Nissan Leaf News

  • Long-Distance Electric Car Trips by Night

    Yesterday we told you about our generally hassle-free, two-day, 520 mile round trip in a 2011 Nissan Leaf. Thanks to a succession of available rapid charging stations, a little measured driving and a few strategic detours we were able to arrive at both destination and start point without little more than the discomfort that comes from sitting in a car for many hours at a stretch. But with expensive rapid chargers certainly not nationwide and even Level 2 charging stations lacking in some areas we wanted to know the flip side: what happens when you have to make a trip without the comfort of a...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf does 520 Miles in 2 days
    2011 Nissan Leaf, 520 Miles, 2 Days: Here's How

    We all know electric cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf were designed to satisfy the daily driving needs of 90% of the population. For most cars, that translates to a life in or near a large metropolis, where daily commutes are between 10 and 40 miles. But with rapid charging capable of fast-charging...

  • John Duncan takes delivery of one of the first 2011 Nissan LEAF EVs, near Portland OR, 12/15/2010
    2011 Nissan Leaf Wins World Car of The Year

    Over the past year we’ve seen the 2011 Nissan Leaf win plenty of awards, including the accolade of European Car of The Year and even GreenCarReports’ Best Car to Buy 2011. But while its main competitor, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, may have more awards to its name than Nissan’s first...

  • BMW ActiveE electric car, at BMW Manhattan media event, April 2011
    BMW Exec Trashes Electric Cars, Tax Credits at Launch of ActiveE

    In the rulebook of product promotion, remembering to not say horrible things about your product has to be number one. It’s a shame BMW North America President and CEO Jim O’Donnell seems to have forgotten that fact while taking part in a public event. Speaking on Monday at an event in...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf Nismo RC Concept, New York Auto Show, April 2011
    Nissan Leaf Nismo RC Concept: New York Auto Show Live Photos

    Blue light bathed the concept car in the corner before Nissan launched its 2012 Versa sedan at the 2011 New York Auto Show today. The images were so striking we thought we'd bring you a photo gallery of Nissan's electric race-car concept, just so you can see it from all angles, looking like nothing...

  • Value of Zero Nissan Ad
    Nissan’s New Electric Car Ad Zeroes In On Weird Coincidences (Video)

    What links a 1985 novel about a drug-addicted rich boy with the 2011 Nissan Leaf? Nothing, or something? It turns out to be both. You see, the 1985 novel Less Than Zero, later dramatized in 1987 as a film featuring a fresh-faced 22 year-old Robert Downey Jr., has a remarkably similar title to...

  • Nissan Leaf Nismo RC Concept

    It might be just three days away from its official unveiling at the 2011 New York Auto Show, but Nissan just can’t help sharing its latest electric vehicle a little early. Called the Nissan Leaf Nismo RC - that’s Racing Competition - the all-electric race-prepared car looks a little like the mild-mannered 5-seat family car which shares its name, but there the similarities stop. We should also point out that the Nismo RC is not a racing version of the Nissan Esflow concept, which was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show earlier this year. Rear-wheel drive, high power motor...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf, Nashville, October 2010
    Nissan Announces 'Service Campaign' For All 8,000 Leafs Over Start Failure

    Occasionally, if something should go wrong, a Rolls-Royce will fail to proceed. So, too, will the Nissan Leaf--at least, under certain circumstances. More exactly, it will sometimes fail to start. But Nissan is fixing that with a service campaign announced today, affecting the nearly 8,000 Leafs...

  • 2011 Coda Sedan at Hertz Global EV rental launch, New York City, December 2010
    Coda Automotive Needs Funding to Finish Delayed Electric Sedan

    What does $50 million buy you? We can think of plenty of good things we could do, but according to Californian electric car firm Coda Automotive, $50 million is how much it needs to bring its four door all-electric sedan to market. According to The New York Times, Christopher Rose, the...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevy Volt, with charging station visible; photo by George Parrott
    Consumer Reports: Usually Thoughtful, Not Always Accurate

    Last week, the Associated Press distributed a video report called "Are Electric Cars Worth the Price?" (It's embedded at the bottom of this article.) The video featured this author as an example of someone who owns both the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and it included commentary...

  • BYD e6
    Reviewer Drives BYD E6: Verdict? "One Trick Pony"

    Chinese automaker BYD, or "Build Your Dreams" has big plans. They had a strong presence at the recent 2011 Geneva Motor Show with a lineup of production electric cars both present and future, and the company intends to break into the U.S. market, never an easy task for a maker with little brand...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf
    BREAKING: 2011 Nissan Leaf Start Failure - What You Need to Know

    A few days ago, we started hearing mumblings on the electric car grapevine which suggested that all was not well again with the 2011 Leaf, Nissan’s first ever all-electric production hatchback. It all began at the end of last month, when a 2011 Nissan Leaf owner reported that his car stopped...

  • 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV Prototype

    When the RAV4 EV reaches its Phase One stage next year, and a limited-production vehicle goes on sale, it will have one key difference versus the Phase Zero prototype we drove in the San Diego area this past week. While the RAV4 EV prototypes have a proprietary charge connector from Tesla Motors, the production version next year will have an industry standard, 220-volt SAE J1772 charge connector. But there definitely won't be any quick-charging capability. A quick charger would provide a lot of additional cost and mass, Toyota decided. According to Brown, adding a quick charger to the...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf UK Launch
    2011 Nissan Leaf One Week In: Five Things We Like

    As you may have seen earlier this week, I’ve been a proud owner of a 2011 Nissan Leaf since late last month. Today marks ten days since we took delivery. We’ve already shared the five things that we hate about the 2011 Leaf, so now it’s time to share the things we really like...

  • Electric-car charging, from NRG Energy
    Nissan: Electric Car Goal Only Possible With Governmental Help

    President Obama’s goal of 1 million hybrid and electric vehicles on the roads of the U.S. by 2015 may sound like a tall order given the slow sales rollout of plug-in cars for the first few months of 2012, but as we’ve discovered before, it isn’t impossible. Now Nissan, makers of...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt on Wheel of Fortune
    Wheel of Fortune Solves the Puzzle With 2011 Chevrolet Volt

    We all know about the Wheel of Fortune contestant Caitlin Burke who solved the TV show’s prize puzzle with one letter and won herself a luxury Caribbean holiday, but what about driving away in a new car? This week, the long-running quiz show is greening up its act, offering a 2011 Chevrolet...

  • President Obama inspects the 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    Is Obama's Goal of 1 Million Plug-In Cars By 2015 Feasible?

    Since 2008, Barack Obama has consistently promoted the goal of having 1 million advanced technology vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. The number refers to plug-in vehicles that use grid power, stored in lithium-ion battery packs, to operate their electric traction motors. Regular hybrids like the...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf
    Electric Car Noise Generators Don't Work in the Real World

    Earlier this year we heard that the a United Nations committee on noise levels in plug-in vehicles was about to mandate that all plug-in cars be made to emit artificial noises when traveling at low speed. But as we’ve illustrated in the past, we’re not entirely convinced that forcing...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf, Nashville, October 2010

    A week ago I took charge of my very own 2011 Nissan Leaf. The U.K. equivalent of the 2011 Nissan Leaf SL ordered by our own Marty Padgett last year, it includes a level 3 fast charge port and 12v solar panel as standard. But with over 560 miles now on the clock shared between two drivers and a variety of road experiences from fast-moving freeway to quiet country lanes under our belts, what things are bugging us about Nissan’s first electric five-door family hatchback? Carwings Isn’t Ready for Primetime Yet A common thread on Nissan Leaf owners forums like MyNissanLeaf.com and...

  • Tata Indica Vista EV
    2011 Tata Indica Vista EV Shown in U.K., On Sale This Summer

    If you’re in the market for an electric car there are currently very few highway capable vehicles available. But for those in the U.K. another option will soon be on the market courtesy of an Indian firm which aims to make its electric cars the market leaders. Tata Motors, unfortunately...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt outside Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant
    Chevy Volt Outsells Nissan Leaf Again: March Electric Car Sales

    The 2011 Chevy Volt continues to outsell the 2011 Nissan Leaf, but during March, the Japanese battery electric car at last started to move noticeable numbers of cars--almost five times as many as it sold in February. The two major-manufacturer plug-ins currently on the market sold a total of 906...

  • Hertz electric vehicle rental
    Renting an Electric Car: When Is It Smart, When Is It Dumb?

    One way for potential buyers to get familiar with electric cars is to rent one. Several rental companies, among them Enterprise, have announced plans to rent 2011 Nissan Leaf and other electric models at selected locations. Renting an electric car lets you spend far more time in one than the...

  • Fast Charging 2011 Nissan Leaf
    Five Things You Can Do While Fast Charging Your Electric Car

    Level 3 fast charging is blisteringly fast. In fact, we got to try it out in the real world this week, recharging a 2011 Nissan Leaf from 30% full to 98% full in a little under 25 minutes. But while your electric car gets a quick refresh, here’s our list of five top things to keep you...

  • John Duncan takes delivery of one of the first 2011 Nissan LEAF EVs, near Portland OR, 12/15/2010
    2011 Denver Auto Show: 2011 Nissan LEAF Makes Its First Rocky Mountain Debut

    As what can only be a positive sign for the Rocky Mountain region, Nissan has brought a 2011 Nissan LEAF to the 2011 Denver Auto Show. Since Denver is my home base I feel that it is important to make sure that the general public knows that they can go to the 2011 Denver Auto Show, pay their $10...

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