General Motors Executive Calls Nissan Leaf “Single Purpose Car”

With the Nissan Leaf beginning to outsell the Chevrolet Volt, the competition between the two is heating up, and General Motors North America President Mark Reuss had some not-so-nice things to say about the car when asked for his thoughts.

Reuss said that the Leaf was “…has a finite range and requires infrastructure and charging to run it, where the Volt is really an extended-range electric vehicle. The Volt can really be the only car you own. You better be living within a certain range for the Leaf. … It’s a lot different market, a lot different car and a completely different driver.”

While Reuss’ comments are technically correct – the Leaf has a limited range and is ideal for those who drive short distances – the car is one of the first steps on the way to viable, long range electric vehicles. Just like the first laptop computers had poor battery life, were clunky and performed poorly, but have now come into their own, we think that electric vehicles will follow a similar trajectory. Hopefully General Motors will recognize this and help progress the Voltec propulsion system accordingly.

[Source: Nashville Business Journal]