Warning: Video NSFW in Sharia jurisdictions and parts of corporate America
Nissan plans a budget Leaf to be sold along the current version, Nissan’s Andy Palmer told the Financial Times. With the stripper model, Nissan hopes to extend the car’s reach beyond early adopters to “pragmatists.” Another problems remains unsolved: The car’s reach.
“The main hesitation in buying the car is from range anxiety,” Palmer told the FT. “Maybe we were over-optimistic with the ramp-up as well.”
Nissan budgeted for 40,000 Leaf’s to be sold in the current fiscal, but sold fewer than 12,000 Leafs in the first half. Range, cost, and charge time are seen as the main reasons standing in the way of mass adoption of EVs.
Cost is already coming down, but not due to scale effects: In addition to generous government subsidies, Nissan offered incentives worth more than $4,200 on the Leaf in September, TrueCar says. Edmunds estimates that GM is putting more than $5,000 on the hood of each Volt, Truecar thinks $8,000 is more like it.
Oh Boy! Selling cars using Wal-Mart marketing. Yeah, it has engineering faults and is crap; but now it’s cheaper crap!
They could include a 100 mile long extension cord for free; that might help curb “range anxiety.”
If these companies really want to increase all-electric car sales, they should offer either free loaners, or make a deal with a major car rental company to offer subsidized conventional car rentals for when the customer needs to take a longer trip. Maybe limit it to two or three times a year to get those who won’t sink $30,000 into a car that they can’t take on their once or twice yearly trip to Grandmas or Disneyland. Also offer free roadside rescue if the batteries run out to help with the range anxiety.
Nissan does everything you mention here.
Thanks for the info. I didn’t realize that. Maybe I should have said that Nissan should *publicize* those things instead. I’ve never looked seriously into buying a Leaf, but I do frequent auto blogs and the news, and I’ve never seen it mentioned.
Hmmmm, sounds tempting, but I’ll have to check with the wife as to whether or not she’ll allow the stripper to ride with me in the car.
You’re going to want to invest in some seat covers.
Does the vehicle come completely “bare” of accessories?
Does it have a nice body?
I’m sorry, couldn’t resist the puns.
Decontenting or reducing the price won’t reduce range anxiety.
FYI, Nissan’s ‘discount’ to me was a pass-through of the up-to-$7500 Federal tax rebate off the MSRP (for leases only). I don’t know if this counts as ‘cash on the hood’, since Nissan gets to claim the rebate.
Nothing will eliminate range anxiety except the ubiquitous five-minute fillup. The practical matter isn’t how many miles you get, but how long it takes to get more and where you have to be to get them.
Every electric vehicle owner reading this knows how much range they have left right now. That’s a mental tether that conventional vehicles don’t require.
I felt tethered to gasoline prior to to going fully electric with my Nissan LEAF. I am conscious of my range and it is more than adequate. I will never purchase another gasoline vehicle because I travel 100 miles for about $2 of fuel in my LEAF.
Another LEAFer; I thought I was alone here. :)
“The main hesitation in buying the car is from range anxiety,” Palmer told the FT.
– I disagree. I believe the main hesitation is price. Few people are willing to pay $30k+ for a compact car. The masses will accept the range if they can get it for cheap enough.
in the US, LEAF leases are $199/month, compared to a Sentra plus fuel, its cheaper to lease a LEAF and pay some electricity.
its not price thats stopping people, its anxiety that the range won’t be sufficient ‘just in case’