subject: Arlington Heights Nissan dealer impressed by LEAF's M.P.G [print this page] Arlington Heights Nissan dealer impressed by LEAF's M.P.G
If you're lucky enough to live in one of the five states chosen by Nissan to host the first batch of the all-new electric vehicle, the Leaf, then you might start to see a few driving around as the new vehicle is released this month. However, if you've been considering stopping by the closest Arlington Heights Nissan dealer to have a look at the Leaf for yourself, don't. Unfortunately, Illinois is not one of the five chosen states to welcome the new Leaf. Nevertheless, this isn't making the Leaf, and its game-changing statistics, any less impressive to area Arlington Heights and Naperville Nissan dealers.
Although the Leaf does not run on gasoline, Nissan, along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who is responsible for testing and rating the efficiency of vehicles, are sharing numbers with consumers that assume the Leaf does run on the fossil fuel. For example, the Leaf's fuel efficiency has been rated at 99 miles per gallon. Some may say this fact is pointless because the Leaf cannot and never will take gasoline. However, Nissan and the EPA felt it was important to relate the abilities of the Leaf in terms that most car buyers can associate with. And 99 miles per gallon comes in loud and clear.
Since Leaf drivers will never actually use gasoline in their EV, the important take home point with the "99 stat" is that the Leaf is highly efficient. To further compare the Leaf to typical gasoline powered engines, the EPA has calculated the average cost in electricity needed to power the Leaf annually and contrasted this number with the annual cost to power a gasoline-fueled vehicle. What a contrast it is.
The EPA has deduced that 33.7 kilowatt-hours of electricity equal one gallon of gasoline. At a cost of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, the EPA has determined annual electricity costs for the Leaf to be $561. To qualify this, consider that the average annual fuel costs for the Toyota Prius are estimated at $867, while the Chevy Malibu costs consumers a staggering $1,669. With these kinds of numbers, the Leaf really is the future of the automobile industry and thus, it is easy to understand the excitement of any Arlington Heights Nissan dealer, despite the fact the Leaf is not yet being sold in Illinois.
Another way Nissan is attempting to market the Leaf in terms car drivers can currently relate to is through the vehicles' range. Just as current drivers must calculate how far their vehicle will go on a given tank of gas and where the next filling station is, a driver of the Nissan Leaf must be aware of the next place to plug in their vehicle. Nissan says the battery of the EV will take 7 hours on a 240-volt outlet to be fully charged. With this charge Nissan claims the vehicle will run for 100 miles. However, the EPA has granted the vehicle only 73 miles. The range is clearly still being disputed and will depend in large part on the conditions under which the vehicle is driven.
Naperville Nissan drivers interested in the Leaf can reasonably expect the vehicle to be sold in the Chicagoland area within the next few years. By then, any kinks left in this revolutionary vehicle will surely be history and the Leaf will be nothing short of a remarkable vehicle for both driver and Mother Earth.
