"Chevrolet Volt versus Nissan LEAF"
What Kelly Blue Book has to say:
The largest and highest-profile de facto rival to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt is the equally new 2011 Nissan LEAF, which also will commence its own market-specific rollout by year’s end. Each vehicle offers an interesting, innovative and extremely sophisticated take on green motoring, but there are two key differences to consider. First and foremost, the Nissan LEAF is a pure electric vehicle, which limits its potential as a primary daily transport choice to people with predictable and moderate usage requirements. While Nissan estimates the LEAF’s per-charge range at a nominal 100 miles, it also admits that individual driving styles and ambient temperature conditions can have a fairly large (up to 40 percent in extreme cases) impact on that figure. Although even GM cites government data indicating that over 75 percent of all daily commutes fall within a 40-mile round-trip distance, the LEAF’s inherent limitations to deal with unexpected changes in travel plans does make range anxiety a legitimate issue for some individuals.
The second significant variation between the Volt and the LEAF lies in price; but here, it’s Nissan’s turn to claim at least some bragging rights. Where the Volt bases at $41,000, the LEAF opens at $33,600 and the upline SL version starts at $34,540. Although both vehicles qualify for the Federal income tax credit, only the Nissan will be eligible for the cash rebates being offered by the state of California. Two other lesser points of differentiation: the Nissan LEAF offers room for five and comes with six standard airbags while the Chevy Volt seats only four but does feature eight inflatable restraints.
Reps from Nissan North America, SWEEP speak at Arizona SmartPower EV stakeholder meeting
ABOVE: Russell Vare of Nissan North America addresses stakeholders at the July 26 meeting.
Arizona SmartPower held its second electric vehicle (EV) stakeholder meeting on July 26. Fifty people participated in this follow-up meeting, launching even more constructive discussions about EVs and their potential in Arizona. (Read about our first meeting here.)
The meeting, facilitated by Arizona SmartPower State Director Toni Bouchard, began with a review of survey results from the previous meeting. The group then discussed tentative topics for future meeting agendas and drafted the charter and mission for the stakeholder group. The meeting also had two special guest presenters: Russell Vare, EV Regional Manager for Nissan North America, whose presentation covered all of the important aspects of the 100% electric Nissan LEAF; and Robert Yuhnke from the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), whose presentation highlighted the economic analysis of EVs in Arizona.
Arizona SmartPower worked closely with APS, Governor Jan Brewer’s Office of Energy, and a diverse group of stakeholders – including utilities, car dealerships, state government departments, non-profit organizations and educational institutions – to highlight issues covering policy infrastructure and community collaboration. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at ASU Sky Song.
