This is the third in a series of three entries focused on the pros and cons of three electric vehicles we are considering buying, the CODA Automotive Sedan EV, the Ford Focus Electric, & the Nissan LEAF. The first focused on the CODA EV and the second on the Ford Focus Electric. This one looks at the Nissan LEAF.
- Part I: CODA Automotive Sedan EV
- Part II: Ford Focus Electric
- Part III: Nissan LEAF
In theory, the Nissan LEAF is the front runner in terms of the three pure electric vehicles weāre considering. It is, after all, the only one of the three that weāve put down a $99 reservation fee on.
Itās also supposed to be the first mainstream, highway capable, affordable EV to arrive in Colorado. Of course, as Iāve written elsewhere, itās a bit unclear to me exactly when the LEAF will get to Colorado, or if it will get here much earlier than the Ford Focus Electric.
{module 277}
So, hereās our take on the LEAF, the most likely EV to end up in our garage–>
Pros
- The price is right. With a Federal tax credit of $7,500 (crossing my fingers that a Republican win in November wonāt mean this goes away š and a Colorado tax credit of up to $6,000 (see Plug In Americaās State and Federal Incentives web page to figure out what state credits you might be eligible for), our out-of-pocket costs for a brand new LEAF could be around $20,000! And thereās the gas savings on top of that. By the time the LEAF arrives in Colorado, weāll be sitting on at least 14,000 miles of banked EV fuel, or, in our lingo, 14,000 Sun Miles⢠. Depending on what gasoline price and miles per gallon figures you use, thatās somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000 worth of fuel savings!
- Nissanās a big-name automaker with a proven track record. Itās nice to know youāre buying an EV from a company thatās been around a long time ā and will be around a long time after you drive your new EV off the lot. Of course, Iāve never owned a Nissan before and, if it werenāt for the LEAF, I probably would never have seriously considered a Nissan.
- Nissanās doing a good job of pitching the LEAF & seems truly jazzed up about EVs. Ok, I have said that it would be nice to see a few pictures of solar panels and wind farms on the Nissan LEAF web site (there are none right now). But even if Nissan isnāt ready to go all out (yet) on the renewable + EV combination, the automaker is definitely putting up a much better PR front on EVs than automakers like Honda, Toyota, and, yes, GM, which is actually pitching its plug-in hybrid electric Volt as the anti-EV EV. I like Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosnās tune on electric vehicles ā heās saying a lot of nice things about them and truly seems convinced they are the future. Nissan gets extra points for this!
- Reviews of the LEAF are good to excellent. Most of the reviews Iāve read of the LEAF seem to indicate itās a very well-made EV. Of course, no one really knows how it will perform long-term ā and it is, as USA Today auto writer James Healy recently wrote, āugggglyā. Still, my instincts are telling me that the LEAF will be a very good car ā and that the LEAF will get even better over time.
- Itās got Plug In America Vice President Paul Scottās vote of confidence. Plus, the chatter Iāve heard in the EV community about the LEAF is generally positive. Iāve never driven an EV, never even had a ride in one, actually. In contrast, Paul Scottās test driven many different EVs ā including the LEAF — and heās been driving an EV (a Toyota RAV4 EV) for nearly a decade. If Paul says the LEAF is a great car, Iām inclined to believe him.
- The LEAF’s going to be the first mainstream, affordable EV to market in the U.S. ā in some places. Folks on the West Coast in Arizona and Tennessee will definitely see LEAFs on dealer lots before any other pure EV. But will those of us in places like Colorado be able to buy a LEAF before other electric vehicles, in particular the Ford Focus Electric ā which is, for us, the primary LEAF competitor ā roll into the Rocky Mountain State?
Cons
- The LEAF is ugly. Some people really like the LEAF look, others do not like it at all. In fact, if our ongoing poll about the LEAFās design is any indication, the LEAFās design might just be the most polarizing feature of the car for prospective buyers. As of Sept. 27, 2010 out of 34 voters, 17 think the LEAF is beautiful, 10 think itās ugly, six think itās somewhat ugly, and one canāt decide.
- No advanced thermal management system for LEAF battery. The LEAFās 24 kW battery pack will be air-cooled. In contrast, both the CODA Sedan EV and the Focus Electric battery packs will be thermal cooled. Most EV experts concur that a thermal temperature management system is best. Of course, Nissanās backing up its battery with a 100,000 mile/eight-year warranty.
- A 3.3 kW onboard charger (as opposed to 6.6 kW for the CODA). This basically means longer charger times. However, given that we have a pretty predictable driving regimen and we are a two-car household, this isnāt so important to us.
- Nissan has added artificial noises to the LEAF. I am a big believer in a quieter world is a better, safer, healthier world for us all, and I hate the simple-minded rush to add artificial noises to plug-ins, and to hybrids. Unfortunately, Nissanās caved in to the pressure by adding an artificial noise feature to the LEAF. You can turn it off. But youāll need to do it every time you turn the car on.
- The LEAF might not beat the Focus Electric to market in Colorado. If the LEAF beats the Focus Electric by 12 months or more to market in Colorado, our first fully electric ā and fully solar-charged car ā will definitely be a LEAF. If the LEAF arrives less than a year earlier than the Focus Electric, our first EV may well be a Focus Electric
And the winner is…
Whatās the final call in our CODA vs. Focus Electric vs. LEAF analysis?
Unfortunately, CODAās announcement that the Sedan EV will be priced at $44,900 before tax credits ā which came between the time we wrote the first entry on the CODA and this entry on the LEAF ā pretty much prices us out of a CODA.
{googleAds}
<div style="float:left; margin-right: 10px;">
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-7703542917199961";
/* 200x200,
created 12/8/09 */
google_ad_slot = "7950368454";
google_ad_width
= 200;
google_ad_height = 200;
//-->
</script>
<script
type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script>
</div>
{/googleAds}
The LEAF definitely has the edge over the Focus Electric in our book right now ā but only if it arrives substantially earlier to the Colorado market than the Focus Electric and/or if the LEAF is priced substantially lower than the Focus Electric. However, itās likely that the Focus Electric will be quite competitive with the LEAF in terms of its price.
If the Focus Electric arrives on the Colorado market no later than 11 months after the LEAF and is priced similarly, it will most likely win the battle for the privilege to be one of the first solar-charged Nissan LEAFās or Ford Focus Electrics in the Rocky Mountain State.
Call me superficial, but a Focus Electric win ā should it win out ā will hinge almost entirely on looks: I just canāt quite bring myself to like the LEAF design. Of course, if we do end up buying a LEAF, Iām sure that Iāll eventually warm up to its looks.
Related articles–>
- CODA vs. Ford Focus Electric vs. LEAF: Part II – The Focus Electric
- CODA vs. Ford Focus Electric vs. LEAF: Part I – The CODA Sedan EV
- Re-doing the solar math on the Nissan LEAF
- Is the Nissan LEAF ugly?
Like this story? Interested in the solar EV/PHEV synergy? Join our Sun Miles⢠Club and start meeting & interacting with other people around the world who want to drive, or already are driving, their cars on sun! Register to join us today!