Nissan Leaf – CEO Claims Big Demand
There is some controversy regarding whether we are really entering the electric car generation. Not at Nissan, where the CEO is claiming a big demand for the electric Leaf in the United States.
The Nissan Leaf is, of course, the leaping point for Nissan in its electric car roll out. The company is full in on the bet that electric cars are going to be the next huge thing. It is releasing no less than eight different models in the next two years. If electric cars are not the next big thing, then the company is going to be in a world of hurt.
The Leaf is expected to be on the market by December 2010. There is massive interest in the industry regarding how it and other electric cars do when released. One would think they would be a slam dunk with consumers, but there are doubters. The two primary reasons for caution are the mileage limits on the cars and time it takes to charge them. The Nissan Leaf, for instance, has a range of 100 miles and can take hours to charge up. How big a limitation this is will become readily apparent when consumers vote with their wallet.
The initial indications are the Leaf may be a big hit. According to Nissan/Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, over 13,000 initial deposits have been made on the car by consumers. That is a huge number for a car that has never seen the new road and incorporates new technology that has little track record. There is a caveat, however. The deposits on the $32,000 vehicle have been for…$99. It will be interesting to see how many convert into actual sales.
 | US $12,995.00 End Date: Tuesday Sep-13-2011 20:44:51 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $12,995.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $17,800.00 End Date: Tuesday Sep-13-2011 20:52:17 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $17,800.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $20,950.00 End Date: Tuesday Sep-13-2011 22:42:59 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $20,950.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $24,769.00 End Date: Wednesday Sep-14-2011 8:48:06 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $24,769.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $12,295.00 End Date: Wednesday Sep-14-2011 15:02:05 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $12,295.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $6,100.00 (24 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Sep-14-2011 16:18:16 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $9,900.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $8,900.00 (23 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Sep-14-2011 18:47:37 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $14,400.00 (18 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Sep-14-2011 19:00:00 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $10,250.00 End Date: Wednesday Sep-14-2011 22:05:12 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $10,250.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $11,995.00 End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 0:31:33 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $11,995.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $8,001.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 13:05:50 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $21,480.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $8,001.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 13:06:29 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $19,980.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $8,201.00 (14 Bids) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 13:08:50 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $9,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 13:14:59 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $17,100.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 14:00:00 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $23,980.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $8,100.00 (11 Bids) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 14:00:00 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $17,980.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $7,895.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 14:45:07 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $14,371.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $8,900.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 14:46:54 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $10,500.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $13,491.00 End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 15:10:04 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $13,491.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $14,600.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 15:14:08 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $19,995.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $26,732.00 End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 16:21:45 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $26,732.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $10,300.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Thursday Sep-15-2011 16:36:11 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $14,950.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Ghosn has little doubt about the future of the electric car. He says Nissan expects to sell no less than 50,000 electric models in 2011. That might seem a bit optimistic, but not when he says he expects to blow out a full 500,000 electric cars in the 2013 calendar year. One can only hope the electric grid is ready for that!
Will the Nissan Leaf be a success and will the electric car generation really come by the end of this year? Only time will tell, but it is rather amazing how quickly the technology is advancing. At this rate, we might just have flying cars soon!