7 New Electric Cars Available in 2011
Much anticipated electric cars are hitting showrooms this year, from the Nissan Leaf to the Chevy Volt, Coda, Think, Fisker Karma and more.
Nissan Leaf
What is It? The Leaf is Nissan's prestige product, to be sold worldwide. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has put a good deal of his personal capital into this beautifully designed electric car, which bristles with tech features. With big visibility and an equally big ad budget, not to mention pride of place at Nissan dealers, the Leaf will be the one to beat on the sales charts.
Under the Hood: A 24-kilowatt-hour li-ion battery pack coupled to an 80-kilowatt electric motor.
Range: 60 to 110 miles
Performance: Should make it to 90 mph. Acceleration is sprightly in my test drives, but Nissan hasn't released a zero to 60 time. It certainly isn't five seconds, as the CBS Evening News reported.
Delivery Date: December 2010, and initially only available in the launch markets: California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee.
Bottom Line: $32,780
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