nissan leaf
Nissan Leaf Battery Packs Could Get Second Life as Household Energy Storage Units
The Nissan Leaf just got a little greener. Nissan is exploring ways on how to reuse the electric car’s lithium-ion battery packs once it can no longer power the emissions-free car. Partnering with ABB (a power and technology group), 4R Energy and Sumitomo Corporation of America, Nissan is looking for second-life storage applications for lithium-ion…
SIM-LEI EV Revealed With 206 Mile Range
Take a good look at this car, because if you were next to it at a stop light there’s a good chance it would beat you off the line by a long shot. It’s the SIM-LEI EV, built by the SIM Company, founded in 2009 at Japan’s Keio University. What separates it from the other EVs on the block is SIM’spreference to…
Top 5 Surprisingly Good Cars of 2012
What’s the best car of 2012? Who knows. Is a Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 better than a Ferrari 458 Italia? What about the Scion FR-S? Or a Prius Plug-in Hybrid? The past year has seen the launch of numerous excellent vehicles, including some we really didn’t expect to be any good. That said, we’ve put…
Top 10 Automotive News Stories of 2011
As another calendar year draws to a close it’s time to take a look back at the top 10 biggest stories of the year in the auto industry. It’s been a busy 12 months, starting all the way back in March when the Fiat 500 officially went on sale, marking the return of the brand…
Nissan Assures the Integrity of its Battery Cell In the Nissan Leaf
After the Chevrolet Volt’s battery fire hazard debacle, electric vehicles have received intense scrutiny over the integrity of battery cells. To answer these concerns, Nissan has stepped forward to address the strength of its Leaf electric vehicle without the direct mentioning of controversies. Nissan reported that while approximately 20 Nissan Leafs were damaged during the…
Canadians Buying More Chevrolet Volts Than Nissan Leafs
In the 1960’s there was the muscle-car wars, and in the 1980’s it was all about who can sell the most minivans. Now its time for the green-car wars, to see who can sell the most plug-in hybrid or fully electric cars. The two biggest rivals at the moment are the Nissan Leaf and the…
Nissan Leaf Celebrates Its First Birthday, Encourages Sockets To Sing [Video]
While Chevy‘s Volt is having to battle some major negative press, Nissan‘s Leaf is celebrating its first birthday with over 19,000 owners who have given the world over 32-million gas-free miles. To celebrate its first birthday, Nissan employed the assistance of electrical sockets to sing the Leaf its birthday song. Dubbed “Singing Sockets”, the video/commercial…
Nissan Expands Leaf Availability Into New U.S. Markets
It’s been one year since the Nissan Leaf hit North America, and to celebrate, the automaker is going to expand this EVs availability into new U.S. markets. If you live in Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, you’re in luck – Nissan has re-opened reservations and has begun taking orders for the…
Nissan Leaf Meeting Sales Goals, On Pace For 10,000 Units In America
While the Chevrolet Volt has struggled a bit to get traction in the marketplace, Nissan‘s all-electric Leaf is well on pace to sell 10,000 units in the United States, meeting its initial sales targets. 60 percent of all Leafs sold are in California (no surprise there), but we’ll get a better regional breakdown sometime later…
Three Days With the Nissan Leaf: An Emissions-Free Adventure in Tweets
New car reviews are often carefully crafted pieces of prose. They’re well thought out with plenty of reflection by the author about the vehicle’s relevance, its target audience and how it stacks up against segment rivals. What they lack, however, is a sense of authenticity that comes from unfiltered opinion and reaction. Where you can…
Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Cars of 2012
The Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient cars have been named for 2012 by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA (those guys that come up with the official ratings for cars) has compiled the list, which is dominated by Japanese automakers. Those remaining two are domestic vehicles, although with one being a commercial van, it almost…
2012 Mitsubishi i Ranks Best In Fuel Economy
Behold, the new bar for fuel economy: 126 highway miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe). Which car is championing these figures? The Mitsubishi i electric vehicle. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Guide ranked the Mitsubishi i electric vehicle at the top for fuel consumption. The competing Nissan Leaf stacks up 13 MPGe lower at a still…
Nissan/Sumitomo To Offer Low Cost EV Quick Charger In The US
Nissan, in conjunction with Sumitomo, is hoping to change that, by launching a lower cost DC quick charger next year, which will be distributed through AeroVironment, Nissan North America’s preferred home charging station partner.
BYD Grand Opening Launches U.S. Operations
There’s a new kid in Los Angeles, BYD. The Chinese battery and electric car manufacturer opened its California office today. BYD says it will bring 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the city. The event highlight, however, is a deal between BYD and Hertz to provide airport shuttles to the rental agency. This could prove…
California Highway Congestion Worsened By Hybrids?
California told 85,000 hybrid drivers to move over, literally. Now everyone is feeling the sting. Starting last July the yellow stickers allowing hybrid owners to drive alone in the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane expired. The move came in preparation for an anticipated increase in electric vehicles on the road that will be allowed…
Nissan Developing 10-Minute Electric Car Charger
If your cell phone has ever run out of battery power midday, you know how frustrating it can be to charge on the go. Imagine having to do the same for your car. Driving an electric vehicle (EV) means you’re always thinking about when and where you can charge next. At current charging times that…
Nissan Launches Leaf’s Go Electric Blog
If you’re a fan of the Nissan LEAF, you’ll want to bookmark the EV’s new blog, “Go Electric.” The official Nissan LEAF blog was launched at the end of September and it’s a place where Nissan LEAF drivers and enthusiasts can share words, photos, and videos of about the EV. The GO Electric owner’s blog…
Nissan and GE Partner to Fast Track EV Development, Infrastructure
On a mission to fast track electrified transportation, Nissan has joined forces with GE, signing a two-year research contract in order to accelerate the development of smart charging infrastructure that is accessible to everyone. GE and Nissan will be focusing its efforts on two key areas in regards to its research efforts: 1. The integration…
Nissan Leaf Limo: Frugality Meets Excess
Springfield, Missouri based Imperial Coachbuilders Inc. thinks so and believes the idea will strike a cord, particularly with enviro-conscious fleet customers, which is why it’s hatched plans to build such a vehicle.
Infiniti Electric Sports Car Concept Heading For Geneva In 2012
Earlier this week at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Infiniti released teaser sketches of their upcoming Nissan Leaf-based Infiniti electric sedan concept. As if that wasn’t enough to stir the press, Nissan’s global communications chief Andy Palmer informed the media of an upcoming Infiniti mid-engine electric sports car as well. The car will use many of…
Nissan Leaf’s Sell Out In Canada In Just Two Hours
Last weekend, Nissan Canada officially began the reservation process for the all-new electric Leaf. Within two hours, all Leaf inventory was reserved. On August 27th, Canadians attended one of 27 Nissan Leaf certified dealers and were invited to reserve the electric vehicle for a refundable $99 deposit. Judy Wheeler, Nissan Canada’s director of marketing, said, “Response…
Electric Car Sales to Hit 5-Million Units By 2017
If you are a driver, you are well aware of the rising gas prices, and this trend is not looking to reverse anytime soon. This is effecting the way people buy new cars, and according to Pike Research, more than 5-million electric and hybrid vehicles will be sold globally by 2017. Also according to this…
Free App Lets Leaf Drivers Control In-Vehicle Features: Now for Blackberry and Android
Do you miss your Nissan Leaf the moment you walk away from it? Now, you can stay in touch with your Leaf no matter where you are at any time, thanks to the new Nissan Leaf app. Available for use on Blackberry and Android operating systems (the app has already been available on the iPhone…
Americans Won’t Switch To Electric Vehicles Until Gas Hits $4.50 a Gallon
A new Harvard study has found that electric vehicles won’t be accepted by the American public until gas hits $4.50 per gallon. The study also found that surprisingly, over the life of the car, plug-in hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt cost $5,377 more than gas powered cars. The story is the same for the Nissan…
