Nissan Leaf Comes Stateside

Nissan promotes electric car with a 22-city tour

By Nina Russin

Nissan Leaf

Electric cars have been around almost as long as the internal combustion engine. But they’ve never gained widespread popularity for two reasons: limited driving range, and the lack of a recharging infrastructure.

Nissan hopes to bring electric cars into the mainstream with the Leaf: a pure electric production car that arrives in dealerships at the end of this year. The four-door hatchback holds up to five passengers, and has a driving range of about 100 miles on a full charge. Top speed is 90 miles-per-hour.

Lithium-ion batteries similar to those used in personal computers provide the energy for the Leaf. They are significantly less bulky than the lead-acid batteries used in most automotive starting and charging systems. Recharging the Leaf takes about eight hours on a 220-volt household line. Read the rest of this entry »