lne937s
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2010
- Messages
- 250
fresh from NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/business/23leaf.html?src=twrhp
Nissan Says Its Leaf Gets Equivalent of 99 M.P.G.By NICK BUNKLEY
Published: November 22, 2010
DETROIT — The federal government has rated the Nissan Leaf, a battery-powered car scheduled to go on sale next month in five states, as having the fuel equivalent of 99 miles a gallon, Nissan said Monday.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which tests vehicles for emissions and fuel efficiency, determined the Leaf’s official range to be 73 miles on a fully charged battery, considerably less than the 100 miles previously claimed by Nissan.
Both figures will appear prominently on the Leaf’s window label, which shows the estimated yearly electricity cost as $561. The E.P.A. calculates annual fuel costs as $867 for the Toyota Prius hybrid and $1,669 for Chevrolet’s midsize sedan, the Malibu.
The E.P.A. puts vehicles through a set of five tests to simulate varying driving conditions and levels of climate-control usage.
Because drivers cannot simply stop at a gas station and refuel, the Leaf’s range is expected to weigh heavily on shoppers’ minds. Adding to any confusion they might feel, the Leaf will have a second sticker, from the Federal Trade Commission, displaying the car’s range as 96 to 110 miles.
“Driving behavior, temperature — those things do affect your range,” said Mark Perry, the director of EV and Advanced Technology strategy in North America for Nissan. “We’re trying to be very open so folks are making the right decision for them. We don’t want them to be surprised.”
The E.P.A. calculated the 99-m.p.g.-equivalent figure by combining ratings of 106 m.p.g. in city driving and 92 m.p.g. on highways. The Leaf’s rating is nearly double that of the Toyota Prius hybrid, which is listed at 50 m.p.g.
The agency has not concluded its tests of the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid that also goes on sale next month in parts of the United States. The Volt, unlike the Leaf, has a gasoline engine that allows the car to remain operational after the battery, which General Motors says has a range of 25 to 50 miles, is depleted.
“Their calculation is a little bit more straightforward than ours, so I suspect they may have gotten through the process a little faster,” a G.M. spokesman, Rob Peterson, said in explaining why the Leaf results were finished first. “At this time we don’t have a definitive number.”
The Leaf’s rating is based on an formula from the Environmental Protection Agency in which 33.7 kilowatt hours of electricity is equivalent to one gallon of gasoline.
“The tough part with an electric vehicle is we have no gallons. We have no gas,” Mr. Perry said. “But we understand the need to provide a comparison and that’s what the formula does.”
Mr. Perry noted that electricity costs — assumed to be 12 cents per kilowatt-hour for the purposes of the label — vary widely in different parts of the country and in some cases depending on what time of day the car is plugged in.
The Leaf’s window sticker will list the car as needing seven hours to charge via a 240-volt outlet and consuming 34 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. It will show the Leaf, which has no tailpipe, as receiving the best possible scores for emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
Nissan dealerships in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Tennessee will start selling the Leaf in December. Sales will begin in Texas and Hawaii in January, followed by additional states later in 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/business/23leaf.html?src=twrhp
Nissan Says Its Leaf Gets Equivalent of 99 M.P.G.By NICK BUNKLEY
Published: November 22, 2010
DETROIT — The federal government has rated the Nissan Leaf, a battery-powered car scheduled to go on sale next month in five states, as having the fuel equivalent of 99 miles a gallon, Nissan said Monday.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which tests vehicles for emissions and fuel efficiency, determined the Leaf’s official range to be 73 miles on a fully charged battery, considerably less than the 100 miles previously claimed by Nissan.
Both figures will appear prominently on the Leaf’s window label, which shows the estimated yearly electricity cost as $561. The E.P.A. calculates annual fuel costs as $867 for the Toyota Prius hybrid and $1,669 for Chevrolet’s midsize sedan, the Malibu.
The E.P.A. puts vehicles through a set of five tests to simulate varying driving conditions and levels of climate-control usage.
Because drivers cannot simply stop at a gas station and refuel, the Leaf’s range is expected to weigh heavily on shoppers’ minds. Adding to any confusion they might feel, the Leaf will have a second sticker, from the Federal Trade Commission, displaying the car’s range as 96 to 110 miles.
“Driving behavior, temperature — those things do affect your range,” said Mark Perry, the director of EV and Advanced Technology strategy in North America for Nissan. “We’re trying to be very open so folks are making the right decision for them. We don’t want them to be surprised.”
The E.P.A. calculated the 99-m.p.g.-equivalent figure by combining ratings of 106 m.p.g. in city driving and 92 m.p.g. on highways. The Leaf’s rating is nearly double that of the Toyota Prius hybrid, which is listed at 50 m.p.g.
The agency has not concluded its tests of the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid that also goes on sale next month in parts of the United States. The Volt, unlike the Leaf, has a gasoline engine that allows the car to remain operational after the battery, which General Motors says has a range of 25 to 50 miles, is depleted.
“Their calculation is a little bit more straightforward than ours, so I suspect they may have gotten through the process a little faster,” a G.M. spokesman, Rob Peterson, said in explaining why the Leaf results were finished first. “At this time we don’t have a definitive number.”
The Leaf’s rating is based on an formula from the Environmental Protection Agency in which 33.7 kilowatt hours of electricity is equivalent to one gallon of gasoline.
“The tough part with an electric vehicle is we have no gallons. We have no gas,” Mr. Perry said. “But we understand the need to provide a comparison and that’s what the formula does.”
Mr. Perry noted that electricity costs — assumed to be 12 cents per kilowatt-hour for the purposes of the label — vary widely in different parts of the country and in some cases depending on what time of day the car is plugged in.
The Leaf’s window sticker will list the car as needing seven hours to charge via a 240-volt outlet and consuming 34 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. It will show the Leaf, which has no tailpipe, as receiving the best possible scores for emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
Nissan dealerships in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Tennessee will start selling the Leaf in December. Sales will begin in Texas and Hawaii in January, followed by additional states later in 2011.
