Archive for April 20th, 2010

Just in time for Earth Day, Nissan has announced a priority reservation system for their upcoming electric vehicle.  The Leaf’s 115,000 registered fans can secure their place in line nearly a month before the general public is allowed.  Reservations require a $99 placeholder fee that is fully refundable.

Though Tesla was first to market with a modern highway-capable electric vehicle, Nissan has a significant advantage when it comes to price.  The Tesla Roadster starts at $101,500 compared to the Nissan Leaf’s $25,280 (yes, batteries are included).  A federal tax credit of $7,500 is used in both cases to reduce the vehicle’s base price, though additional state and local incentives can reduce the price even further.

Nissan is getting extra creative by preemptively rolling that same $7,500 federal tax credit into a very aggressive lease deal.  Customers will be able to lease a Leaf for 36 months for only $349 per month (with $1,999 down payment).  Three-year leases on Toyota’s Prius range from about $330-$540, depending on the level of optional equipment, putting the Leaf within easy striking distance of the popular hybrid.

The attractive lease deal is a clever move on Nissan’s part because it allows skeptical consumers to try out the Leaf in the real world without the need for a long-term commitment.  If owners find that the 100-mile driving range is too limited, they won’t have to worry about finding an eco-minded buyer to take the car off their hands.

Nissan doesn’t think that demand will slacken, though.  The Japanese carmaker is already hard at work on several new electric vehicles to sell alongside the 5-seat, 90-mile per hour Leaf and has been partnering with state and local governments to develop an extensive network of public recharging sites.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s CEO, cites research indicating that more than eight percent of automobile owners in Europe, Japan, and the US want for their next vehicles to be powered solely by electricity.  “We are very optimistic,” he said at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year.  “We may have to rush to build capacity for cars and batteries.”

Earlier this afternoon, Nissan began taking reservations for the upcoming 2011 Nissan Leaf, due in showrooms in December of this year.  Nissan hopes to fill 25,000 “pre-orders” in the next few months, practically assuring itself a successful launch.  As of this week, they had 115,000 people signed up to receive exclusive information about the car, including special invitations to order the vehicle prior to public launch.  And while Nissan is somewhat hush-hush today about the general responses they’ve received today, it seems that Twitter is showcasing that excitement with dozens of people tweeting their reservations. View the latest Nissan Leaf tweets here

Not wanting to be left out, I decided to reserve my very own 2011 Nissan Leaf.  And while I’m not totally sure it’s a car I want to buy in December, I wanted to “feel” what it would be like to *maybe* get one.  I was a little (very little) excited to get the email inviting me to drop $99 and my name for a place in line to buy one.   The invite was was supposed to arrive between 1pm-6pm eastern.  My email didn’t arrive until 5:30pm est, so I must have been on the bottom of the barrel, dirt bag list. Maybe they do a lottery again for who gets to buy and when.  Good old back of the line.  The email looked like this…  oooooh, I have a place in history.

I clicked on “Reserve Now” to see what was on the next page.  Nissan asked me a bunch of irrelevant survey questions, then presented me with a form to fill out.  I entered my name, ID, password, address, etc.  Next came the the “qualifying questions” :

Pick a Color – Ummmm, silver.

How Far Do I Drive? Well we know this is a qualifier.   Better say it’s 50 or less or I won’t make the cut.  I drive 20 miles so it’s the truth

What Type of Driving? Okay, keep it mild or they won’t let me go nuts on the car.   I’m a short commuter.

Where will the car be parked? This is a big qualifier.  I better say my own garage (which is true) so I can get my own charging station.  I bet this one places where on the order list you go.  Shouldn’t they ask “what type of set up will you have in December 2010?”  The car delivery is a ways off, so why not ask what people will have.

Qualified   We’re a good fit. While the questions were pretty intuitive, it’s good that they made sure their early adopters had the right set up and expectations going in.  Okay, now I have to fork over $99.  I can get my cash back any time.

Ahhh…. my official confirmation number (I changed it in photoshop) .  We are now standing in line for our Leaf….  Now, I don’t get the vehicle for 7 months+.  I’m not even sure I really want it by then.  Seems to me the Chevy Volt is much more up my alley.  Frankly, it’s far better looking and I have comfort in knowing that GM has a longer standing history in electric vehicle (EV) technology.  To me, the Leaf is homely and not very cool.  After a few years, I may just be the fool who’s driving around in a tin electric tin can with junk range, while all my friends are whizzing by in Teslas and Fiskers.  Hmmm….  My wife and I will decide what to do as launch gets closer, but for now, I’m happy to be in line.  I need to go to Chevroletvoltage.com and see if I can reserve one those bad boys.