Nissan Leaf – UK

The Nissan Leaf is poised to become one of the early leaders in the field of electric vehicles (EVs). Touting a range of 100 miles on a single charge, the Leaf promises to be a serious contender in the price-sensitive automotive sector. In order to reduce costs and improve efficiency, Nissan eliminated the alternative power source (gasoline), a feature of Nissan’s main competition, the Chevy Volt. By removing power from gasoline, they have shed weight, making the vehicle more efficient and space-optimized, allowing more room for batteries and interior design.

Some experts consider removing the secondary power supply a bold move. This decision is considered risky because it has the potential to leave the car owner stranded with a dead battery. When this occurs, the only option is to be towed to a charging station. The Chevy Volt should never leave a motorist stranded simply because it has gasoline power as an alternative.

Nissan is doing everything it can to overcome this potential problem by providing a sophisticated information technology (IT) capability that will work with the car’s navigation system. The navigation system calculates whether or not the vehicle is within range of a charging system such as your office, home or a commercial charging station. The navigation system will display the driving radius for the current state of charge of the car.

Remote access to vehicle charge status via cell phone and online will also be provided. Whether or not the IT features available with the Nissan Leaf eliminate consumer concerns remains to be seen. But you can be sure that I will not buy first generation technology 🙂