Nissan LEAF Questions and Answers
Q. How will a consumer make a reservation for LEAF?
A. Consumers can register for details about the LEAF and Nissan’s electric-vehicle program by going to www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car. They will next be invited into the reservation process, which is being set now.
Q. Will Nissan sell or lease the vehicle? Will you sell or lease the battery?
A. The best option for the consumer will be presented.
Q. What will be the price of LEAF?
A. Its monthly operating costs, including monthly payments, will be similar to a comparably equipped traditional compact car.
Q. When will pricing be set?
A. Before reservations is opened.
Q. When will reservations be opened?
A. Spring 2010.
Q. Can Nissan be more specific about the timing?
A. Some time during the second quarter of 2010.
Q. What’s involved in the reservation process?
A. Signing up for a place in line to get a new LEAF when it becomes available in the U.S. market in 2010.
Q. Does the price include any tax rebates or other incentives?
A. Nissan hasn’t announced a price for LEAF, but will before they open the reservation system. There is a federally sponsored tax rebate and some states also are offering incentives.
Q. What is the hold up on announcement of the LEAF’s pricing?
A. There’s more than a year until launch, so it’s early to announce pricing for a new car. However, there’s a rapidly growing list of prospects who’ve asked how to sign up to reserve a LEAF. We’ll offer them that opportunity as soon as possible, so we’re announcing now the timeframe for when reservations will begin being taken. Nissan will announce pricing for the LEAF prior to opening the reservations process.
Q. What about charging stations? Will Nissan assist consumers in putting charging stations in their homes?
A. Nissan has formed about 30 partnerships worldwide which will help establish the charging infrastructure to support electric-vehicle markets. Each of these partnerships has unique needs and characteristics, so there is no “template” for establishing charging stations. Nissan is the exclusive automotive partner with Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. (eTec) in the largest deployment of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure ever undertaken. The U.S. Department of Energy has provided a $99.8 million grant to eTec to install about 12,500 charging stations into five markets. Up to 1,000 LEAFs will be deployed into each of those markets beginning in late 2010.
Q. Will these reservations be part of the pledge Nissan has to eTec to provide 5,000 LEAF electric vehicles in five U.S. markets?
A. Yes.
Q. Will the car be marketed in all 50 states?
A. Yes.
Q. When will the car be available in all 50 states?
A. Due to start of production, the car’s availability will be limited at first – thus, the plan for a reservation system. As Nissan’s American manufacturing for the batteries and cars grows in 2012, the availability of the LEAF will grow rapidly.
Q. Do you have dealers in place to sell or lease the vehicle? What about service?
A. We are in the process of certifying dealers and training service technicians.
Q. When will these vehicles be delivered?
A. Deliveries will start in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Q. For what will the DOE loan be used and where will that money go?
A. Last June, the Department of Energy authorized a $1.6 billion loan for Nissan. Money from that loan will be used in Tennessee to build a new battery plant and to make modifications to the vehicle assembly line in preparation for LEAF production starting in late 2012.
