DETROIT — Nissan on Monday announced at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show that AeroVironment will supply electric vehicle home-charging stations and installation services for consumers who buy the electric Nissan Leaf. Pricing on both the Leaf and the home-charging station has not been announced, however.
The Leaf debuts in December, with observers speculating that it will come in around $30,000 — but that doesn't take into account the $7,500 federal tax credit that will be available for the first 200,000 units of the Leaf. In addition, some states offer tax credits for electric vehicles.
"It's literally still being worked out," said Nissan spokesperson Katherine Zachary in a telephone conversation, when contacted Tuesday morning by Inside Line about pricing for the Leaf and the home-charging station. "Consumers should be aware that a $2,000 federal tax credit will go toward the purchase and installation of a home-charging unit. And if you have a 220-volt line in your garage, that will defray the cost of installation."
Zachary also said that AeroVironment eventually plans to offer a range of home-charging stations to consumers down the road. "Some of them will be 'smart' and programmable," she said. Although the Leaf can be plugged into an existing electrical outlet, Zachary said the home-charging unit will act like a surge protector between the vehicle and your garage.
Nissan will announce pricing on the Leaf and the home-charging station in the spring, she said.
In a statement, Nissan said the Nissan-branded charging stations will be available at the sale of each Nissan Leaf "as part of the vehicle's total driving system." It will take eight hours to fully charge the Nissan Leaf.
Inside Line says: Good thinking on the part of Nissan to provide one-stop shopping for Leaf customers, but we'll have to wait to see what all this convenience is going to cost. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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tc1841 says:
06:20 PM, 02/22/2010
Optimism people, optimism. The definition of insanity is "performing the same action over and over, but expecting a different result". The American car buyer has been complaining about the cost of gas and ultimate control that the oil companies, as well as middle east countries, have over all of us. No one wants unsightly rigs within eyesight of Florida beaches and don't think about cutting down a tree in a state park to drill. Nissan, after years of planning and numerous focus study groups is bold enough to break the chain of insanity in order to give the American car buyer an alternative. Hats off to Nissan!
dagmar3 says:
02:18 PM, 01/12/2010
I would like the Leaf to be taken home by a Detroit-area automotive journalist. I want to know what its range is in the real world: 20 degree weather, with the headlights, defroster, wipers, heater and Sat/NAV running all the time. And I would like the journalist to recharge the car based on what he/she already has at their house (who has 220V in their garage?)
Are electric cars really ready for prime time? Or is this just another waste of our money?
subafly says:
12:49 PM, 01/12/2010
The Leaf or any all-electric vehicle is not very attractive right now from a praticality standpoint. The Volt is alot more practical. The real potential of being left high and dry after 100 miles (which I'm sure is very optimistic given the real world driving experiences of electric car drivers) is not very comforting. If your battery is dead there's no walking to a gas station to pick up a tank of electricity to get you back home. You're stuck. Whereas with the Volt, sure the range is less, but you can actually do real world driving and if your plans unexpectedly change. You have an out and can drive 5x times further albeit burning gas and not coal.
firstclass says:
11:21 AM, 01/12/2010
Sorry about the spelling I know, my apologies.
firstclass says:
11:17 AM, 01/12/2010
I'm not worried about the cost of teh Leafe as much as...
I live in California and many summers we have to watch our power consumption (due to air-conditioning drains on power). Ten years from now how much are at home charging cars going to coast me when I get my electric bill? I don't plan on driving an electric nor hybrid car anytime this decade. So why do electric car owners get federal tax credits. What do we do when we receive a spike in our electric bills?