Earth Equity News

Nissan Sees Electric Car Envy in Critics of the Leaf. By Hiroko Tabuchi, NYTimes, 12/3/10. “Overhyped. Fanciful. Simply not viable. Skeptics have been harsh in their appraisal of Nissan’s grand plans for electric cars -- which the automaker will begin putting into practice with its all-electric Leaf compact, introduced in Japan on Dec. 3. Critics scoff at everything from the car’s limited driving range to what they consider its inflated price tag. But Carlos Ghosn, chief executive at Nissan and its sister automaker, Renault, dismisses the scoffing as his rivals’ lack of imagination -- and their envy… The Leaf, a hatchback that the Environmental Protection agency says has a range of 73 miles on a fully charged battery, will start selling later this month for $33,600, including destination charges, in selected markets in the United States. It went on sale in Japan for about $45,120, and will be introduced to European markets next year.”