Leaf can go 100 miles between charges, 95% of U.S. commuters drive less than that each day

From CNN / Fortune, the diary of an electric car commuter: When an argon-blue Nissan Leaf, the first production all-electric, zero-emission family car to hit the U.S., whispered into my garage last month, I knew instantaneously that it was a game changer. New relationships come with hopes, fears, and surprises, and ours -- the Leaf's and my union -- went quickly from blind date to a marriage of convenience.

The Leaf is nothing short of a bellwether of the automotive revolution that is headed to a driveway near you. Tighter fuel-efficiency standards, emerging markets' requirements, fluctuating gas prices, and a race in powertrain innovations are all in play. Audi, GM (GM), VW, and others are jockeying for dominance. Audi wants to rule the luxury electric-vehicle (EV) market; its first entrant, a plug-in hybrid, will come to market in 2014. GM's solution, the Volt, has just gone on sale and offers a small onboard gas-powered generator to feed the electric motor and extend its range. VW will roll out its EV in 2013.

So Nissan wins the prize for being first to market with a production pure electric. The company's visionary CEO, Carlos Ghosn, saw the opportunity to dominate the EV category and pushed hard to get the appealingly bug-eyed five-door hatchback built. "With the arrival of the Leaf, it is in our hands, and that of the public, to steer our industry toward its future of sustainable mobility," Ghosn blogged recently. "We believe this innovative car will silence the skeptics and bring a valuable solution to life."

Nissan granted Fortune the first "long term" (eight-day) loan of a Leaf. The Leaf can go about 100 miles between charges, and Nissan maintains that 95% of U.S. commuters drive less than that each day. It was my mission to determine whether that was sufficient to withstand my local reality, L.A.'s worst traffic-choked arteries.

First, a pleasant electrician named Marty arrived to install the Leaf's 240-volt charging dock in my garage. ("It's as simple as putting in power for a hot tub," he explained.) The moon-faced, wall-mounted unit can replenish the Leaf's lithium ion batteries in eight hours.

Then my Leaf arrived with a flourish -- bright, shiny, and eager to please, as were its two Nissan spokesmen. We conducted a detailed walk-around, which uncovered an important fact: There was nothing complicated, obtuse, or unfriendly about the car. The controls on the center console were intuitive. I found the range-map and power-usage screens easy to navigate. A button next to the hood release popped open the little door on the Leaf's nose, revealing the port where the charger's J-plug (shaped like a gas nozzle but smaller) clicks into place. The optional solar panel on the rear wing collects power only for a secondary electrical system that controls the power windows, door locks, and radio. A black sack in the rear hatch area contained the backup charging cord -- a simple three-prong affair with which you can top off the Leaf in a mere 20 hours or less.

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GM sold 250 to 350 Volts in December, Nissan still ramping up

From the The Californian / Associated Press: This was the year General Motors Co. and Nissan made good on their promise to bring mass-produced electric cars to the market. But don't count on seeing one in traffic soon. Sales so far have been microscopic and they're likely to stay that way for some time because of limited supplies.

GM sold between 250 and 350 Chevy Volts this month and Nissan's sales totaled less than 10 Leaf sedans in the past two weeks. Production for both is slowly ramping up.

It will be well into 2012 before both the Volt and Leaf are available nationwide. And if you're interested in buying one, you'll need to get behind the 50,000 people already on waiting lists.

It's still unclear just how large the market for electric cars will be once those early adopters are supplied. The base sticker price is $40,280 for the Volt and $32,780 for the Leaf, much higher than most similar-sized, gas-powered cars. If those prices rise, it could make them even more of a niche product than predicted. Buyers also are worried that advertised lease deals may not last, and a federal tax rebate of $7,500 could disappear if Congress decides battery-powered cars are no longer a priority.

The first electric car sales were marked with fanfare. The envy of green-car geeks across the country, new owners were treated like rock stars at dealerships. They were greeted by high-level GM and Nissan executives, followed by cameramen and interviewed by local reporters. When they got home, they blogged about their experiences, sent links of newspaper stories to their friends, and stopped to talk to anyone who expressed interest in their new wheels.

Jeff Heeren of Nashville, Tenn., became the sixth Nissan Leaf owner on Dec. 22. Nissan's advertising agency, Chiat Day, followed Heeren and his family around as they picked up their silver-colored Leaf, and have posted a video on the Leaf's Facebook page. Not surprisingly, Heeren is a fan. "What's amazed me the most in driving it is that it's just a car, like any other car," he said.

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A remarkable year for electric vehicles in 2011

From John Gartner, on Huffington Post: The first Chevrolet Volts, Nissan Leafs, and Smart EDs were delivered in December, but in the annals of history, 2011 will be remembered as the year that electric vehicles (EVs) arrived. EVs for sale to consumers will dominate the headlines throughout the year as average Americans begin to recognize EVs as they roll down the road.

Because of the stalled start in the 1990s, when consumers were tempted by and then denied access to GM's EV1 and other EVs, every milestone during the year will be magnified in the media. By year's end nearly new 50,000 EVs will be plugging in at garages and lots across America. The arrival of new models from automakers Think, Coda, Mitsubishi, Mini, Toyota, and Chevrolet (a few of which were delayed from 2010) will give consumers more options.

Any missteps -- and there will be some -- will be cause célèbre for the EV doubters who don't believe in or desire a move away fossil fuels. Humans have always been fallible in designing and operating vehicles, and replacing liquid fuel with electrons won't change that. While considerable safeguards have been put in place to prevent accidents when charging a vehicle, somewhere someone will find a creative way for failure, and we can expect considerable fanfare by the naysayers when this inevitably occurs.

One of the important trends of 2011 we've identified at Pike Research will be the slow subsiding of the catch phrase "range anxiety." Range anxiety is the supposed fear that both prevents consumers from wanting to buy an EV with a 80-100 mile driving range or from driving said car very far for fear that the batteries will run out, leaving the driver stranded. Range anxiety has been overblown, underestimating drivers' ability to monitor their battery charge level through the various dashboard displays and auditory prompts.

Like the arrival of EVs, the rollout of charging infrastructure has been slower than expected off the line. However, installations of public charging infrastructure such as the government-subsidized EV Project and Charge Point America will see hundreds of charging stations installed across many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas. The availability of public charging equipment will actually outpace the need for vehicles to plug-in, which will result in many charge spots idled for most of the day, or even days at a time. While this will be the subject of derision as a waste of taxpayer money, if EVs instead outpaced charging infrastructure, it could result in a serious setback as the minority of drivers who plan to regularly charge their vehicles away from home might otherwise wait to make a purchase.

The electric vehicles' second act will be a top media story throughout the year, even at the box office with the mid-year release of Revenge of the Electric Car (watch the trailer). Many consumers will get their first direct exposure to EVs by renting a car from one of the many rental agencies that will make emissions-free driving a premium service. Fleets including delivery vehicles and taxis will be critical for collecting data about EV performance and to build confidence that this time around, EVs are here to stay.

Nissan Leaf drivers to be ranked for efficient driving via telematics system. Yes, like a video-game

Driving or video-gaming? Both. From Edmunds Inside Line: The 2011 Nissan Leaf is already a techno-geek's dream, but the new electric car's telematics system offers something most probably didn't expect: competitive rankings for energy use.

Nissan's Carwings system records and displays daily, monthly and annual data for distance traveled, electricity consumption and average miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh), among other figures. Best of all, it shows drivers how they stack up against other Leaf owners — and awards a virtual trophy to the top scorer. Check this image below originaly posted on MyNissanLeaf:

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Portuguese PM is the first head of government in the world to use an electric car

From the FinanzNachrichten: Portugal received delivery of the first 10 electric vehicles in Europe from Nissan as recognition of the country's pioneering work in electric mobility with the MOBI.E project.

The Prime Minister José Socrates is one of the ten recipients and will now travel exclusively by Electric Car for his official travels around the capital city. With this Portugal becomes the first country in the world to have a head of state head of government using an electric car for official matters.

Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, said:

"Portugal is extremely proud of the introduction of the electric vehicle. This initiative is only possible due the fast implementation and development of the Portuguese MOBI.E Charging Network, which is considered a leading example to the world of how to roll out electric cars. Portugal is the first country in the world to have a nation-wide smart grid for electric vehicles."

The other cars will be purchased by nine companies of the technological consortium that developed the MOBI.E solution as a clear sign of the need for a transition to Electric Mobility.

The cars were delivered Carlos Tavares, Vice-President of Nissan, in a Ceremony that occurred in Parque das Nações, in Lisbon.

Portugal Pioneer on Electric Mobility

Portugal is the first country in the world to implement an electric vehicle charging network at a national scale. The MOBI.E network, which currently spreads over 25 municipalities throughout the country, displays over 50 charging points already installed growing to more than 1300 normal charging points and 50 quick charging stations by mid-2011.

It is the only truly integrated system in the world, focusing on the user and ensuring open-access and interoperability. Such approach has drawn interest from many countries to the MOBI.E Programme.

The MOBI.E charging network is thus the first electric mobility smart grid and has established itself as a world industry benchmark.

Portugal has therefore become the definite living lab for electric mobility, and is well on its way for a more sustainable oil-independent future.

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Nissan to fill all 20,000 US Leaf orders by September 2011

Autoblog Green brilliantly spotted a tidbit of information buried within a San Jose Mercury News article that might help clarify Nissan’s delivery plans for the electric Leaf in the United States. According to Nissan’s spokesman Tim Gallagher, the Leaf's widespread roll out will kick off soon: ‘By the end of the summer, our goal is to have everyone in their car’.

Last September, Nissan stopped taking reservations for the Leaf in the US, having reached its goal of 20,000 pre-orders 3 months ahead of schedule.

In December, the first Nissan Leaf was delivered in Petaluma, Californa, to 31-year-old Olivier Chalouhi. Days later, the first ten Nissan Leafs being delivered in Europe were taken in Lisbon, Portugal, by the consortium behind the nation’s electric mobility plan, the Mobi.e, and the Portuguese Government.

Nissan Leaf is EV.com’s 2011 electric vehicle of the year

Electric vehicle's website EV.com has named Nissan Leaf car of the year. The Leaf is the first mass-produced pure electric vehicle (100% electric, no-gas) from a major car manufacturer available in the United States.

Deliveries of the front-wheel drive five-door electric hatchback started in December of 2010, with the very first model being delivered in Petaluma, California to 31-year-old Olivier Chalouhi. Days later, the first ten Leafs delivered in Europe were bought by the Portuguese Government and the consortium behind Portugal's national mobility network project. The first year’s production was essentially pre-purchased online within months of it being offered.

EV.com sent its congratulations to Nissan and their CEO Carlos Ghosn, credited with 'not only bringing a automotive industry changing product to the mass-market, but also providing the spark that started an electric car revolution at the major automotive manufacturers'.