There is already a lot of demand for the Nissan LEAF. As of the time of this writing, over 15,000 people in the US have pre-ordered their LEAF. When global pre-orders had surpassed 13,000 Nissan reported that demand had exceeded capacity which would have been 12,000 cars by March 2011.
It is known that US LEAF production capacity will eventually reach 200,000 in 2012 when the Smyrna Tennessee plant comes online. For 2011, maximum global LEAF capacity will be 50,000 cars from the plant in Japan.
Nissan won’t confirm US production volume specifically. However, spokesperson Steve Oldham told CNN.com that Nissan expects to have 25,000 paid US reservations by the end of 2010 when production starts.
Though not confirming that number he did say, “Nissan is not taking reservations that it does not expect to be able to fill within a year.”
Nissan had said it would explain the rollout process by the end of June. It now looks like that information won’t be coming until August.
Clearly the car will only be available in a few selected areas at first, such as California, Tennessee, Arizona and Oregon with the rest of the nation coming on in waves after that. All parts of the US may not have access to the car until 2012.
Source (CNN)
Ooops Jay, you forgot WA state! I’m number 649 out of 12,000…
“by the end of 2010 when production starts” – I thought the LEAFs were being sold in December 2010, not starting production. Since that would mean delivery 1st quarter 2011?
Ah well, at least I’m not having to wait until mid 2012 unlike some very unhappy future EV drivers elsewhere…
GO EV!!!
FUTURE LEAF DRIVER(Quote)
Wait a minute here. Nissan has taken reservations from all parts of the US. Paragraph (1) says Nissan is not taking reservations that they will not fulfill within a year. That’s July, 2011. But paragraph (3) says “..not until 2012″.
What’s happening?
RB(Quote)
I’m with RB on this one. The statements seem to have some conflict.
If it doesn’t hit the rest of the US (ie: me) by 2012 there will be BEV competition from Ford, GM, etc. Heck, even Tesla S might be out by then.
Loboc(Quote)
What’s happening here is that the information is coming from two different sources. Pick one that you trust, or don’t trust either!
I’ve seen more than enough news reports from radio, TV, and in print about subjects that I am intimately familiar with to know that news reporters (or their editors) can scramble information trying to pretend that they understand something that they have no clue about. Since I know that I can’t trust everything in reports on some subjects, I am wary of reports on all subjects.
As for trusting everything a manufacturer says, well, … nah.
JEff(Quote)
Jeff – what? Are you saying not to trust everything you read on the internet? The heck you say.
RB – I would suggest that you log onto the LEAF website and pre order one. If you are lucky you will be eligible to buy one within a year (2011).
FLD – how did you determine that you are number 649?
James(Quote)
I would say that 25000 for that first year is good, we have to keep in mind that for a EV100 the infrastructure has to be there… it has to be developed in paralel
vanuck(Quote)
Yes, I did that when they first began taking orders. At that time they said they would be back with more definite information by June 30. Then they said “no, late summer”. They never have actually said anything about delivery dates (for me in NC). So I’m thinking it is all if, as, and when, maybe 2012 or maybe 2013, or maybe never.
RB(Quote)
One of the more amusing aspects of the North Carolina situation is that our utilities have been having these huge projects to install chargers, going on now. (No doubt they are getting federal money, as they don’t work for free.) We will have lots of chargers, but there is no commitment to any cars, so far as I can tell, from anybody. Then, when the chargers sit idle, people will say “See I told you nobody wanted an electric car.”
RB(Quote)
RB – I just got onto the LEAF website and asked if North Carolina residents could pre order a LEAF. They said that Nissan is accepting orders from North Carolina. If you are interested then put the $99 down and you will be eligible to buy one within a year (July-2011). It is a refundable deposit if something better comes along prior to the purchase date, though I doubt it. You however will have secured your place in line and will be able to take advantage of all those new public charging stations in the North Carolina area. Reguards,
James(Quote)
You are right but the potential is there already and some manufacturer could make a commitment any day… the same thing is happenieng here in Vancouver, all new condo buildings must have at least 10% of the parking stalls have access to a plug… and the first real EV to get here is the LEAF and that is probably 12 to 128 months away( the yellow TESLA from Salt Spring island doesn’t count…:) )
vanuck(Quote)
actually I meant 18 months , not 128…
vanuck(Quote)
Wondering a bit about the math….so about 15k people have reservations, and they will be selling 25k next year (2011). Should not all of the people with reservations be getting there car in 2011? Or will some of the 25k be sold to people not on the reservation list but live in one of the promised lands?
Ike(Quote)
James — Yes, I did it.
RB(Quote)
RB – sweet..good for you!
James(Quote)
Is there any research data – besides their list of 99ers – that would support Nissan’s claim of 25,000 sales in 2011? Somehow in all this, $99 doesn’t seem much to guarantee a concrete committment to shell out the much larger amount to buy a LEAF….. in contrast, people are forking over $500, $1000 and more for the Volt, and GM hasn’t even come up with an official waiting list yet, if they ever will.
stuart22(Quote)
I think the car works really well as a 2nd car for families living in cities. Ie. the main car for holidays, this 2nd car for whoever’s commute adds up to less than 50 miles a day… *(nobody who commutes 100 miles a day is actually going to risk being stranded). As a 2nd car (until fast chargers at work places, diners, city parking and malls become frequent) its an amazingly cheap car to run… do the weekly / daily food shop, take the kids to school, drive around town – its an amazing car… as such it’s going to sell INCREDIBLY well in european cities where people often dont do long journeys by car – and for people who are quite well off and want a 2nd car… the pre-heating / pre-cooling is going to be SOOOOO popular with people living in hot / cold cities suburbs!!!
mark smith(Quote)
Also – in London (and some european cities) – there’s a £10 a day congestion charge. This car will be exempt. It will also be exempt from road tax (£50-130ish a year for a similar sized car). That’s going to add up to a lot of money.
+ the fact you can go 100 miles for £1 of electricity instead of £1 for 7 miles of petrol / £1 for 10 miles of diesel…. that is all you need to say to advertise this car… it saves massive amounts of money!
mark smith(Quote)
Right, on top of “Saving at the Pump” and “Repair” cost the state of Arizona will is offering the “clean” license plates so we can drive in the carpool lanes and park in designated carpool parking spaces. They will also wave the taxes for the annual license fee. I currently pay $330 per year on that tax.
James(Quote)
stuart22 – $1000 and more for the Volt deposit and they may not even see the vehical untill 2012. Sad…but I wish them the best of luck.
James(Quote)
I’m saying don’t trust everything blindly, and don’t be surprised when there are contradictions.
Nothing more.
JEff(Quote)
How do you read you reservation number to find out where you are in the queque?
drobson29(Quote)
Jeff – I agree with you and was attempting to make a joke.
James(Quote)
Most chargers are the size of parking lot bollards and no one ever notices them. Until they hear the crunching and tearing sounds of metal on metal.
jeffhre(Quote)