Nissan has confirmed that order books for its electric Leaf model will open to UK customers on September 1, ahead of the first deliveries set for March next year.
The Japanese carmaker confirmed the date as the order books for the all-electric car open for customers in Portugal and Ireland.
The move means that Portuguese, Irish and UK customers will be first in Europe to receive the vehicle dubbed ‘the world’s first affordable electric car’, when it launches early next year. LEAF deliveries begin in Portugal in January, Ireland in February and the UK in March 2011.
Since March, nearly 12,000 customers in Europe have signed up for regular updates on Nissan LEAF’s introduction, and in the US and Japan pre-orders have exceeded 23,000 units since online reservations began in April.
The demand has been so high, that the carmaker has had to delay the launch of the battery-powered model until slightly later than planned in the Netherlands. Sales in the country are now expected to start in June 2011, with pre-orders opening to customers in October this year.
To make a reservation, customers in these initial launch markets simply need to go to their local Nissan consumer website and place their order (for UK customers: http://www.nissan.co.uk/leaf). A fully-refundable deposit of €300 (£257) is required to place an order. These ‘early adopters’ will also be given an opportunity to test-drive Nissan LEAF thoroughly by December, at which point they will need to formally confirm their order.
The price of Nissan LEAF after government incentives is €30,250 in Portugal, €29,995 in Ireland and £23,990 in the UK including the battery. While buyers might be concerned about the high price tag, the Japanese carmaker is confident that buyers will be seduced by the low operational expense. Running costs are anticipated at less than €1.05 per 100 km in Portugal, less than €1.20 per 100km in Ireland and less than £1.59 per 100 km in the UK.
The car’s AC motor develops 80 kW of power and 280 Nm of torque, enough for a maximum speed of more than 90 mph. The electric motor is ‘fuelled’ by a laminated lithium-ion battery with a power output of more than 90 kW.
A full charge delivers a potential range of 100 miles which will satisfy the daily driving demands of most customers. Global research indicates that the average daily mileage for 80 per cent of the world’s population is under 100 km: with the figure in Japan and the UK even lower at under 50 km for 80 per cent of the population.
