>Two cars enter, one car leaves. The Leaf and Volt are coming out later this year. Both are the flagship electric cars for their companies, Nissan and GM respectively. There is definitely
going to be competition for a share of the market. So let’s compare.
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| Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan Leaf |
Range:
The Nissan Leaf is fully electric and doesn’t use any gas, and it get a little under 100 miles per charge.
The Chevy Volt is good for about 40 miles on pure electric, but has an extended range mode, which after the battery is depleted gets about 50 mpg.
Fuel:
Leaf – electricity.
Volt – electricity/premium gasoline.
Price:
Leaf – $32,780.00
Volt – $41,000.00
Both are eligible for a federal tax credit of $7,500.00 that will help bring the price down a bit for the buyer.
Recharging:
Both cars can be charged with either a standard 120v outlet, or a higher voltage charging unit for quicker recharge time. Some cars even come with a free charging unit courtesy of the Federal Government (www.theevproject.com).
Size:
Leaf – four person compact car
Volt – mid-sized sedan, seats four.
Conclusion:
The Volt is the more expensive of the two, and the larger price tag doesn’t seem to get you a lot more, it needs expensive premium gas, and still only seats four despite being a sedan. The Leaf is much less expensive, uses no gas, and gets better range when compared to the Volt’s pure electric mode. So unless your commute is more than 50 miles each way, go with the Leaf.
Sources: Examiner, Mercury News, New York Times, GreenCarReport.