2012 Nissan Leaf To Arrive in New Zealand, Christchurch First

By Gavin Shoebridge

Gavin Shoebridge

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1,901 views Feb 12, 2010

The city of Christchurch, located on the southern of New Zealand's two large islands, is destined to become the first city to welcome the 2012 Nissan Leaf, its new electric car.

According to the Christchurch City Council, 2012 will see the arrival of the highway-capable and affordable five-seat electric car. The council is also making plans to have recharging points installed across the city.

2011 Nissan Leaf prototype

Enlarge Photo

2011 Nissan Leaf prototype

Enlarge Photo

Christchurch is a favorable city for electric cars due to its flat topography. Nissan's marketing manager Peter Merrie says Christchurch was the most obvious city to work with regarding electric car implementation in New Zealand.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said he wanted the city to be the first in New Zealand with an integrated network for electric cars, and that the Leaf fits in well with the city's sustainability program.

The Nissan Leaf (which stands for Leading, Environmentally Friendly, Affordable, Family car) has a range of 160 kilometres (100 miles) and a 24-kilowatt-hour battery pack.

When charging from a standard 230-Volt New Zealand wall outlet, it is estimated to take around eight hours to recharge if it is fully discharged.

Another initiative was to give a second hour of free parking in council car parks to owners of energy-efficient vehicles, Mayor Bob Parker said.

What hasn't been revealed by Nissan New Zealand, however, is the cost of leasing the battery pack in the 2012 Leaf. In the United States, the Leaf is predicted to have a sticker price of around $30,000 US ($42,000 NZ) and this doesn't include the battery pack.

According to BusinessWeek, the Leafs battery pack costs approximately $10,000 US to manufacture, and Nissan will remain the owner of this pack which is leased to the consumer for approximately $150 US ($213 NZ) per month.