Recently, our counterparts over at AllCarsElectric.com reported on how to make your Chevrolet Volt feel more like a Tesla (more here). Really, it comes down to one basic principle—competition. From the time the wheel was invented, and then motorized, people have been racing or competing against one and other. So even with the environmental age people still want to know how fast an electric car can go, especially cars that have an environmental appeal like the Chevrolet Volt or say the Nissan LEAF. Heck, even Al Gore’s son was pulled over for triple digit speeds in a Prius.

According to Edmund’s Green Car Advisor, we now have some semblance of how fast a production Nissan LEAF can go. Nissan claims that the top speed is 90 mph, however, there are reports of this electrified vehicle achieving that speed and beyond without to much trouble (Disclaimer: AllSmallCars nor High Gear Media advise driving at speeds over the legal limit and all that other legalese). The Green Car Advisor saw speeds of up to 92 mph and reportedly clocked the LEAF doing a 0-60 sprint in the 7.0-second range (though unofficial with a digital watch). It really does prove that people will always try and test the limits of any motorized vehicle. The silver lining—electric cars still prove to be interesting vehicles to drive, some with more performance than others.

Did we mention that the battery life of the LEAF doesn’t seem to suffer as bad as some electric cars? The Green Car Advisor reported a 3.6-mile drop in range from his lead-footed runs. A pretty compelling story if you ask me, however, I will say that I am still curious to see how many pre-orders turn into final sales; $33K is still a pretty good chunk of change for something that Nissan calls a compact car—and we aren’t talking about a mini Aston Martin.

 

 

[Source: Edmunds]