Nissan has delivered the 100,000th LEAF to a customer in the U.K., reaching a milestone for the pure electric car that seems to be leaving other EVs in its wake. Now, the pure electric LEAF is on sale in 35 countries on four continents, and it has captured 45 percent market share for pure electric vehicles.
Amy Eichenberger of Charlottesville, Va., was the 99,999th Nissan LEAF buyer, picking out a Glacier White example at her local dealership for her 10-mile daily commute.
"I have friends I like to visit in Richmond, which I can do in the Leaf with some planning, and in D.C., which I'll do in my son's or boyfriend's car," Eichenberger said. "Leaf will meet my needs 98 percent of the time, and I didn't want to let a little range anxiety prevent me from missing out on what I consider a much more progressive and forward-thinking vehicle than any of the alternatives."
The 100,000th Leaf buyer was Dr. Brett Garner in Fareham, U.K.
"I have chosen my Nissan LEAF because I am very interested in its running costs," Dr. Garner said. "The cost of ownership, such as maintenance, insurance and charging also convinced my wife. She had the experience of driving 500 miles in a borrowed Leaf and the low cost was remarkable. So she was converted and insisted that we had a LEAF."
Amy Eichenberger of Virginia poses by the LEAF she's just bought, number 99,999.
LEAF sales started out slowly when the zero-emission car reached dealerships in December 2010, but demand has grown steadily to the point where stateside Nissan dealerships began reporting stock shortages six months ago. In August 2013 Nissan considered moving to increase production of the electric car at its Tennessee plant, just as sales reached approximately 2,000 units a month--about double the sales volume of August 2012. Interestingly enough, the LEAF’S number one market in the U.S. has been Atlanta.
"With LEAF, we see a high level of organic growth and viral sales where LEAF owners become our best evangelists and salespeople," said Erik Gottfried, Nissan's director of EV Sales and Marketing. "With electric vehicles, many folks presume a 100-percent electric vehicle won't meet their needs until they chat with a neighbor, co-worker or family friend who loves their Leaf and explain its practicality, and then it goes on their consideration list."
A year ago this week, Nissan cut the price of the LEAF by $6,400 to stimulate sales, and this price cut remains in effect for the 2014 model year LEAF . The 2014 LEAF starts at $29,830 and has a range 84 miles on a full charge, with the mpg-equivalent ratings at 126 MPGe in the city and 101 MPGe on the highway, for a combined rating of 114.
Nissan LEAF Owner Turns 100,000 Gas-Free Commuting Miles
Nissan LEAF Owner Turns 100,000 Gas-Free Commuting Miles
SEATTLE – Steve Marsh just watched his odometer hit 100,000 miles on his all-electric Nissan LEAF. He has had the car since May of 2011.
"I have saved over $9,000 driving my LEAF compared to my previous car that got 30 miles to the gallon. And I have not had to burn 3,000 gallons of gasoline," said Marsh.
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee congratulated Marsh at a specially scheduled press conference on his accomplishment and made him Washingtonian of the Day. The Governor also announced his plans to expand the state's electrical corridor to the east and west.
"It is great that Washington State, which has led the world in so many ways, is again leading the world," said Inslee.
Marsh drives his Nissan LEAF more than 60 miles each way to work at Taylor Shellfish. The long commute was his biggest motivation for trading in his gas-fueled car for an electric vehicle.
"It was simply to save money. I could see the operating costs were going to be less than a gasoline car," said Marsh.
Marsh worked with his employer to install a charger outside his office building. He says he enjoys driving the car so much that he is using it all the time, even on weekends. He and his family, including his Irish Wolfhound, love to get in and go for a spin.
"I am confident that Nissan's LEAF is a perfect commuter car for those that put serious miles on their car or just need to run around town," said Marsh.
Nissan's Director of electric vehicle marketing and sales strategy Erik Gottfried says there are now 40,000 Nissan LEAFs on roads across the United States. Marsh helped the company reach that sales milestone by word-of-mouth marketing for the Nissan LEAF. He said many of his coworkers have followed his lead and now are driving electric cars.
"There is room for a family. It is a perfect car," said Marsh.
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – As we look forward to 2014, here we look back on 10 memorable moments in 2013. From launching new vehicles to achieving record sales, this was a busy year. Here's to another successful year in 2014 for everyone. Have a safe and happy holiday, from all of us at Nissan.
Dec. 3, 2013? Nissan Sets November U.S. Sales Record with 10.7% Increase
Consumers continue to show strong demand for Nissan products, as shown by November sales. Nissan established a November U.S. sales record with 106,528 total deliveries, marking an increase of 10.7% over last year's total of 96,197. Nissan Division set a November record with 93,376 deliveries, a 10.8% increase over the prior year. Nissan Division has sold 1,035,439 vehicles so far in 2013, up 10.7% and exceeding the total for all of 2012.
"Consumers' strong demand for Nissan products continued last month, culminating in a very good Black Friday weekend and driving our sales performance to an all-time record November," said Fred Diaz, divisional vice president, Sales and Marketing and Service and Parts, Nissan U.S.A. "Nissan has achieved record sales in eight out of 11 months in 2013 and with more than 1 million units sold, we have already outsold all of 2012."
Oct. 29, 2013 ?New York Proclaims "Hail Yes!" as First Nissan NV200 Taxi Hits the Streets of Manhattan
A new era in public transportation has begun with the Nissan NV200 taxi now in service on the streets of New York City. The meter on the first NV200 taxi fare officially kicked-off at JFK International Airport in October, dropping its inaugural passenger near 13th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. Mr. Ranjit Singh, an owner/operator of Medallion No. 7F20, took delivery of his NV200 taxi from Koeppel Nissan in Queens.
Eight Nissan dealerships in the New York City region now have the NV200 taxi available for purchase by New York City medallion owners. These major milestones mark the next phase in Nissan's commitment to deliver the most innovative, custom-designed taxi experience ever to the more than 600,000 people who ride in New York City taxicabs every day.
Sep. 10, 2013? All-New 2014 Nissan Rogue Makes U.S. Debut
Nissan debuted the all-new 2014 Nissan Rogue compact-utility vehicle, the company's second best-selling model in the U.S. and one of a family of new Nissan global compact crossovers. The European version, called the Nissan X-TRAIL, made its world debut during a press conference at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As a high-volume global growth product built on the new jointly developed Nissan/Renault Common Module Family (CMF) platform architecture, it is projected to be available in 190 countries around the world.
Aug. 27, 2013? Nissan Announces Unprecedented Autonomous Drive Benchmarks
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced that the company will be ready with multiple, commercially viable Autonomous Drive vehicles by 2020. Nissan announced that the company's engineers have been carrying out intensive research on the technology for years, alongside teams from the world's top universities, including MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Tokyo.
Aug. 26, 2013? Nissan to Boost Americas Production Capacity to More Than 2 Million Units in 2014
By early 2014, Nissan's production capacity will eclipse two million units in the Americas, driven by recently added capacity at its U.S. plants, as well as new facilities in Mexico and Brazil.
In response to strong growth opportunities throughout the region and in an effort to isolate the company from volatility in global currencies, Nissan is rapidly expanding its manufacturing footprint in the Americas region with an investment of more than $5 billion USD in new plants and increased production volumes. To support this aggressive growth and expansion, the company is adding more than 10,000 jobs across the region, with much of the hiring complete or underway.
Aug. 20, 2013? A New Engine Choice Coming with the Next-Generation Nissan Titan
Nissan announced it will offer a newly developed Cummins V8 turbo-diesel engine in its next-generation full-size pickup. The news came during Nissan 360, an industry showcase of Nissan's global product and technology portfolio.
"The fact that we've been working on this together for a period of time, we've had the time to really do it right," said Ric Kleine, Vice President of Cummins, Inc.
The 5.0-liter V8 turbo-diesel engine emerged from a partnership between Nissan and Cummins. It's now in the latter stages of development and testing. Cummins also is developing a version of the engine for its commercial vehicle customers.
Aug. 20, 2013? Nissan Motor Company Celebrates 80 Years, Unveils Power of Global Footprint
Nissan Motor Company marked its 80th anniversary with "Nissan 360," a month-long showcase of the latest breakthroughs in vehicle technology, sustainability and market expansion by one of the world's leading automotive groups.
The full lineup of Infiniti vehicles was on display, journalists experienced Nissan cars on a performance track, trucks were put through their paces on an adventure course, and the Datsun GO made the trip to Southern California from India where it recently launched – as well as other vehicles representing the global marketplace.
Jul. 24, 2013? Nissan LEAF Soars in Atlanta as the 100,000th Electric Vehicle for Renault-Nissan Alliance is Sold
Nissan's all-electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF, is selling at historic rates in new cities throughout the U.S. Atlanta is now the third biggest market for LEAF sales, with more than 700 LEAFs sold in the last few months.
Atlanta is also the city where the Renault-Nissan Alliance sold its 100,000th electric vehicle. Allison Howard bought this LEAF just two and a half years after Nissan launched the industry's first mass-market electric vehicle in December 2010.
"It's economical. It is something I could afford as a college student. It drives perfectly. It's so cool, and that's why I wanted to get a LEAF," said Howard.
Jun. 13, 2013 Versa Note on Sale with $13,990 Starting Price
The 2014 Nissan Versa Note, which went on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in June, is more than just the fourth all-new product to appear in Nissan showrooms in recent months (following the redesigns of Altima, Pathfinder and Sentra). It is also the dynamic next-generation of the vehicle that, combined with Versa Sedan, held the entry segment sales leadership for 20 consecutive months and 38 of the last 44 months.
Jan. 9, 2013? Nissan Begins U.S. Assembly of 2013 LEAF Electric Vehicle and Batteries
Nissan ramped up U.S. assembly of the 2013 model year all-electric LEAF at its manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tenn., where it is being manufactured alongside the company's gasoline-powered products.
The start of Nissan LEAF assembly in Smyrna comes on the heels of the opening of Nissan's battery plant in an adjacent facility. Nissan is the only automaker that manufactures its own electric vehicle batteries, at the largest lithium-ion automotive battery plant in the U.S.
Nissan Leaf goes local! Sets goal for ALL vehicles.
Nissan Leaf goes local! Sets goal for ALL vehicles.
Nissan is finding more and more ways to localize its LEAF production in the U.S. When the vehicle first became available in December 2010, the car was manufactured in Japan. In January 2013, Nissan ramped up production of the car in Smyrna, Tenn. This was followed by production of the electric motor in Decherd, Tenn., in April.
"Bringing that production here and those jobs here, it is better for everyone," said Coral Kanies, Nissan Decherd Production Manager.
Perhaps the biggest example of localizing the LEAF in North America is the company's new source for magnetic wire. Before, special magnetic wire was being shipped in crates from Japan. The wire is heavy and bulky. Now a company called Superior Essex, based in Fort Wayne, Ind., supplies all the copper wire that goes into the Nissan LEAF electric motor.
"You do not have to keep a large inventory here, which also costs you money, and you do not have to wait weeks or even months to get your material for production," said Xavier Mann, director of international sales, Superior Essex.
Production manager Coral Kanies says getting the wire within the U.S. saves Nissan a significant amount of money on each vehicle. That savings means lower prices for customers, and the company can spend more time and money on improving future models.
"The copper wire is one huge component (of the electric motor). The magnets are the other huge component, and those are processed in Oklahoma, so having that all right here in North America really helps our lead times so we can supply this LEAF long term, put the money back into making advancements in the car," said Kanies.
According to Nissan, localizing a component like the magnetic wire takes about two years. The company did about one year of quality testing and spent another year on set up and logistics. Nissan's electric motor facility in Decherd will use only locally sourced magnetic wire by the end of this year.
Nissan's goal by 2015 is to assemble 85 percent of the vehicles sold in the U.S. within North America.
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today marked "National Plug In Day" by signing a half dozen bills to support California's burgeoning electric vehicle market.
"Today, we reaffirm our commitment in California to an electric vehicle future," said Governor Brown.
The Governor signed the following bills today:
AB 8 by Assemblymember Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno): Extends to 2024 programs aimed at reducing auto emissions in California, including the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, the Air Quality Improvement Program, the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program and the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program.
AB 266 by Assemblymember Robert Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills): Extends the white sticker program allowing for certain low-emission vehicles to drive in high-occupancy or "diamond" lanes until 2019 or until federal authorization expires.
AB 1092 by Assemblymember Marc B. Levine (D-San Rafael): Requires the California Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development to develop standards for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in multi-family housing and non-residential developments.
SB 286 by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco): Extends the green sticker program allowing for certain low-emission vehicles to drive in high-occupancy or "diamond" lanes until 2019 or until federal authorization expires.
SB 359 by Senator Ellen Corbett (D-Hayward): Provides $30 million to fund the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project and the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project; $10 million to fund the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Quality Loan Program; and appropriates $8 million for the enhanced fleet modernization program.
SB 454 by Senator Ellen Corbett (D-Hayward): Creates the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Open Access Act, which removes obstacles to using electric vehicles by making electric vehicle charging stations accessible to all electric vehicle drivers, easier to locate and more convenient to use.
This legislation builds on the state's efforts to help California's electric vehicle market grow, including an Executive Order issued by Governor Brown that established a target of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road in California by 2025 and a number of other long-term goals.
Earlier this month, Governor Brown joined dozens of California business, automotive, consumer, technology and utility leaders to discuss and highlight public and private sector efforts to expand the state's electric vehicle market at the "Drive the Dream" event sponsored by the California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Collaborative.
National Plug In Day is a nationwide celebration of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles and includes more than a dozen events across California during the weekend of September 28th to 29th.
Interested in checking out the number one selling Electric Vehicle in the world? San Diego is lucky enough to have 7 Mossy Nissan locations selling the Nissan LEAF - the world's best selling EV! Click here now to view our inventory of these energy saving, earth saving rides!
National Plug In Day – Saturday, Sept 28th in San Diego
National Plug In Day - Saturday, Sept 28th in San Diego
Saturday, September 28, 2013
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Liberty Station
2401 Truxtun Road (in the Trader Joe's parking lot)
San Diego, CA 92106
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Charged up about electric vehicles (EVs)? Bring your family and friends for this one-day-only opportunity to get "plugged into" the future of transportation.
And, if you already own an EV, come to the event, park it on display along with other cars belonging to EV drivers, and network with your local community as part of the National Plug In Day celebration. (Please note that this opportunity is on a first-come, first-served basis as parking spaces are limited.)
Attendees at ELECTRIC VEHICLE DAY can:
Get behind the wheel and test-drive a Nissan LEAF!
Check out EV chargers and find out more about other plug-in technologies. Learn how easy it is to charge an EV at home or throughout the San Diego region, with more than 500 public charging stations available.
Get your questions answered from San Diego Gas & Electric about special EV rates that can help drivers pay the lowest price for EV fuel when charging from midnight to 5 a.m.
Learn about state and federal incentives available for zero-emission and plug-in electric vehicles from the EV experts from the California Center for Sustainable Energy.
Find out about life as an EV owner from your neighbors who already have made the switch to this cleaner, more energy-independent vehicle option.
Mark your calendars! Don't miss out. Plan on joining us at San Diego's ELECTRIC VEHICLE DAY on September 28!
REGISTER TODAY TO LET US KNOW YOU'RE COMING! http://pluginday.org/event.php?eventid=40
ELECTRIC VEHICLE DAY is presented by:
Corporate Sponsors: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA,
Regional Sponsors: California Center for Sustainable Energy, San Diego Gas & Electric and San Diego Regional Clean Cities Coalition
National Plug In Day Sponsors: Plug In America, Sierra Club and Electric Vehicle Association
Electric Vehicle Day Organizer: Electric Power Research Institute
The all-electric Nissan LEAF may be known for being quiet on the outside, but now it's boomin' on the inside with the first custom-designed Bose¨ Energy Efficient Series sound system on the 2013 model now available at your local San Diego Mossy Nissan.
Nissan just produced the world’s fastest electric racing car
Nissan just produced the world's fastest electric racing car, the Nissan ZEOD RC 186+ Miles Per Hour!
Nissan has unveiled the groundbreaking, innovative ZEOD RC - the world's fastest electric racing car that will reach speeds of more than 186 miles per hour with electric technology at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) will make its race debut at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hour. The global leader in electric vehicles for the road, Nissan will trial variants of new electric drive train technologies as part of its intended future return to LM P1 competition to challenge for overall victory at the world's most prestigious endurance race.
California LEAF drivers pay the e-quivalent of $1.51 per gallon!
Great news! If you drive the all-electric Nissan LEAF in California, and recharge your batteries at home - you're paying about $1.51 to travel as far as you could on a gallon of gas!
That calculation comes from a new federal website, unveiled Tuesday by the Department of Energy, that allows people to compare the costs of driving on electricity versus gasoline. The "eGallon" site is designed to make one of the bigger benefits of EVs - low and stable fuel costs - easier to understand. The federal government already has a way of comparing the mileage of electric cars. Anyone who has gone shopping for a Nissan Leaf will have seen on the sales sticker a "miles per gallon equivalent" figure developed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The 2013 Leaf, for example, gets 115 MPGe
eGallons have low prices and no spikes!
If you chart the price of gasoline and the eGallon price over time, you'll notice something else. Gasoline prices often spike up and down erratically because they're linked to international oil markets. Events half a world away can drive up the price we pay at the pump. High prices and uncertainty are a heavy burden for American consumers. On the other hand, the cost of electricity is regional and much more stable, so you generally don't have to worry about the wild gyrations seen in gas prices.
The eGallon price arms consumers with a little bit more information to compare the costs of driving an electric car to the cost of gasoline, but it doesn't measure some of the other benefits of driving on electricity. There are significant environmental benefits - particularly as the share of electricity that comes from clean and renewable energy increases - as well as benefits for America's energy security. Instead of spending $1 billion a day on foreign oil, with electric vehicles and other technologies we can power our cars, homes and businesses with American energy.
As electric vehicle technology continues to improve and the cost of the vehicles continues to fall, more and more Americans are making the switch to electric. Check out the Nissan Leaf at Mossy Nissan today - you'll be happy you aren't paying through the nose at the gas pump any more!
Credit: http://energy.gov/articles/egallon-how-much-cheaper-it-drive-electricity
and http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/06/11/driving-electric-cars-in-ca-equals-paying-1-51-for-gas/
