The truth is, I blogged about the Nissan Leaf long before owning it, and now that my family has logged several hundred miles on it as both a commuter and weekend family car, I suppose it is time to share some observations. I'll omit the usual clever intro and jump right in:

The Leaf is not a small car. It easily dwarfs our e30 3 Series BMW and the Nissan Cube it replaced. It is no surprise that it is classified as a midsize car - it is certainly neither a subcompact nor even a compact. It is also not particularly attractive, inside or out, but that's no surprise based on all the pictures that people are used to seeing. Its real-world size, however, can be a bit surprising for those expecting a car the size of a Mini or even a Volkswagen Golf.

Our real world range has been between 70-100 miles with an indicated 105-110 miles at full charge.

Top speed is just north of 90 miles per hour and it will reach its terminal velocity relatively effortlessly with no audible or tactile reluctance. Be ready for a profound impact on range driving at those speeds for any length of time, though. The biggest range killer, BTW, is not speed, not climate control, and certainly not stop-and-go driving (this is actually where an EV is completely the opposite of an ICE car - it hates steady state, but thrives in stop and go traffic jams). The biggest range killer is hills. Long uphill sections are the Leaf's nemeses.

Continue reading "This is what it's like to live with the Nissan Leaf"...

Gallery: Living with the Nissan Leaf

Continue reading This is what it's like to live with the Nissan Leaf

This is what it's like to live with the Nissan Leaf originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 May 2011 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Opinion: Why early electric vehicle adopters deserve tax credits

Opinion: Why early electric vehicle adopters deserve tax credits originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Having just completed the Nissan Drive Electric tour showcasing the all-electric Nissan Leaf, one particular feature made a more lasting impression on me than all of the others. It wasn't the LED headlight or taillights, the Microsoft-sourced interface that points to charging stations, or the trick thermal management system (a bane of electric vehicles - more on this later). The feature that made the most lasting impression was the "valve cover" under the hood.

Now before the Leaf fans start up their "kill him with fire!" flamethrowers, allow me to explain. I get that a large part of Nissan's strategy for the Leaf has been to make it as smooth as possible to transition from the conventional gasoline-powered cars that people are already used to buying and owning. After all, the Leaf will be a first-of-its-kind mass market car that is coming to market at a time when the entire industry is cautiously still dipping its collective toe in the water with battery-powered and extended-range electric vehicles. In that sense, the car should feel familiar and comfortable, and in my previous article on the Leaf, I applauded Nissan for rising to the challenge of striving to make the Leaf feel as familiar as an old pair of Levis.

However, there is something else about Levis that may have been overlooked in Nissan's attempts to design familiarity into the Leaf. Levis are authentic and honest. By contrast, with the Leaf, there is something inherently contrived and off-putting about feigned familiarity - especially when it comes to the very features that define the car. Read on after the jump for the reasons why.

Gallery: Nissan Leaf drive electric tour

Continue reading David Vespremi: Will the Nissan Leaf's familiarity breed contempt?

David Vespremi: Will the Nissan Leaf's familiarity breed contempt? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As Leaf reservation holders began placing their final purchase orders with dealers last week, a number of big questions loom for Nissan and its chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, who has seemingly bet the farm on its success.

Let's begin with the premise that, as a mass-market car, the Leaf has to offend no one even as it proceeds down the road less traveled. It must embrace future technology but feel as familiar as an old pair of blue jeans. It must capture the hearts and minds of early adopters who are either fanatically pro-EV and/or have the financial means to buy cars several classes above the Leaf, while having the staying power to be a viable mainstream car for years to come at a modest price point.

If the ordering process has shades of Tesla and Smart associated with it, the car itself is in many ways the anti-Tesla or the anti-Smart. To succeed as a mass market car, it can't be all novelty and no follow through like Smart's diminutive Fortwo, and it can't comfortably languish in the rarified air of a halo car like Tesla's Roadster, a placeholder for some mainstream offering still years away. In short, it has to be all things, to all people, right from the get-go. But is that even possible? (this post continues after the jump)

Continue reading David Vespremi: A lot is hanging on the Leaf

David Vespremi: A lot is hanging on the Leaf originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.