Electric cars - who's doing what.

You may not hear them roaring down your streets but their coming. Electric cars are already available in Canada. Yes, you too can own your own 100% electric (no gas required) electric car. Almost all manufacturers are doing something in this once thought impossible direction. We take a look at some of these vehicles.

So what is considered an electric vehicle? It can have no gas tank, no engine (no combustion engine that is), no exhaust system, radiator and bunch of other things you don't need. It runs purely on electricity stored in batteries (usually lithium-ion). Although with conventional gas cars you need to fuel up approximately once a week (depending on your driving distances), electric cars need to be charged almost daily depending on your driving habits. Charging can be done over night depending on your local electricity daily schedule pricing. Manufacturers already thought of this as some of the charging stations can be programmed to charge your only during specific hours of the day or night. Approximate cost per charge would run you at around $2.00 (this depends on your rates).

Governments are also encouraging public to purchase these vehicles with incentive programs. For example in the province of Ontario or Quebec you can get a rebate of anywhere from $5000 to $9000. For more details see your local government.

 

Nissan Leaf

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Car Type	0 Emission	Motor Type	Battery	Battery Range	Price
Nissan Leaf	YES	80 kW (107 horsepower) AC synchronous electric motor	24kWh lithium-ion battery	160km/charge	$38,995 Nissan Leaf SV $39,995 Nissan Leaf SL

Nissan leaf is fully electric 0 emission (no gas required) vehicle and it is available in Canada. But don't go running to your local dealer in hopes of test driving this vehicle. We can only guess that because of low inventory at the moment this vehicle can only be sold by appointment (this could change as these vehicles become more popular).

When examined, purchase process looks quite simple, all you need to do is visit Nissan.ca here and sign up reserving and requesting a quote (fee required which will go towards your purchase). Next your home needs an assessment to see if it is fit for the installation of charging station, next you order your Nissan, have your docking station installed, and finally you're ready to sign papers and make the purchase. Your Nissan dealer will assess any trade-ins you may have and assist you with financing. That's it, sit back and wait. When your car's ready head down to dealership and pick up your new electric car.

We mentioned most important technical details in the chart above but if you wish to find out more about this exciting vehicle please visit Nissan Leaf Canada.

 

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