http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/tour.jsp

I am interested in this vehicle. They have a tour.....sign up if you can

 

That's one interesting looking car. Move over Prius/Insight.

 

You know I actually like the 'quirky' look of the car.

Reminiscent of the old Quest but much better done on this car and this size. I signed up for the info it should be interesting.

 

I tried to photoshop it in a way that I would want to own this car

before:

after:

 

Nissan prices its first electric car at roughly $25K
By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 30, 2010; 11:02 AM

The Nissan Leaf, the first of several electric cars being developed by major manufacturers, will sell for $25,000 including federal tax credits, the automaker announced Tuesday, making it roughly comparable to conventional autos and posing a significant test of consumers' allegiance to gasoline-powered vehicles.

While a small number of electric cars have been traveling U.S. roads for years, the price of producing them has kept manufacturers from building them for a mainstream audience.

The relative affordability of the announced price surprised some industry observers. Nissan officials say that breakthroughs in research on batteries, combined with a $7,500 federal tax credit for the battery-powered cars, has enabled the company to make the cars available at that price.

"Now we're going to learn how consumers will react," said Mark Perry, director of product planning and advanced technology at Nissan North America.

During the presidential campaign, then-Sen. Barack Obama pledged to put one million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015, and whether he succeeds or not depends in part on whether the price for the Leaf, or for the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt from General Motors, is accepted by consumers. Both cars are expected to go on sale in the U.S. later this year.

Among the unknowns is how consumers will react to a car that must be recharged after 100 miles, and that to be really convenient, must be used with a home charging dock. The 220-volt charging dock will cost $2,200, including installation, according to the company. A tax credit will defray 50 percent of that cost, as well.

Another potential drawback is that while the price is lower than many had expected, it is still a few thousand dollars more than comparably sized cars such as the Honda Civic or Ford Focus.

On the other hand, drivers will avoid trips to the gas station, saving money and time by charging at home. The energy costs for the electric car are roughly a sixth that of a comparably sized gasoline car, according to Nissan, based on gasoline priced at $3 a gallon and electricity at 11 cents per kilowatt-hour.

"For the first couple of years, every Leaf built will be spoken for before it ever gets to a dealership," said Dan Davids, president of Plug In America, a group that has pressed automakers to make electric cars. There is huge pent-up demand for electric cars The company expects to have 25,000 firm customer orders in the U.S. by December, when the car becomes available in some markets before going nationwide in 2011. They expect demand to rise rapidly and predict that the adoption of electric cars to be faster than that of hybrids.

The company said it had received expressions of interest from 81,000 people in the U.S., even before the announcement.

"Today, most of those people are driving hybrids," said Mark Perry, "They were looking for a zero emissions solution but there wasn't one."

 

Breaking news: Nissan prices all-electric Leaf at $32,780 in U.S.

Nissan just released pricing details on one of the most anticipated cars of the year, the first all-electric to go on general sale by a major automaker.

Nissan says its Leaf electric car will be priced $32,780 in the U.S. when it hits showrooms in December -- some $8,000 less than the Japanese-market price announced today in Japan.

The charging station, intended to be installed in a residential garage, will average $750, and the installation costs average another $2,200, the automaker says. Once buyers have put down a $99 deposit, Nissan can arrange to handle the electrical work and obtain necessary government permits, via a subcontractor.

Buyers should be able to qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit for the car purchase, which would bring the net price down to $25,280. And a federal tax credit of 50% of the cost of the installation, to a maximum credit of $1,100, would slice the average for that process down to $1,100, plus the cost of the charging staiton, Nissan calculations show.

-- James R. Healey/Drive On

 

In some states there are also state income tax incentives for the purchase of an electric car. In California, for example, there is a $5,000 credit which would reduce the cost to just over $20,000, Perry said.

 

Thanks for the posting, Mike. Mitsubishi also plas to introduce an all-electric to the American market this year, but it will be somewhat smaller and less sophisticated than the Leaf.

I'm not sure if I'm going to sign up for the Leaf tour or not. I do plan a review and test-drive, but I like to do reviews laid-back, on my own time, taking notes, not having to deal with a bunch of people standing in line, and weaving the car in and out of a pre-determined driving/obstacle course. Of course, this is not going to be an easy vehicle to find readily available at dealerships, unsold and review-ready....the greenies are probably going to descend on it in droves. The tour, though, may (?) be the only practical means for a test-drive for awhile.

 

I'd really like to purchase this if the actual price is going to be around $20k after Federal and State tax rebates. However, I'm sure there's going to be a price markup (this is Nissan after all), so realistically it will still be around $30K for the Leaf + a optional $10k floormat.

 

$2200 for what? Can't I just drop it on the floor and plug it into my existing 30A 250V outlet?

 

Supposedly, with state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries, a 220-volt charger will take 1-2 hours for a full charge (a typical 110V outlet takes about 8 hours). Automakers are currently working with power companies to develop advanced 400-450V chargers that will do the full job in 20 minutes. They would be ideal for places like shopping malls, restaurant, church parking lots, etc......where one could park, go inside and eat, shop, worship, etc.....and come back a half-hour later to a full charge.

But I suspect that those big 450V chargers will be expensive.....time will tell if car owners and buisnesses will decide to pay for them. Tax credits, of course, will help.

 

Then the whole costs of charging comes into play, but pay to use charging stations at places like you mentioned could be a lucrative business in the future.

 

Much more reasonably priced than the Volt.

Nissan win.

GM fail.

 

I really like the styling on this very green car. Finally drivers can reduce fuel consumption AND look nicer than a Prius or insight

 

I give props to Nissan for being first to the market with a true all electric practical four door vehicle. I do wish it looked better though. It's pretty dorky looking. That said, I don't hate the look.

$32,500+ before waiting for the tax credit is still a tough sell (for me) for a car such as this. I'd much rather drop the $40K before the tax credit for an extended range Chevy Volt that looks 10X better and is far more practical for life's "real" needs that may require long trips.

I can't believe you won't see these readily in stock for about two years after release (all will be pre-sold). It's sad that it took this long for a company to finally start producing something that's apparently in such high demand.