Could This Mean Trouble For The Volt?

Roy Munson

Nissan will sell electric car for just over $25K

NEW YORK – Nissan's new electric car will cost just over $25,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. in December, aiming to bring gasoline-free technology within reach of mainstream drivers.

The Leaf, a four-door hatchback, will have a base price of $32,780, but it's eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. That will make it cheaper to buy than electric vehicles coming from rivals and may force competitors to cut prices. But the Leaf's limited range of just 100 miles per charge for its lithium-ion battery could be a dealbreaker for some motorists.

"We want to make sure the car is affordable, ready for the mass market and has mass appeal," Mark Perry, director of product planning and advanced technology at Nissan North America Inc., said in an interview.

The rest here:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NISSAN_ELECTRIC_CAR?SITE=ILEDW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

nooshinjohn

The Chevy will also qualify for the discount, and GM(GovMotors) will probably step in deeper by focusing on the Nissan's sudden brake failure issues:eek:;););):D...


Just joking...

Roy Munson

Sounds pretty good for a commuter type all electric car that has a 100 mile range versus only the 40 mile range for the Volt which isn't an electric car! I wonder if GM can rise to the competition Nissan has just announced..or could this kill the Volt before it even hits the dealers?

Jstas

First to market isn't always best to market.

mark090852

Roy Munson wrote: »

Sounds pretty good for a commuter type all electric car that has a 100 mile range versus only the 40 mile range for the Volt which isn't an electric car! I wonder if GM can rise to the competition Nissan has just announced..or could this kill the Volt before it even hits the dealers?

The Volt has an actual range approaching 400 miles...its just 40 miles using no gas at all. It has an 8 gallon gas tank and the gas will run an onboard generator to create electricity to extend the range out to near 400 miles.

I don't know much about the Leaf. Is its range 100 miles and that's it? It has to be recharged or else?

AudioGenics

competitition will bring out the best....

exalted512

mark090852 wrote: »

I don't know much about the Leaf. Is its range 100 miles and that's it? It has to be recharged or else?

Yup...100 miles and you better hope you have an outlet.

From the article:
"Unlike the Leaf, the Volt is not a pure electric car. Instead it's propelled by electricity stored in a battery for up to 40 miles, at which point a gasoline engine kicks in, giving it hundreds of miles more in range."
-Cody

Hillbilly61

The one thing that seldom comes up with electric vehicles is how much will it cost to replace the batteries once they age out.

I work a lot with batteries that deliver serious power over the long term over all sorts of environmental conditions. There are many to choose from and they have varying characteristics. One thing that remains common with most lay with reliable lifespan from an age standpoint. The best maintained batteries tend to start going south after 5 years and after 7 years significant reliability problems set in.

Given the average auto age in the US is about 9 years, the cost to swap out the batteries could end up junking vehicles many years than autos are currently junked. There are lots of negative implications to such an outcome, including increased environmental emissions incurred just to produce the vehicle to begin with.

Hillbilly61

DSkip wrote: »

What kind of roadside service do you call if you run out of juice?

It's called a tow truck and incurring the charges they nail you with.

A big hold back to electric vehicles lay with the convenience provided by gasoline stations. Within a few minutes, you are ready to go again. For electric vehicles, the concept is to swap in/out batteries just as quickly.

A big issue is that there are no standardized battery pack connections. The sort that would allow a teenager with a dolly of some sort to attach to and latch onto your vehicle's battery pack. As process goes, within a minute or two later, he/her can cart back and insert into your vehicle a fresh set of batteries, regardless of make/model.

Roy Munson

The vast majority of Americans drive far less than 100 miles round trip to and from work. The market for the Leaf is as a commuter car that can be charged up over night when one returns home. [in the not too distant future some innovative businesses might even decide to have charging stations of their own so you can charge up while at work!] Will the Leaf go over with Americans? Who knows, but one thing is clear, the American auto industry is still behind the rest of the world in terms of technology. We should be the best auto maker in the world with the best and most innovative product! We're not because of greed, arrogance and a lack of vision. It's why two of the big three went bankrupt and the third still makes crap!

exalted512

oh boy

Jstas

I'm going to keep burnin' dinosaurs at an alarming rate to make up for all you greenies buying unsustainable "alternative fuel" vehicles.

You can thank me later.

tonyb

Roy Munson wrote: »

The vast majority of Americans drive far less than 100 miles round trip to and from work. The market for the Leaf is as a commuter car that can be charged up over night when one returns home. [in the not too distant future some innovative businesses might even decide to have charging stations of their own so you can charge up while at work!] Will the Leaf go over with Americans? Who knows, but one thing is clear, the American auto industry is still behind the rest of the world in terms of technology. We should be the best auto maker in the world with the best and most innovative product! We're not because of greed, arrogance and a lack of vision. It's why two of the big three went bankrupt and the third still makes crap!

Anyone who lives on the outskirts of major metro area's is pushing that 100 mile rt scenario. My wife does 120 rt,and myself can range upwards of 200.
That said, todays lifestyle does not lend itself to just going to and from work. Lets say after work you want to go check out audio gear,20 miles in the opposite direction of your way home. Maybe you want to meet up with friends for a cocktail, or you get home,only to have to go out quickly to drive to soccer games,pick up a friend at the airport, go out to dinner,etc. If you have to wait 3 hours to charge your car,that could throw a monkey wrench into planning your day. Plus I haven't heard anyone report on cold weather performance of these batteries. How about when running the AC or heater ? What does that do to the battery charge and how many less miles can you drive ? How about weight,when you have 4 passengers ? Seems to me these electric cars will be commuter cars,or around town cars. Thats ok if it fits your lifestyle,but I tend to think most of us are on the go more than we like to admit.

cnh

100 miles is not a great range....but if you're living 120 miles RT from your work. That's too far IMO. A real waste of time. I live about 1.5 miles from work. I could walk there in good weather! We have to stop commuting great distances as well as making more efficient vehicles. I know some people have no choice. But I'd go nuts if I had to ride in and out of work at those distances everyday.

cnh

Fireman32

I was watching how the volts are assembled on ultimate factories the other night and all the batteries are inderneath the car in a T formation so changing the batteries will have be be done by a certifed tech and would be very expensive. I guess it would be good if you hav e a short commute like be which is 4 miles round trip but would be unable to take it on long road trips.

nooshinjohn

Fireman32 wrote: »

I was watching how the volts are assembled on ultimate factories the other night and all the batteries are inderneath the car in a T formation so changing the batteries will have be be done by a certifed tech and would be very expensive. I guess it would be good if you hav e a short commute like be which is 4 miles round trip but would be unable to take it on long road trips.

The volt has a 40 mile range on batteries alone, then a Gas motor kicks in to recharge the batteries and provide power for a range of several hundred miles. I think the Volt will be a good thing for GovMotors.

cnh

I know Toyota is a no no these days but their batteries (Prius) are warrantied for 80k miles....and independent trial tests claim they've run for over 180k without being 'replaced'. If the Volt or the Nissan batteries hold up in a similar manner or better, I really don't see any real worries about replacing these batteries.

cnh

huggies

I just dont see the market for a car that only has a 100 mile range and costs upwards of $25K. Doesnt really make sense as a commuter car. I'd bet most metro area commuters are easily pushing that 100 mile roundtrip. That doesnt leave much room for error, mileage wise. Like previously mentioned, there is also the unpredictability of people's lives. I purposefully never car pooled because I enjoyed the freedom to do and go where I wanted when I got off work. Certainly wouldnt enjoy that freedom if I had to worry about running out of juice constantly. Even service stations to charge them arent' going to be practical unless the recharge time gets down to around 5-10 minutes.

The only people buying these are going to be the Hollywood types trying to make a statement about how Green they are.....

Danny Tse

cnh wrote: »

I know Toyota is a no no these days but their batteries (Prius) are warrantied for 80k miles.

According to the online 2010 Toyota Prius brochure....the batteries has an expected life of 150,000 miles, with the hybrid-related components having a factory warranty of 8 years/100,000 miles.

Actually, this is the best time to buy a Toyota....especially with all the discounts and special financing they are piling on.