Motoramic’s Best Green Car of 2011: Nissan Leaf

[ruimegas]

Motoramic’s Best Green Car of 2011: Nissan Leaf

[IMG]http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qsFJ7E ... bestof.jpg[/IMG]

"Save your emails (and your snarky blog posts), Chevy fans. All anybody needs to know about the difference between the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt is this: the Leaf's standard 110-volt charge cord is UL certified, and the Volt's is not. You won't read that in Car and Driver.

You will find safety certifications from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for most of the electronic equipment in your home, so why not in your garage? The Nissan Leaf's cord, made by Panasonic, uses nickel-plated prongs insulated by two types of industrial-strength plastic, while the Volt's standard plug is comprised of soft molded plastic plug and un-plated copper.

Perhaps GM's accountants saved money on the Volt's standard charge cords because they understand it's not an electric car. The Volt's a complicated serial hybrid, not unlike a locomotive. It operates on battery power for 35 miles, when a small internal combustion engine kicks in to power the lithium batteries. Like the upcoming Ford Escape plug-in hybrid, which will also go 30-35 miles on electricity before switching over to gas, the Chevy Volt is simply a small step toward an electric-powered future.

The Leaf, on the other hand, is the future. Rarely does a car come along that redefines its category. As manufacturer of the modern era's first mass-produced entirely electric car (20,000 copies will have been delivered by early January 2012), Nissan has grabbed the green mantle from Toyota with the ultimate fulfillment of the Prius promise: guiltless driving. That is, as long as your electricity is not generated from burning coal, the Leaf can run sustainably on hydro, wind, or solar power.

No, the Leaf's not for everybody. Unless you have access to renewable energy, it only promises to end America's dependence on foreign oil. And if you commute more than 75 miles every day, it's definitely not the car for you. But the 75 percent of Americans whose daily commutes are within its single-charge driving range might be good candidates for switching to electric.

That's a plug we'll certify."

Em: http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/ ... 44083.html

[Filipe]

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