Nissan: Leaf will snag Prius owners

i think i echo sentiments implied here by Hill and others. the Leaf will replace my Zenn and ONE Prius, since for long distance trip, the Prius is still King. but with greater charge options being implemented and hopefully greater competition in the area, i want to go all EV and i am hoping that in 2-3 years i will have a viable long distance option from Toyota.

 

You used the word "when" rather than "if." Is this an official statement that Toyota will definitely build an EV? And my question is WHEN??? I'd rather buy an EV from Toyota than Nissan, but I'm buying whatever I can get my hands on first.

I thought I'd seen zero-to-60 time for the Leaf being significantly faster than the Prius.

As you say, Prius's top speed will give it the edge at longer distances. But who would want to race these cars?

And to answer an earlier question from macmaster05, electric motors have much more torque than gas engines, which is why the White Zombie blows everything else away, and why the Tesla Roadster beats every gas-powered car up to about twice its price. However, most EVs have a lower top speed than gas-powered racing cars.

Back to the topic:

Keep in mind, please, that "Half the hand-raisers for the Leaf are Prius owners" is a VERY different statement than "Half of Prius owners are hand-raisers for the Leaf," because there are far more Prius owners than hand-raisers for the Leaf.

But I agree that most (not all by any means, but most) of the early adopters of the Prius were motivated to a great extent by their concern for the environment, and these same people will find EVs very appealing. Since 100 miles is adequate for many people, and virtually all multi-car families could do just fine with one 100-mile car and one gas car, very many of those Prius early adopters will want a Leaf.

Moderating that will be economics: Most people cannot afford to buy a new car until their present car needs replacing.

Also, by about 2006 the Prius had become so mainstream that most of the buyers just saw it as a good, reliable car that costs less to fuel up, so that today a small percentage of Prius drivers will consider a Leaf.

I will buy a Leaf if my electric Porsche is not back on the road first, but the Leaf will replace my electric Zap Xebra. It will not replace my Prius, which I still will need for road trips to Canada for hiking in summer.

 

Nope.
For the 1/100th of 1% that even care - Compare the Gen III Prius:
2010 Toyota Prius specifications released : 50 mpg, 1.8L, 134hp, Ni-MH, solar roof option

versus the Leaf:
Electric Sedan Smackdown: Nissan LEAF vs. Tesla Model S vs. Coda Sedan

The eco conscious / early adapters aren't really concerned about blasting off the line ... only to be the 1st to the next red light.

:focus:

Oh - here's what one Nissan VP is saying in regards to snagging Prius customers:
Who Buys a 2011 Nissan Leaf? Toyota Prius Owners, Of Course - Green Car Reports

.

 

we will be replacing one of our Prius with a leaf.
We would love to buy a Toyota EV, however you don't have one
Could you guys dust off the RAV4ev blueprints and sell me one?
We plan to replace our 2nd Prius with either a 300 mile range EV or a series hybrid that will get at least 50mpg in CS mode with a 40 mile electric range. And no, I don't think the Volt will meet those requirements.
I am disappointed Toyota is relinquishing their lead in efficiency and look forward to future products when you decide to throw your hat in the EV ring.

 

BTW, here is the poll I ran in the Leaf forum. Most are replacing ICE - not hybrid ...



My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Poll : How will you use your Leaf ?

 

ah dont bother Hill... i gave him the correct answer along with the reason why several days ago and he chose to not believe me


**edit**
LOL!! i just looked and i answered it wrong.

no. the Prius draws from 3 power sources; motor, battery, engine

i meant to say "yes"

 

I don't see how we could know that. Nissan hasn't yet published any performance specs (to my knowledge). It certainly has the potential to though.

 

Excellent poll and it makes sense. Hybrid market penetration is ~2-3%. Given the number of hybrid responders, 3 for 6%, this is well within the margin of error.

Bob Wilson

 

Actually, it is different - families that have one hybrid & one ICE - and are planning to replace ICE rather than hybrid will not be part of that 6%.

 

I've been looking at this report for a couple of days, trying to wrap my head around what it is trying to tell us:
Americans Choose Gas over Alternatives -- NEW YORK, May 27 /PRNewswire/ --
But I think it applies to this thread:

It looks like "ECO drive assistant" is a mileage meter for the driver to operate the vehicle in efficient operating areas.

Ok, the claim that people prefer to buy less expensive, fuel efficiency systems is lame and the values assigned and their effectiveness can be debated. However, the poll is a metric:

	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
0	technology	price
1	Flexible Fuel Vehicle	$250
2	ECO Drive Assistant	$250
3	Start Stop System	$500
4	Clean Diesel Engine	$1	000
5	Compressed Natural Gas Engine	$1	000
6	Hybrid Electric Engine	$3	500
7	Pure Electric Engine	$4	000
8	Plug-In Hybrid Engine	$4	000
9	Fuel Cell Engine	$5	000

Survey technologies and assigned prices.

Still, the survey results can be plotted and this ties back to the thread:

What I noticed:

• $250-500 - these cheap technologies have equal, favorable probability (suspending technical judgement for now.)
• $1000 - here is the first resistance for CNG and diesel technologies
• $3500 - hybrids show an unusually favorable view, probably because they have been on the road for at least 10 years
• $4000-5000 - plug-in, electric and fuel cells have the greatest resistance, nearly equal

What this survey suggests is the Leaf is considered equal to a plug-in hybrid. So a more accurate title for the thread might be:

Nissan: Leaf and Toyota: Plug-in -- will snag Prius owners in equal measure
​

Bob Wilson

 

... which will be our case. Currently have a 2010 Camry Hybrid in the stable (wife's car) and I alternate between 2 nearly 20 year old ICE vehicles. Both will likely get passed down to the kids while I'll be the primary driver of a LEAF - whenever they become available in Minnesota.

 

Hi all,

As a former Prius & Prius plug-in (Enginer kit), and new LEAF owner, I would like to share my driving experience with you;
Please see my profile for the link

Regards,

Christophe
Paris

 

...missed the LINK? Give us idea for electric cost in France with the heavy dependence on nuclear. I guess Leaf makes good sense there as low carbon option.

 

It's in his profile, most likely due to the fact that he is under the posting limit required to post links.