Nissan is bringing gas-free car technology to the United States starting around December of this year.  The highlight of Nissan’s 2011 model year is the Nissan Leaf.  Not only is it a sport little four-door hatchback, it’s also going to be Nissan’s first gas-free car.  That’s right, it’s that long-awaited plug-in electric car, and it’s expected to start a price war.  The Leaf will retail for about $25,000 after a $7,500 government rebate, putting it well within the price range of most of America.  The low price, and its $349-per-month leasing option, makes the Leaf a competitor to the Chevy Volt in spite of a lack of backup gas engine.

Will America embrace a car with only a 100-mile range?  Doubtful.  While that’s definitely good enough for the daily drive, America is a country that loves its road trips.  I doubt gas stations will let you plug in your car for several hours while you wait.  While the Leaf gets more charge in its batteries, it also requires 8 hours of charge time on a 220-volt line; the Volt requires only 8 hours on a 110-volt circuit, or only 4 on a 220 line.  I can’t overstate the value of Chevy’s backup generator engine technology enough.

Image: New York Times

Tags: electric cars, Nissan Leaf, Nissan to debut 000 electric car, alternative fuels, plug-in car, new cars, electric car price wars, automotive industry, Chevy Volt, all-electric car versus plug-in hybrid

I’ve never had a problem eating food from a gas station.  Just two weeks ago, I ate a couple of hot dogs purchased from a gas station.  They were delicious.  That’s not the first time I’ve eaten gas station food, and I doubt it will be the last.  There’s nothing like a fun food novelty. […]

Commissioner Roger Goodell gathered 32 NFL owners for one big question.  One of the league’s most wanderlust-stricken franchises is looking to move again.  The Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders, tired of gutting it out in a run-down stadium, were once again looking for greener pastures.  Only the Miami Dolphins refused to cooperate.  With a vote of 31-1, […]

In 2006, an injury to Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe opened the door for an undrafted free agent by the name of Tony Romo to take the helm of America’s Team and lead the Dallas Cowboys to an early playoff exit.  Bledsoe went from starter to afterthought in a season.  Now, the circle continues […]

For 89 years, Oscars has never had a major mistake.  The last few Oscars might have had a few flubs, but at least they never got the most important category of the night wrong.  Well, that’s now changed, all thanks to OG Bonnie and Clyde legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.  When Faye Dunaway called […]

Tom Brady has been wildly successful, if controversial.  He’s the first quarterback ever to win five Super Bowls and only the second player to do so after Charles Haley.  Unlike Haley, Brady won all his Super Bowls with the same team, the New England Patriots.  The only thing that seems to be able to stop […]

Ben Affleck, no matter what you might think of him, is a talented actor and director.  He’s got the goods, but he’s smart enough to know when he’s in over his head.  All along, since he took on the mantle of Batman, he’s had his eyes on writing, directing, and starring as the Caped Crusader. […]

In May, students for the for-profit American College of Education were running into some problems.  Their access to email accounts and course information was locked down by Google, who had disabled their accounts.  The reason why?  A fired IT worker for the American College of Education locked the school out of their Google cloud account. […]