2012 Nissan LEAF
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These days, most mainstream dealers and garages give you a courtesy , or loaner car while your own vehicle is being worked on. If you’re lucky, you’ll be given a reasonably new demo car, or perhaps even a car comparable with your own. More often than not, you'll end up with the garage's oldest, and smelliest car. But what if you could get your first experience behind the wheel of an all-electric 2012 Nissan Leaf? That’s the opportunity being given to Nissan customers in the U.K. right now, courtesy of a renewed push to sell the plug-in hatchback. In a letter to all its...
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High Gas Prices, High Incentives Boost Electric Car Sales In CA
If you drive a regular gasoline car in California, you’ll know that the past week has been far from easy, with gas prices peaking at over $5 a gallon in places. But while many car drivers were suffering unbelievably high gas prices, plug-in and electric car dealers across the state have...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Leaf Owners Ratchet Up Attack On Nissan Handling Of Battery Loss
It’s been six days since results of an independent test were published showing that Nissan Leaf electric cars in hot climates were suffering from premature range loss, and four days since Nissan responded, saying the high mileage of affected cars was to blame. Since then, we’ve been...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Leaf To Get Better Battery, No News On Capacity Loss
When it launched back in 2010, the Nissan Leaf electric hatchback was criticized for its high sticker price, due in part to its expensive battery pack. Now Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has confirmed what had been widely rumored: Future models of the Nissan Leaf electric car will get an improved, cheaper...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
How To Keep Your Nissan Leaf’s Battery Pack Happy In Hot Weather
Just like humans, lithium-ion battery packs don’t like extremes of temperature, which is why automakers often build plug-in cars with liquid-cooled battery packs. Unlike the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Tesla Model S however, the Nissan Leaf doesn't have any liquid cooling for its battery...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
More Nissan Leaf Battery Loss, Nissan Doesn’t Blink
Last week, Nissan gave an official response to the handful of Arizona drivers of its 2011 Leaf electric car that had experienced the first signs of battery capacity loss. A week on, with more reports from owners claiming a lost battery capacity bar and in two instances, two capacity bars, Nissan...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
You’ve taken the plunge and shelled out anything from $33,000 upwards for an all-electric 2012 Nissan Leaf. Quiet, efficient and full of gadgets, you’ve discovered that it has quickly relegated your gas car to the garage, carrying out the weekend chores, work commutes and maybe even school runs. Unless you’re in the minority of Americans with just one car, the chances are you still have -- or need -- a second car to help share the burden of busy family life. But which cars make the ideal companion to the all-electric Leaf, either as a second car, or as commuter vehicle for...
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LA’s Electric-Car Drivers Go Further, Charge Smarter
Los Angeles is well known for being at the forefront of electric car adoption, spurred on in part by large numbers of Hollywood A-list electric car drivers, enthusiastic advocacy groups and chronic air quality. But Los Angeles isn’t just the place where you’re more likely to see an...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Which Will Sell More: Volt, Leaf, Or Plug-In Prius?
In the quest for efficient mobility, there are three major players currently battling for top spot. The 2012 Nissan Leaf, 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In all have one main aim--efficiency--but all go about reaching that aim in different ways, which also means that each has its own...
Antony Ingram -
Polite Reminder: Roof Racks Will Kill Your Electric-Car Range
We’ve passed spring break, the weather is getting warmer and you’ve turned your weekend attentions to camping trips, DIY projects and outdoor sports. For many Americans, that means digging roof racks out of their winter storage and securing them on top of the family car for the season...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Nissan Leaf Proves A Big Hit In Norway: Here’s Why
California and the Pacific Northwest may be the undisputed capital of electric cars in the U.S., but in Europe, that accolade is currently held by Norway. Last week, Nissan Europe announced it had sold 1,000 of its Leaf electric cars in just six months in the nation. In February, Leaf sales...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
UK-Built 2013 Nissan Leaf To Sport Unique Europe-Only Styling
Let’s face it: Europeans and Americans have very different tastes in cars. So much so, it is common for the same car to be subtly redesigned for each market. Now Colin Lawther, vice president of Nissan engineering in Europe, has announced that the European version of the 2013 Leaf will get a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The Nissan Leaf may not be able to have its battery recharger upgraded.
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2012 Nissan Leaf: Now Available To Order Nationwide, Deliveries By Summer
The all-electric Nissan Leaf may have been on sale in some parts of the U.S. for 14 months -- but for residents in 21 states, today is the day Nissan will email them saying they can start the ordering process for the $35,200 hatchback. When the 2011 Nissan Leaf launched, Nissan restricted rollout...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Leaf Battery Warranty: What You MUST Do To Keep It Valid
Yesterday, we covered a story about several Tesla Roadster owners -- and one in particular -- who claim that Tesla caused them to turn their $109,000 cars into very expensive bricks. The owners in question claim that Tesla didn’t make them aware that leaving a roadster unplugged for extended...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Transports 2012 Leafs With Solar-Powered Hybrid Ship
Toyota might be the world’s largest hybrid automaker, but that isn’t stopping rival Japanese automaker Nissan from trying to become the world leader in hybrid electric car transporter ships. Its latest ship, announced on Tuesday this week, puts it ahead in the race to have the greenest...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Five Reasons Why Google Gets Plug-In Cars Before You Do
Just before the holidays at the end of last year, Google welcomed the first 2012 Ford Focus Electric to roll off the production lines into its ever-expanding G Fleet of plug-in and hybrid cars. Google’s G Fleet now includes the 2012 Nissan Leaf, 2012 Chevrolet Volt, and various Toyota Prius...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Plug In America Announces Online Electric Car Advocacy Seminar
If you’re already drive a plug-in hybrid or electric car then the chances are you’ve spent at least some time standing in a parking lot somewhere answering questions from a curious passer-by about your car. Or perhaps you've experienced a curious neighbor asking questions like the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Cities around the US will host special events on Sunday, October 16, 2011, to promote and educate the public about the growing number of plug-in cars and how they work in real-world driving.
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Tennessee Gas Station First To Offer Rapid Electric Car Charging?
Over the past few months we’ve seen an increase in the number of rapid charging stations getting installed in areas where the 2011 Nissan Leaf is being sold. So far, we’ve seen rapid charging stations get installed everywhere from Walgreens to Cracker Barrel and Washington state’s...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Everything You Need To Know About Electric Cars (With Asterisks)
Although we’ve been covering electric and fuel-efficient green vehicles here at Green Car Reports for a long time now, a lot of first-time readers are completely new to the idea of buying an electric car. Exploring electric cars for the first time, these readers are looking for a simple...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Quiet As A... Cannonball? Nissan Leaf Enters Road Trip
While dozens of supercars will be revving up their engines ready for the start of Ireland's upcoming Cannonball Run, the ESB ecars team will be off to a much quieter start. The ESB team's 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first electric car to participate in the Cannonball Run which starts this Friday...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Full Electric Car Preview
We thought the 2011 Geneva Motor Show was one of the best ever for electric cars and green vehicles, but the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, starting in less than a week, is shaping up to be even better. We'll be covering the show in-depth next week, but in the meantime we've rounded up all the electric...
Antony Ingram -
Dear Floridians: Golf Carts Are NOT Electric Cars
Electric car enthusiasts have struggled for years with "golf cart" jibes and only recently with cars like the 2011 Tesla Roadster and 2012 Nissan Leaf has the "ugly and slow" image started to disappear. In Florida, there's a different problem - people who believe their golf carts are actual cars...
Antony Ingram