Green News: Nissan LEAF Wins Award

It may not yet be on the roads, but the Nissan Leaf has already received a sought-after industry award.

OneShift Editorial Team

19 Nov 2010

The full-electric car is already available to order but will not hit the roads until March 2011. In recognition of its ground-breaking status, leading guide to environmentally-friendly cars, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk has named the Leaf this year's winner of 'Green Car of the Year' 2010.

What makes the Leaf special? Well, firstly the Leaf is designed to be a proper family hatchback, capable of carrying five people and their luggage, while offering a respectable range and performance criteria. In fact, for most purposes, it's exactly like a conventional car, except its running costs will be a lot less and it will emit zero tailpipe emissions.

The Leaf offers a top speed of 90mph and a full charge range of up to 100 miles. Its AC motor, powered by a lithium ion battery pack, delivers 80kW of power and 280 Nm of torque. Response from the electric motor is almost instant, meaning that the Leaf offers startling performance from a standstill. Using a DC 50kW quick charger, the battery can be charged to up to 80 per cent of its capacity in under 30 minutes. Using a domestic 220/240V system, a full charge from takes eight hours, perfect for overnight recharging.

Nissan opened its order books to its customers back in September while the model will be delivered to customers in Japan and the US by the end of the year, UK customers will have to wait until early 2011.

"The Leaf has been a highly anticipated car, simply because, at the moment there is nothing else like it on the market. Unlike other electric cars coming to the market in 2011, the Leaf has been designed from the start to be a purely electric-powered model and in this sense it is truly revolutionary, marking a turning point for the car industry", explains the website's editor, Faye Sunderland.

"...the Leaf represents an exciting chance for the UK to play an important role in this new all-electric era by become a leading example of how electric cars can benefit both the environment and the economy through green growth," she adds.

Credits: wilswong