Nissan Leaf News
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So who buys a Nissan Leaf? Not, as you may be unsurprised to learn, the sort of person who doesn't really care what they buy, says one Nissan dealer. As Nashville Business Journal reports, Leaf customers are already pretty sure they want a Leaf when they walk onto the lot. "It's typically a very educated customer who's doing the Leaf," explains Broderick Alley of Downtown Nashville Nissan, "they come in hoping it fits their needs." Leaf customers often walk into the dealership knowing they want a Leaf, but speak to the dealer to ensure it's suitable for the mileage they drive, that they like...
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Electric Cars Lose Value Quicker Than Others, But Not By MuchIf you bought a new electric car today, how much would you expect it to be worth after five years? Concerns about demand further down the line, and further concerns about battery life, initially led some commentators to suggest that electric vehicles would be nearly worthless a few years after...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan Celebrates Leaf Electric Car's Second BirthdayHappy birthday, Nissan Leaf! Believe it or not, Nissan's electric car is now celebrating its second anniversary. With only relatively small numbers on the road--smaller than Nissan was hoping, anyway--the Leaf still seems like a recently-launched vehicle. But at Nissan's Oppama test track in Japan...
Antony Ingram -
Learning To Drive In A Nissan Leaf: VideoLast year, Michael Thwaite wrote about the experience of teaching his daughter to drive in a MINI E. As he pointed out, the all-electric car made for a smooth ride, which helped cool his nerves and those of his daughter. Also, the low speeds they maintained on the training course meant that hours...
Richard Read -
Nissan Builds First Lithium-Ion Cells For 2013 Leaf Electric Car (Video)Just two years after the first Nissan Leaf was sold in the U.S., Nissan said today it has opened a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, to fabricate lithium-ion cells for electric-car batteries. The first cells built at the plant have completed the necessary aging process, and can now be charged for the...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Leaf Electric Car Owners Cover 100 Million Miles TooTwo weeks ago, we noted that drivers of the Chevrolet Volt had covered 100 million electric miles. What we neglected to note at the time was that Nissan Leaf drivers are keeping pace, having covered more than 100 million electric miles as well. And it's appropriate to note that total today, just...
John Voelcker -
If you've always wanted to see two large car companies having a good, old-fashioned hair-pulling, nails-out, purse-swinging fight, then you're in luck. Following comments from Fiat at the Los Angeles auto show, hinting that the Nissan Leaf was a form of "visual pollution", Nissan has hit back, criticizing Fiat's own electric car, the 500e. "Let's be honest, ugliness is probably one of the worst forms of pollution," said Matt Davis, head of Fiat product marketing, to Bloomberg News in L.A. "The Fiat 500e proves that you do not have to give up on good looks to deliver an electric car."...
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Nissan Leaf Breaks Electric Car Convoy Record With 225 CarsAgroup of Nissan Leaf owners from around the United Kingdom have broken the world record for the 'largest parade of electric vehicles'. With 225 Nissan Leafs and an overcast, wet Silverstone race circuit, a parade of 225 cars broke the previous record, held by Chrysler with 218 vehicles. Nissan UK...
Antony Ingram -
What Do You Call A Nissan Leaf In China? How About Venucia E30?Despite lower-than-predicted sales of its Leaf battery electric hatchback, Nissan is pushing ahead with its aggressive electric-car program. At the Guangzhou Auto Show yesterday, its Chinese partner unveiled its own plug-in electric car, the Venucia E30. And, surprise, surprise, it looks just like...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Leaf Electric Car Revealed In Japanese TrimNissan has revealed detailed specifications of the Japanese-market 2013 Leaf. The updated car, which is set to go on sale in the U.S. early next year, features a host of minor upgrades. The changes are aimed at attracting a few more customers than the current 43,000 who have taken the plunge, since...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan CEO Admits 2012 Leaf Sales Goal Won't Be ReachedFor many months, Nissan has said it would sell 20,000 Leaf electric cars in the U.S. by next March. Sales rates didn't seem to support that, and now Nissan has conceded that it won't happen. CEO Carlos Ghosn said that number "would not be reached," in an interview on Bloomberg TV in Mexico City...
John Voelcker -
Visteon Fills Nissan Leaf With 2020 Tech: Meet The e-BeeIt isn't mentioned anywhere in the press release, but it isn't hard to tell what Visteon's latest technology concept car is based on--the Nissan Leaf electric car. However, the electric drivetrain is only one part of the Visteon e-Bee concept. Instead, it's designed to showcase technology we could...
Antony Ingram -
Want a Nissan Leaf but disappointed that you can't take more of your friends along for the ride? Or don't have space for champagne flutes? The Nissan Leaf limo for sale on eBay could be just the thing to meet your needs. If you think the concept of a Nissan Leaf electric limo sounds familiar, then you'd be correct. Built by Imperial Coach Builders of Springfield, MO, we featured the car back in June--and it hasn't taken long for the world's first electric limo to go on sale on the popular internet auction site. The 2012 car has a luxurious specification, with leather trim for both the driver...
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Nissan: Leaf Sales Lower Than Expected, But We're United Behind ItElectric 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...
Antony Ingram -
Finally! A Nissan Leaf Global Ad That Everyone UnderstandsIn a few months’ time, the Nissan Leaf electric car will have been on sale in the U.S. for two years. While a steady--if slow--stream of Leafs have left dealers all over the U.S. since, Nissan, like some of its rivals, has struggled to find the right way of advertising its first plug-in car...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
America's First All-Electric Taxi Firm Hopes To Launch In Arlington CountyA taxi company in Arlington County, Virginia, is looking to become the first firm in the U.S. to have an all-electric fleet. The Electric Vehicle Taxicab Company aims to provide customers with a high-tech experience as they ride to their destinations. "Now is the time to be more technologically...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Nissan Leaf Electric Motor Production Starts In TNU.S. production of the 2013 Nissan Leaf moved one step closer to reality earlier this week, when Nissan started eMotor production trials at its factility in Decherd, Tennessee. Located about 70 miles from Smyrna, where Nissan will start official U.S. production of the 2013 Leaf electric car, the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Nissan Leaf Long-Term Update: 25,000 Miles, No WoesBack in March 2011, we took delivery of a U.K. spec Nissan Leaf as our principal family car. Since then, we’ve kept you up-to-date with the car’s long-term progress, including reports after driving 5,000 miles in it, after covering the 11,000 mile mark, and after one year of ownership...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Eighteen months after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan, electric cars are viewed there in a whole new light—as portable sources of emergency energy. Now Nissan has taken that usage to a new level, with the Leaf-To-Home energy station that it announced in May and put on sale in August. The owner of a Nissan Leaf can plug the battery-electric car into the station via a cable that connects to the car’s CHAdeMO DC quick-charging port. The Leaf-To-Home station converts the high-voltage direct current from the car’s lithium-ion battery into the 100-Volt...
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Nissan Leaf Gets Remote Charger Timer With Leaf Link iPhone AppEver since Nissan launched its Leaf electric car in late 2010, it has offered owners the ability to remotely start charging, using its Carwings telematics system and smartphone apps. The Nissan Leaf also has a feature letting owners pre-program a start time for charging and pre-heating, but only...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Nissan Leaf: Spy Shots Of New, Less-Expensive ModelWith the first 2013 Nissan Leaf electric car expected to roll out of the Smyrna, Tennessee, plant in mid-December, many rumors have been flying about what changes the updated Leaf will have. Now we have the first spy shots showing some of the modifications Nissan has made to create a new, less...
John Voelcker -
At $5/Gallon, 2012 Nissan Leaf Electric Car Pays For ItselfIf you're looking to reduce your driving costs, should you buy an electric car? It's a question many have asked in the past, and the results tend to vary depending on the electric car selected, and the cost of driving in your area. As gasoline prices hit $5 per gallon in some areas of California...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Nissan Leaf Gets Even Cheaper: Now, $139/Month LeasePlug-in electric car sales are growing in the U.S., with the Chevy Volt in particular going from strength to strength. The 2012 Nissan Leaf, however, is not doing so well. Despite being one of the earliest electric cars on the market, it's been outsold three to two this year by the Toyota Prius...
John Voelcker -
Exec Stands Firm on Nissan Leaf Batteries, Previews 2013 (Video)Ever since a handful of Nissan Leaf owners in Arizona noticed that their cars had started to suffer from premature battery aging, Nissan has been criticized for its apparent lack of transparency on the subject. Just over a week ago, Nissan announced it had asked electric car advocate Chelsea Sexton...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield