expect. Available in the U.S., Europe, and Japan in late 2010.
The Bad: Will most likely be out of the price range of the average car buyer. Still has a limited range of 100 miles per charge. Though 60% cleaner than the emissions from a gasoline vehicle, the Leaf still has an indirect carbon footprint via the power plant needed to charge it, so it’s claims of being “100% emission free are misleading. Limited supply of rare Earth metals are further strained for battery manufacture.
The Bottom-Line: The Leaf seems to be a good contender in the upcoming 1st generation EV market. Hopefully Nissan’s focus solely on EVs for the past few years will enable the company to roll out better and more affordable vehicles sooner than other companys.
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