Nissan to start taking orders for affordable all-electric Leaf

Nissan plans to start taking orders for its all-electric Leaf, in US from April 20th. This 4-door hatchback is priced at $33,000 before tax and other benefits. Nissan expects to sell around 50,000 units in the first year itself. This car can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge. Nissan also recommends installing a charging station at home, provided by Aerovironment which will cost $2,200 before tax benefits. After deduction of tax and other benefits the car has effective price of around $25,000 which is mid-level considering the US car market and much better than the competition. Taking into account the battery degradation, after a period of 10 years the car would only be able to cover 70 to 80 miles on a single charge instead of 100. However, with appropriate warranty for the battery and pricing of spares the Leaf could move on to becoming a big hit with consumers resulting in saving of millions of litres of fuels and reducing carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes.

To provide further support, Nissan is in talks with Municpal corporations to set up public charging points at parking garages and office parks.
[cnet]