The 2011 Nissan Leaf is the world’s first affordable, mass produced, all electric vehicle (EV). It comes with an 8 year/100k mile warranty for the batteries, gets a purported 100 mile range on a full charge, and costs only $2.75 to fill up during off-peak hours. Best of all, fully electric vehicles are eligible for thousands of dollars in tax credits. But, after learning more about the Leaf and taking it for a test drive during Nissan’s Drive Electric Tour, I was left with mixed feelings.
For those living in states offering rebates, the Leaf is a pretty good value (click here to see what your state offers). After the federal rebate of $7,500, states like California and Georgia cut another $5,000 from the Leaf’s $33,000 base price tag. With its price now around $22,000, I think the Leaf is a pretty good value, even if it is a few thousand away from a comparable gas-powered car. On top of this, the federal government also offers a tax credit of $1,000 for the 220V Aerovironment charging equipment (covering about half the cost). Some states even give EV owners additional perks like free parking, use of HOV lanes, and exemption from vehicle excise taxes.
Another appealing aspect of the Leaf is how it drives. As batteries provide maximum torque from a standstill, the Leaf (rated at 207 lb-ft) pulls smoothly from stop, and up to 50mph without much effort. Acceleration after this point begins to trail off, but never feels strained since the motor makes about the same noise as a golf cart. Compared to a Prius, the Leaf’s zero-to-sixty time of 10 seconds dead is 2.5 seconds faster. However, the Prius closes this gap to only 1 second in the quarter mile. The Leaf also felt surprisingly stable due to its low center of gravity (accomplished by placing the 600lbs of batteries under the floorboards). Though its sloppy cornering did not deliver on what Nissan’s marketing department calls “seriously fun handling,” the lower center of gravity definitely makes the car feel more upscale and planted.
Despite this, the Leaf is not for everyone. The most obvious reason for this is
GreenCars.org, in conjunction with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, “an independent, nonprofit research group dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection” released their 14th annual environmental ratings last Thursday. The rankings include plug-ins, gasoline hybrids, diesels, natural gas vehicles, and conventional gasoline vehicles. Despite the hype of the all-electric Nissan Leaf (review here), and the 2011 Car of the Year, Honda’s natural gas Civic GX won for the 8th consecutive year.
