Nissan Leaf on sale in Australia

Australia’s second all-electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf was released for sale this week.
The five-seater plug in family-styled car is priced from $51,500, with an extra price tag of $2800 for a charging station for buyers who want to reduce the charge time for the vehicle from 16 hours to 4 hours. Fast charging stations can reduce the charging time to 30 minutes, but can only be charged at that speed twice a month or damage will occur in the car’s lithium ion battery.
The price of the vehicle is considerably more expensive than the price offered to US buyers who pay as little as $27,700, after the federal tax credit deduction of $7,500.
The Leaf will run at a cost of about 2 cents a kilometre in contrast to about 11 cents a kilometre for a petrol fueled car according to Nissan.
Charging of the Leaf can be programmed remotely using the driver’s smart phone, allowing for charging to be carried out during off-peak electricity rates.
Origin Energy will be supplying the Leaf charge points at various locations as the popularity of electric vehicles rises.
The launch of the vehicle roughly coincides with the launch of the carbon tax with electricity costs rising after July 1. The car is also facing resistance to the new technology.
Francois Bancon, Deputy Divisional Manager for Nissan said “The Government has to support this approach, and in Australia, it has not so far.”