Nissan's electric car cheaper in US | Adelaide Now -g-icon-error cloudy-day nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right nav_small_right 0A0871E9-1636-49F4-9041-2E36E2BB533
Nissans's new electric vehicle will sell for just over $25,000 when it goes public in the US. S. in December.
Leaves, a four
The basic price of the door hatchback is $32,780, but it is eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles.
This will make it cheaper to buy electric cars than electric cars from competitors and may force them to cut prices.
But Leaf has a limited range of 100 miles (160 km) per charge
Ion batteries can be a deal breaker for some drivers.
Mark Perry, director of product planning and advanced technology at Nissan North America, said: "We want to ensure that this car is affordable, ready for the mass market and attractive to the public . "
Said in an interview.
Customers can start keeping a leaf in the United States. S.
In April 20, Nissan aims to complete 25,000 orders by December.
It hopes to produce and sell 50,000 of its cars around the world in the first model year.
Production began at an existing plant in Oppama, Japan, south of Tokyo, and will be extended to Nissan's Smyrna plant in Tennessee in 2012.
Christopher Richter, a car analyst at the Asia Pacific market at CLSA in Tokyo, predicts that the car will be popular among "people who want to be green, people who love technology and people with high status"conscious.
"Sales in the first year will be limited to about 20 major cities in the United States. S.
It includes New York, Seattle and Atlanta, Perry said.
He said Nissan hopes to expand its sales nationwide by the end of 2011.
The starting price of Leaf is relatively low-
And the option to rent a vehicle for $349 a month-
May lead to a price war between competitors.
General Motors spokesman
The company will start selling Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles later this year. The company said it would look at Nissan's pricing before it announced its close sales date for December.
It is widely expected that Volt will cost about $35,000 before the $7,500 tax credit.
Different leaves, the voltage is not pure electric car.
Instead, it is powered by power stored in the battery for up to 40 miles, when the gasoline engine starts, increasing its range by hundreds of miles.
Perry said 100 of the leaves-mile (160-
Kilometers) distance is enough for the distance most Americans drive in one day.
Still, analysts say so-
The so-called range anxiety may be an obstacle to the leaves.
Volt's internal combustion engine eased the concern by allowing drivers to continue driving for a long time after running out of power. "The Volt . . .
Aaron Bragman, an auto industry analyst at IHS Global Insight, Troy, Michigan, said: "It's far more attractive . ".
Use 220-it takes about eight hours to charge a leaf
Volt plug-
The kind that most electric clothes dryers use.
Charging with standard 110-
It may take two Volt sockets.
Nissan will provide Leaf customers with the option to purchase home charging stations at an estimated cost of $2,200, including installation.
This cost can be 50-
Tax credit percentage of up to $2,000.
According to the average electricity bill, it takes about $2 to charge the leaves. 80 per charge.
Volt's battery is smaller than the Leaf's, and can't go too far with full power.
But it can be fully charged in standard 110-8 hours
Volt household power socket. Using a 220-
Volt socket, less than four hours.
Leaf and Volt will be the first of the many electric vehicles introduced by mainstream automakers in the next few years.
So far, like these two electric cars
The $100,000 Tesla sports car is basically a plaything for the rich.
Tax credit for plug-in
Electric cars cost as much as $7,500.
After automakers sold at least 200,000 cars in the United States, the credit scale has shrunk. S.
Then the credit gradually ended in more than a year.
Nissan said the Leaf will cost 3.
76 million yen ($40,000) in Japan ).
This will make cars cheaper in the United States. S.
Because it wants to sell more in that market.
But Perry says Nissan is confident it will make a profit on every car sold in the United States. S.
At a lower price.