"The electric cars are coming to Canada this summer and we know exactly how much the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF will cost: $41,545 for the Volt and $38,395 for the LEAF – minus a provincial government rebate of $8,500 and $8,000 in Ontario and Quebec, respectively.
Let’s say you’re an early adopter of EVs (electric vehicles), a true believer, a committed environmentalist. Which would you buy, Volt or LEAF?
For starters, the operating costs of the LEAF will be less than the Volt, though both will be cheaper to run than a car using a full-time internal combustion engine (ICE). The LEAF, unlike the Volt with its range-extending gasoline engine generator, does not have a gas engine, requires no oil changes and requires less maintenance work.
Nissan says the cost per kilometre of a LEAF is about 80 per cent lower than that of a very fuel-efficient car. Nissan’s numbers: an ICE and an average fuel efficiency of 8.0 litres/100 km will cost about $1,760 in gas per year (assuming a gas price of $1.10/litre and a distance of 20,000 km/year). To travel the same distance in the Nissan LEAF will cost approximately $320 per year (with electricity at $0.11 kWh).
If you, as a LEAF owner, stick to the battery range of 160 km or less between charges, then your EV might be just fine for the everyday. But if you have range anxiety, the Volt’s range of up to 580 km might be the better answer.
Where the LEAF has only a 24-kWh lithium-ion battery, the Volt has a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack plus a 1.4-litre gas engine. The electric drive unit delivers a pure electric range between 40 and 80 km, says General Motors, while the gas engine adds 500 km on a full tank of fuel. The gas engine powers the Volt’s electric drive system and only in extremely rare circumstances is the gas engine driving the wheels.
Here’s how each company makes the argument for its EV:
GM says the Volt will not leave you stranded because the gas engine is there to recharge a juiceless battery.
Nissan says any car with a tailpipe is not the genuine green article. The LEAF is all electric all the time. The real EV deal.
GM says the Volt is a better proposition for most consumers who do a mix of city and highway driving over the course of a year.
Nissan says the Leaf is not for everyone, just certain urban buyers.
Here’s my take. The range issue is a big one with most drivers. Nissan says its EV can go 160 km on a charge, but if you drive a pure EV hard on the highway, where the regenerative brakes will do less recharging, you can get a lot less. Ditto if you have a lead foot or if the weather is especially cold, or if you live in hilly country. All will drop the car's range.
Both are pretty decent cars in their own right, by the way. They are dead quiet and because electric motors deliver instant torque these two are pretty zippy in town. The two have some high-tech appeal, what with the electric drive and the on-board instruments and control.
If I were betting, I’d put my money on the Volt turning out to be the more successful seller of the two. Where would you put your money?"
Em: http://autos.sympatico.ca/Jeremy-Cato-B ... rolet-volt