The Crank: New Nissan EV’s Canadian availability dependent on government incentives

By John LeBlanc If you haven’t heard, Nissan’s new Leaf electric vehicle is becoming a big deal. The five-passenger car will be the first fully electric car launched by a major automaker and could become a future collectible. It is designed to provide a 160 km range on a full charge. And it looks like people are ready to buy into its promise of zero emission driving. The Japanese automaker said this week it is on track to book 25,000 U.S. Leaf orders by the end of the year for when it goes on sale in the U.S. in December. In Canada, Nissan also announced this week that the Leaf would be going on sale in the “second half” of 2011. Said Mark McDade, director of marketing with Nissan Canada in a release, “There has been a lot of interest from Canadians to learn more about electric vehicles and what the ownership experience would be like.” The automaker has launched a Web site if you are interested in more info. All fine and dandy. But the question of how much the Leaf will cost in Canada, and how many will be available to consumers here is still a mystery. In the U.S., the Leaf is priced at $32,780 U.S.—not including federal tax credits of $7,500. In fact, Californians will get additional EV credits to drop the price of a Leaf to $20,280. However, Nissan Canada spokesperson, Didier Marsaud, told The Crank that Canadian Leaf pricing and availability will depend if Canadian governments—either at the federal or provincial level—step up with incentives. Less discounts will cause less demand. And less demand will force Nissan to allocate initial Leaf production to other markets that are making EV ownership more affordable. In Quebec, you can get up to $8,000 off the purchase. But in Ontario, we’re still waiting to find out what—if any—EV purchase incentives will be available. Last July, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced rebates of between $4,000 and $10,000 for plug-in hybrid and battery EVs purchased after July 1, 2010. But since then, nothing further has been heard to indicate these rebates will become reality. “At this point, we don’t know what they’re intention is,” said Marsaud. So, a couple of questions. Are you ready to pay the full price for the Leaf and other EVs, if governments don’t come through with taxpayer subsidies? Or are you quite happy to pay the full ticket for EVs like the Leaf to enjoy its ability to use no fossil fuels?

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