Nissan Leaf EV - Be first to see it in person!

Nissan has announced a US national tour of their new pure EV, Leaf, and its first American public showings begin November 13th in southern California. Leaf is ready for its close-up at the Tokyo Motor Show

Much of the talk at this week's Tokyo Motor Show, the 41st iteration of that extravaganza, held in Makuhari, about one half hour north of Tokyo, was understandably about EVs, hybrids and various other green technologies. Nissan, however, topped the competition by displaying a production version of Leaf, the only Japanese car maker at the show claiming they're not just working on a real-world, production EV, but showing one they'll be making and selling worldwide beginning in 2011.

There's still room for overwrought fun, though. Toyota introduced a production version of their Lexus LF-A supercar, a $375,000, 552-horsepower monster with a 4.8 liter V10 engine. Only 500 will be built in total for the world and production commences in December, 2010. Much more at: www.Lexus-LFA.com.
On the other hand, at Tokyo, Lexus displayed a production verison of their new LF-A supercar ... not very green, but a helluva lotta fun ... what do you think of the car's looks? Me? I'm not so sure ...

Here's the Leaf tour information from a Nissan press release:

Nissan North America announced that the Nissan LEAF zero-emission, all-electric car will make its North American debut in Los Angeles on Nov. 13. The Los Angeles showing will be the first time people in the United States will be able to see the five-passenger, five-door, gasoline-free car, which is embarking on a nationwide tour.

The Nissan LEAF Zero Emission Tour will make stops in 22 cities, in 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Vancouver, Canada, offering the opportunity for interested drivers, media, civic partners, businesses and university students to learn more about the Nissan LEAF and the benefits of zero-emission driving.
Interior of production Leaf

Follow the tour, get updates on the final schedule and specific showings, and sign up for more information, at www.nissanusa.com/Leaf-electric-car. Look for the Nissan LEAF to make public appearances in the following areas during these times:

Southern California
Los Angeles: Nov. 13-17
Orange County: Nov. 18
San Diego: Nov. 19-21

Northern California
Berkeley/Walnut Creek: Nov. 23-24
San Francisco: Nov. 25-29
Santa Rosa: Dec. 1
Sacramento: Dec. 1
San Jose: Dec. 3-6

Pacific Northwest
Seattle: Dec. 8-12
Vancouver, Canada: Dec. 14-15
Portland, Ore.: Dec. 17-23
Rear 3/4 view of Leaf

Southwest
Phoenix/Tucson: Dec. 30-Jan. 5
Las Vegas: Jan. 6

Midwest/East Coast
Detroit: Jan. 11-13
Knoxville/Chattanooga, Tenn.: Jan. 16
Middle Tennessee: Jan. 19-21
Washington, D.C.: Jan. 26-28
Raleigh, N.C.: Jan. 29
Orlando: Feb. 1-2

Texas
Houston: Feb. 5-6

New York
New York City: Feb. 9-14
Leaf's drivetrain

Nissan is the only automaker committed to making all-electric vehicles available to the mass market on a global scale. Through the Nissan LEAF Zero Emission Tour, Nissan will be showcasing the electric vehicle and battery technology as well as the company's zero-emission mobility objectives. Nissan already has partnered on the development of an electric-vehicle infrastructure through partnerships in the State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, Sonoma County, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Washington D.C., Seattle, Raleigh, and Vancouver. Additional partnerships will be announced in the near future.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling.
Prototype Leaf instrument panel from an earlier version of the car

More information on the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissan-usa.com/Leaf-electric-car and
www.nissan-zeroemission.com

(end Nissan release)

By the way, those two websites are really fun.

Also, while we're talking about the LA Auto Show and green technology, Green Car Journal (www.GreenCar.com) has announced its five finalists for their 2010 Green Car of the Year award. For the fifth consecutive year, the award will be announced during a press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Dec. 3. The finalists are the Audi A3 TDI, Honda Insight, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Golf TDI (Prius was named Japan Car of the Year at the Tokyo Motor Show this past weekend).

Will you be lining up to see Leaf in your area? And what do you think of the Green Car of the Year nominees?

Follow Steve Parker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/autojourno

Comments

[TryToBeFlexible]

Here in Orlando, in 2004, due to hurricanes, my neighorhood (and many others) were without power for more than a week, 2 times that summer. What do you do in that situation, with an electric-only vehicle? I was able to get to work and earn money in 2004. With a hybrid, I could get to work. With electric-only, what would I do?

What if I want to drive from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale for the weekend? What if I have to drive to Tallahassee for work one week? Does anyone see a drawback to electric-only cars?

[WallabyWay]

Don't gas pumps require electricity? I haven't seen many gas stations that run on gas, however just like in an "emergency" I would imagine charge stations would use generators to charge electric vehicles just as they use them to run the gas pumps. And you could event buy one for your home too, in fact if you live in Florida maybe you should have one if the power goes out that often.

If your drive across the state often you may want to wait until the infrastructure is there. When gas cars first came out I'm sure there were people like TryToBeFlexible that commented this will never work, how will I get from LA to New York, and you probably couldn't at first, but guess what you can today and have been able to now for several years!

[hsr0601]

On current trend, it might be a matter of time for EVs to go mainstream, what matters most will be ubiquitous charge infrastructure and to accelerate the day of its realization as a way to leap energy crisis :

1. Just a few weeks ago, researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the first Nickel-Lithium battery that can hold more than 3.5 times the energy of a normal Lithium-Ion battery
Please go to http://featured.matternetwork.com/2009/10/new-nickel-lithium-battery-has.cfm

2. A German auto engineering company is working on a project that just might solve the world's oil problems. IAV Automotive Engineering has secured a patent for their electric vehicle (EV) wireless road-charging system.

3. With the concept of "V2H" (vehicle to home), the vehicle can supply 100V electricity stored in its on-board lithium-ion batteries to electric appliances in a house.

It is possible to charge the batteries at night, when electricity is cheaper, and use it for home appliances during daytime, Mitsubishi Motors said. And the company claims that the batteries can provide almost all the electricity used in a normal household throughout the day.