Nissan Leaf Electric car

Nissan Leaf Electric Car

So you've heard all of the buzz around Electric Vehicles hitting the road next year.  Is it all hype?  Take a look at the email I received from Nissan Motors today:

"We are thrilled with the overwhelming enthusiasm people like you have shown for the 100% electric Nissan LEAF™. To date, 20,000 people have already reserved a LEAF - a number that has exceeded our expectations.

We have completed the first phase of reservations. In order to provide the best level of customer service and premium ownership experience to the first Nissan LEAF drivers, we will not be accepting new reservations until the next phase begins. A subsequent phase of reservations will begin next year, after current reservations and orders have been processed.

We're grateful for your understanding and patience as we work to bring this 100% electric car to you."

So, not only is Nissan's car real and will be shipping it's first 5,700 units in December, they already have pre-orders for 20,000 vehicles and have suspended their reservation system three months ahead of schedule.  They won't resume orders until some time next year.

In preparation for the introduction of the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt in 2011, the Department of Energy's Transportation Electrification Initiative has supplied ARRA money in the form of grants to several companies to begin the mass installation of EV charging stations across the country.  By the time the LEAF and Volt are both on the market, there will be over 15,000 EV charging stations in 16 strategic cities across the nation.

Who Killed the Electric Car?  The answer to that question is debatable but I can tell you that I know who brought it back to life.  You can thank the Prius owners who laid the foundation for energy efficient hybrid electric vehicles.  You can thank everyone who pre-ordered the Nissan LEAF and all those who will buy the Chevy Volt.  However, the most important person to thank is every American citizen who has helped fund the grants and incentives that have revived the Electric Car.

Thank You!

- The Mapawatt Team

Watch the Nissan LEAF Test Drive on the Mapawatt Youtube Channel

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Comments

Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/02/2010 - 14:05
Steve, Did you manage to work with an alternate contractor of Nissan? I am wondering if my parents should just stick to the shared electricity supply at home? They won't drive a 100 miles in a week. Lisa
Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/24/2010 - 12:26
This is very exciting, although I'll be curious to hear how people go through their charging station process. My family is mid-way through right now, and have hit a bit of a road bump in terms of the cost of the home charger. While the charger itself is free, and the feds are covering much of the cost, it seems that the sole 'authorized' installer for your region are doing their best to upsell their other services. In my case it's due to the fact that the 200 amp panel is full in terms of breakers. They want to charge a bit over $1,400 (over the top of the regular install) to put in a 80amp subpanel next to the main panel and another $700 to patch and paint about 2 sq/ft of drywall. That's highway robbery. I'm going to have different electrician install the subpanel, for a much lower cost, then have the Nissan authorized installer back out do their basic install. Even then, it looks like I'll still be on the hook for ~$600 for the Nissan install that is supposed to be covered entirely by stimulus dollars, on top of my sub panel costs. I've put up the invoice costs here: http://geekpi.com/?p=874
psmith Fri, 09/24/2010 - 20:26
Steve, Thanks for sharing this information and your invoice costs. That does seem high but I guess it really depends on where you live as to the relative cost. I will also be working with an electrician to install a 40amp dedicated circuit for my EV Porsche Boxster. It won't be J1772 but will require significant work to run wire and get this set up. Have you researched any of the aftermarket J1772 compliant EV charging solutions like Clipper Creek, etc.? I met the President of Clipper Creek last week and he mentioned that their new pricing is very competitive for residential and all of their chargers work with the LEAF. Keep us posted on the installation. We'd love to hear about your experience with getting ready for delivery of your new EV!

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