Nissan Leaf

[domenick]

...There weren't any test drives, but I did talk to Mark Perry, a very knowledgeable Nissan rep, who said they would be back to Seattle two more times next year and would have real Leafs (Leaves?) to show and drive on those visits.

That would be Mark Perry, director of product planning and strategy for Nissan America.

[trevorlsciact]

I am REALLY looking forward to the Nissan Leaf, as much as I love Tesla, this will probably be the first electric car I actually buy. (I just wish its exterior wasn't so ugly.)

[johnr]

I am REALLY looking forward to the Nissan Leaf, as much as I love Tesla, this will probably be the first electric car I actually buy. (I just wish its exterior wasn't so ugly.)

Well the interior looks quite nice, and that's where you'll be most of the time, right?

Also, I hear it looks worse in the photos than in person.

The big "if" here is the cost of the battery lease - which so far is unknown. All we know is Nissan is aiming to make it comparable to the cost of buying gas. The car itself is quite affordable. I wish it would have a longer range, but then the battery lease would cost more.

[tomsax]

The big "if" here is the cost of the battery lease - which so far is unknown. All we know is Nissan is aiming to make it comparable to the cost of buying gas. The car itself is quite affordable. I wish it would have a longer range, but then the battery lease would cost more.

Mark Perry, director of product planning and strategy for Nissan America (thanks, domenick), told me that the $30k-ish price includes the cost of the batteries. If you don't want to pay/finance the full list price then wait for your tax credit, they'll offer a 3- or 5-year battery lease to defer paying for that part of the cost.

[TEG]

Nissan and San Francisco team up on EV charging in Bay Area — Autoblog Green

[johnr]

Mark Perry, director of product planning and strategy for Nissan America (thanks, domenick), told me that the $30k-ish price includes the cost of the batteries. If you don't want to pay/finance the full list price then wait for your tax credit, they'll offer a 3- or 5-year battery lease to defer paying for that part of the cost.

Tom, thanks for the info. I had understood they were only going to offer the battery on a lease - so it's good to know there will also be the option to buy it outright. If it does go on sale at $30k-something including batteries I believe it would be the most affordable real production EV yet. Though I'm not sure what the point is in offering the battery lease separately, since most people will likely finance the whole car anyway - unless it's to ease concerns regarding the battery's longevity.

[EVNow]

...If you don't want to pay/finance the full list price then wait for your tax credit, they'll offer a 3- or 5-year battery lease to defer paying for that part of the cost.

Hmm. I wonder what that really means ?

For one thing - we don't know whether getting an EV with leased battery will qualify for the $7.5K fed tax rebate. Would Nissan/dealer get that $7.5K instead - and thus can offer the battery at a low lease price ?

Assuming a $10K upfront battery price and $2K residual - I get $250 as the lease price for 5% interest and 3 year term. Too high. I think somewhere around $100 to $125 would be the sweet spot.

[EVNow]

Well the interior looks quite nice, and that's where you'll be most of the time, right?

Also, I hear it looks worse in the photos than in person.

I thought it looked worse in person - reminded me of a mutant fly with those lights/eyes.

[vfx]

To my eyes the Fisker photographs better than it looks in person.

The LEAF looks better in person than it does in photographs.

[vfx]

Important battery infomation here:

REVE - Regulación Eólica con Vehículos Eléctricos -

Nissan's revelation that its 24 kWh battery for the Leaf EV will use 4 kg of lithium (metal equivalent) breaks the silence of automotive and battery suppliers over the use of much-hyped lithium. For every 500,000 Leaf-sized 24 kWh lithium-ion battery powered EVs, lithium demand will be around 2,000 t (metal equivalent). This equates to just under 10% of total lithium production in 2008