Pricing Success But Still and Abject Failure
Nissan announced today that their first all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, will be priced around $25,000. While it’s certainly adorable and conceptually desirable, the Leaf, along with similar plug-in electrics, will continue to be an automotive failure.
Electric cars are best suited for urban environments, where slower speeds and short distances make optimal use of the car’s power system. However, the majority of residents in cities live in multi-family homes and apartment buildings without convenient access to charging stations. Suburbanites, who are much more likely to have access to power, simply place too much strain on the car’s energy system, discharging the battery much faster and likely before the end of the day.
Until the infrastructure is in place to allow city residents who park on the street to charge their cars, electric vehicles will never find a major place on the American roadway.
[From Nissan prices its first electric car, The Leaf, at roughly $25K - washingtonpost.com]
Update: The $25,000 figures includes a $7,500 tax credit. The car will sell for closer to $33,000 without the credit.
