Renewable Gossip

The Nissan Leaf on display in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2009.

The national tour for the all-electric Nissan Leaf continues to make its way across the country. We were able to see the five-seat 100-mile-range car yesterday in Walnut Creek, California—a few days before it arrives at the 2009 San Francisco International Auto Show. This gave us an opportunity to confirm a few key points, and discover one or two others.

• Priced Like Fully Loaded Prius

  The Nissan Leaf’s price—still not official—will be “about the same as a fully loaded Toyota Prius,” which means low-$30,000s. Only one package will be available, also fully loaded. No leather seats; the standard package features seats made from eco-friendly materials. (The Leaf is expected to qualify for a $7,500 tax credit.)

• Battery Leasing

  No definite word yet on battery leasing, but it looks likely. In other words, a portion of the purchase price will come off the top, and be financed in a lease to cover the 24 kilowatt-hour battery pack. The goal is to alleviate consumer concerns about battery longevity. If anything goes wrong with the leased battery, Nissan owns it—so the company replaces it. At the end of the lease, you can upgrade to a better battery, if it’s available at that time.



The charging port at the nose of the car is convenient for 220-volt and 440-volt rapid charging—but the 110-volt access is under the car near the right rear wheel.

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Filed Under: Electric Vehicles