Ka-Ching!

That works out to be $36,600 USD and after following that bombshell by Nissan, I imagine electric car fanatics all over Europe have been crying themselves to sleep.

I should also point out that price is after all tax incentives in the countries where the car will be launched. If you live outside the launch zone you’re out of luck: You simply won’t get one.

This is because Nissan will be screening all buyers of their all-electric Leaf, asking each one personal questions about their driving style and history. This is so their new car isn’t going to wind up in the hands of some crazy fool who might actually depress the accelerator more than half way.
Heaven forbid.

With so much at stake, Nissan aren’t going to let their car be purchased by someone likely to broadcast any shortfalls to the world. The largest of which is the range – or lack of it.

Just over a hundred years ago, Baker Electric vehicles were capable of 100 miles per charge on their primitive Edison Cells. Now let’s leap into the Lithium-ion future where the 2011 Nissan Leaf will get – wait for it – 100 miles.

Admittedly the weight of cars have doubled with everything from airbags to crumple zones being added over time, but we have the capacity for vehicles to drive much further than 100 miles.
In fact, there are a handful of home-conversions that can out-drive the factory-built Leaf. Just have a look through www.evalbum.com if you don’t believe me.

Perhaps this limited range is being done on purpose to first of all reduce costs, and secondly, to protect the billions of dollars invested in Nissan’s internal combustion engine technology. I certainly can’t imagine them wanting to throw all that away in favour of selling long range electric cars.

It must be said that I do like the Nissan Leaf, and it’s only the first of the new generation of average-range electric cars. Factory made electric cars will get better, faster, and longer ranged over time – if you don’t mind waiting – and paying through the nose – for them.