Electric hatchback can go 100 miles on £2 charge
A hatchback hailed as the first mass market electric car goes on sale early next year — and it will cost less than £2 to charge it up.
On the outside, Nissan's Leaf is a standard five-door family car, priced £23,900, top speed 90mph.
But instead of a traditional engine, it has enough batteries hidden under the floor to power it for 100 miles, enough for city driving.
Nissan's Richard Candler said: "There's no doubt at the beginning this is something you would charge at home, but public charging points are becoming more common."
The Leaf can charge in six to seven hours using an £800 home charging kit, or longer using a standard plug.
High-speed chargers that can recharge the battery to 80 per cent in 30 minutes are also expected to be installed across London.
Nissan has created a satnav system which can direct users to their nearest charging point.
Mr Candler added: "You can also check how much charge you have via an iPhone app, and even turn the air conditioning on and off via the phone so the car can warm up on cold mornings."
The launch coincides with Boris Johnson's plan to roll out electric charging points across the capital.
The project, Source London, aims to install 1,300 public charging points by 2013, and is part of the Mayor's plans for London to become the electric vehicle capital of Europe.
Leaf has none of the Postman Pat looks of the G-Wiz
The first thing that strikes you about the Leaf (ignoring the massive "zero emission" graphics all over our test car) is that it is just a normal five-door family hatchback.
There's none of the Postman Pat looks of the G-Wiz, or the vast price tag of the Tesla electric sports car. It's roomy with a big boot and very comfortable.
Once you press the start button, the dash lights up like a sci-fi spaceship. The electric motor is very responsive, and the high torque means the car feels very nippy around town.
Because Nissan has put the batteries in the centre of the car, the handling is also responsive.
However, it does attract attention. To alert pedestrians a rather disconcerting whistle is emitted when you drop below 20mph, rather like the noise of a whirring wind turbine. It's actually useful but takes a bit of getting used to as heads turn (you don't actually hear it inside the car, thankfully).
Charging is simple, although be warned: those who don't have a garage to plug it in may struggle — a real issue for electric cars in London.
However, the Leaf is undoubtedly a glimpse of what your next car may well be. It really is the first electric car for the masses.
