The Nissan Prairie EV in service during its six year tenure in Norway
The Nissan Prairie EV in service during its six year tenure in Norway
Real world extreme cold weather performance
The photo above is from an early (2000-2006) Nissan electric vehicle (EV) battery extreme cold weather endurance test. But Consumer Reports just wrote about their more recent experience with the LEAF in sub-freezing Connecticut. The article could be more informational, as there is no reference as to how long they’ve had it, or how many miles they have accumulated. They do state that they have averaged 65 miles per charge, but they don’t say over how many charge cycles or provide any information at all about the type of driving, other than to say that the temperature is cold. They did say that the heater provides “ample heat, unlike the Chevrolet Volt”. The article is worth reading though if you live in a cold climate and are considering the LEAF.
Following yesterday’s article, we saw that U. S. Representative Sander Levin, Democrat, Michigan introduced legislation to expand the current federal tax credit of $7,500 from 200,000 vehicles per manufacturer to 500,000 vehicles per manufacturer, phasing out after that. His brother, Senator Carl Levin, Democrat, Michigan will introduce companion legislation in the Senate. If adopted, this legislation will go a long way toward helping to reach President Obama’s stated goal of 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015. And moving us in the direction of another stated goal of reducing dependence on foreign oil.