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Electric cars may be the future, but in the present they're still a risk.
Nissan knows this more than most, and at a conference reporting its Q2 2012 financial results, chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga says that Nissan would still like to penetrate the market more.
However, he also expressed disappointment and frustration at media focus on tepid electric car sales.
For over a year now the Leaf has been outsold in the U.S. by its closest rival, the Chevrolet Volt, and worldwide the company has sold only 42,700 units.
Almost half of that total, 19,000 units, has been in Nissan's domestic market, Japan.
In the conference video, Toshiyuki-san explains that Nissan is still learning from the program.
"We are learning... why customers hesitate to buy an EV, and what are the issues they face after they buy one, and how satisfied customers are once they get into an electric vehicle."
Nissan wants the data it learns from Leaf drivers to improve the EV experience overall--using driving patterns to determine the most useful locations for quick chargers for example, and wants to pass that data on to companies that install quick chargers.
Shiga says that people may have different opinions on whether the Leaf is selling at the right pace or whether sales are too slow, but Nissan "would like to penetrate the market more."
"The entire company is united to promote the sales... please don't forget that we have this passion and a sense of mission to work on EVs."
Note: This article is revised from an earlier version of the story, to take account of more accurate sources.
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The collateral for the 1.4 Billion is NOT backed by NISSAN it's a Rutherford County IDB bond for 2 Billion.
Someone should do some research.
The car cost about 80K to make and Mini EV leases were $850
Too many taxpayer subsidies
NOW if lots of Leafs are sold that price will come down.
NISSAN is VERY secretive about the cost of the battery.... do research. You'll see that an EVP Andy Palmer said the battery modules would be about 700 each to replace... (still part of that could be subsidized) using his math then the battery modules alone would cost more that the cost of the car.... (after tax credit)
Just do research.... quit reading the NISSAN propaganda.
Ask NISSAN "how much" each battery really cost.
I was told that realistically the cost to build is about 64K the extra 16K is marketing and the fluff. They spend a lot of money on test drives etc.
the VOLT does not use expensive chargers like the ChaDeMo that is NOT not the standard. City attorneys have contacted my about the "song and dance" NISSAN presented them before they approved bonds to cover overpriced infrastructure that "most likely" is BETA technology...
all my comments are connected to sources and publications.
The link the article quoting NISSAN EVP Andy Palmer about the module price is now MIA.... Luckily I made copies of the article.
Looks like I have another subpoena.
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/08/03/need-to-replace-a-nissan-leaf-battery-
hows-19-392-31-753-u/
I've posted cache copies of the Excessive IDB debt that was used as collateral.
http://nissanwhistleblower.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-this-debt-is-just-nissan-north.html
everything is documented.
former NISSAN employees & current are VERY upset about what their company did. They fear they will lose their jobs - Darrell Issa's office in investigating- I personally gave documents to Geoff Grey at the IGO in January
http://nissanwhistleblower.blogspot.com/2012/01/this-will-be-sent-to-reporters-members.html
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/08/03/need-to-replace-a-nissan-leaf-battery-hows-19-392-31-753-u/
The link is NOW dead... I have copies.....
Article keep getting pulled from the internet.
I have LOTS of data. it's in a safe place.
Federal Investigations are happening..
You sound pretty confused both in your comments here and in your erratically written blog. The replacement cost of the battery modules is a well known fact (and the link isn't dead) and yes they are very expensive but the cost of replacement parts are not a reflection of their production cost, they are a major source of income for car makers. Your contention that Nissan's battery tech is obsolete....you may have a point there, in fact Nissan never made a secret of the fact that they developed this battery tech a long time ago but I fail to understand how poring billions in a car which which they supposedly knew would fail could in anyway be helpful for Nissan (and Renault for that matter).
Our system has a routine that mocks up what your comment will look like, and shows it to you after you post. Then it takes roughly 15 minutes for that comment to appear on the live page. (The pages are updated every few minutes but not instantaneously across all our servers.)
As you've left 16 comments on GCR in the last 3 days, I imagine you've noticed that they've all appeared eventually.
A major news organization was "tweaking" post that were not politically correct and it stopped only after I exposed what they were doing. YOU have not "tweaked" and I was starting to "figure out" your system was simply updating.
It was my over reaction.
Thanks
Sharyn
Nissan doesn't have the correct solution yet. I would have bought one if Leaf was cheaper, faster, have 100 mile range with 6.6KW charger and battery warranty that last 100k miles. But it doesn't.
The fact is when they asked the American Congress for the money they "lied" and used technology from the 90's that was deemed a failure. I want the EV to succeed. People misinterpret me. I drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. I believe in Global Warming.
Still I believe that a company that lies should NOT be rewarded. NOW other companies that can make the car YOU and I want won't get money because the people in DC won't trust anyone.
Also someone told her that NISSAN was going to start using batteries from Korea because there more advanced. The NISSAN battery is the sam as the one they used in the 90's. It's outdated
As long as Nissan actually assembles the Leaf in TN, then it will bring jobs to the area. Nothing wrong with that either.
I do agree that strategy might "back fire" if "majority" of the sales aren't in the US. B/c Nissan wouldn't have the savings that it wished to have if it produces all the Leaf in the US without any significant volume in sales.
Volt production lines have the same issue where GM has to produce other cars on the same assembly line.
The guy that is doing the distribution for the leaf is a company called Yashima Denso and he at most will create 4 jobs. Already he and his wife have taken MULTIPLE grants from the state and had other subsidized programs set up the company.
http://www.nooga.com/154143/updated-yashima-usa-opens-in-chattanooga/
He does NOT even put on his Linkedin profile because HE knew it was a "faux" company.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacksayed
If anyone does research they'll see it's a "scam".... it's sad.
They used it to "pay their bills" and to stay open. I guess people are saying it's OK to lie just to get "free cash".... the collateral is an IDB bond NOT NISSAN backed but the taxpayers.
NISSAN North AMerica has about 6 billion in IDB bond debt. Once NISSAN motors has NNA "restructure"they'll be "sitting pretty" the 401K owners will suffer
I'm serious. You have said I'm erratic and I found that a "bit" rude but I want to know "where" your coming from. I have read your comments on other blogs and I know that some people are "paid" to right positive things about the Leaf. Are you one of them?
I'm not paid to blog I'm simply an American that wants RESPECT.
Sharyn Bovat
Maybe paid opinion shaping is a real thing, but even in this thread I made some observations about the Leaf that are less than flattering; Nissan would fire me on the spot! Nor did you read astroturfing comments from my part on other blogs, that's just between your ears. And that's the thing isn't it...
Have a Great Day!
That said. Would you buy a Leaf for (I'll use the price before "marketing and other "not part of building it" cost which is $67K Would You buy a Leaf for $67,000. If the answer is NO .... Then the car will be a "flop" America is going off a Fiscal Cliff and we can't keep funding EV's for a demographic that makes over 140K a year.
Please tell me you'd be happy to pay 67K
The issue I have is with the NISSAN Leaf. They pushed the ChaDeMo system BEFORE America had a standard. They pushed the system when they told Governments the Leaf would get 100mpc then the car got a 73 mpc rating. Then in Oregon/Washington they had to put MORE ChaDeMo chargers in. Some cost 140K each all taxpayer grants. They had to space them "closer" due to the Leafs lack of range. The fast charger function ONLY works on NISSAN's and Mitsubishi.
Please explain to me what "free"government money is subsidizing the Leaf to the tune of $40K a pop. Remember: loans are not gifts!
I'm not a fan of Chademo because it's limited to a ~60KW output making it unsuitable for the large batterypacks I think are the future but the chargers only cost a fraction of what you suggest. Numbers on the web vary from $50K to less than $10K.
I do agree that the range of the Leaf is disappointing. The original 100 miles was sledged to 73 miles and even that will trail off to ~60 miles during the first few years of ownership, and that's not even factoring in the advice not to charge beyond 80%. Oops, guess I definitely lost my astroturfing job for Nissan now...
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