As a new generation of electric vehicles gets set to enter the market, Nissan Leaf takes the lead:
In 1997, Toyota sold the first hybrid Prius in Japan. In 1999, Honda introduced the first hybrid to the US. US hybrid sales since then have amounted to around 1% of the country’s total vehicle sales, with Prius models accounting for around half of those hybrids. The Obama administration has made a strong contribution by buying almost a fourth of the Ford and GM hybrid vehicles sold since the current president took office, pumping up federal purchases as consumer demand waned in light of the economic downturn. The latest kid on the block is the Nissan Leaf, which is the first vehicle to go through a new US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rating system that tries to give gas-mileage equivalents for cars powered by alternative energy. EPA, it seems, will give the Leaf the ‘best’ designation for fuel economy and environmental impact. Nissan representatives have been making much of how their Leaf posed a real challenge for EPA: We have no gallons, no gasoline. Its rating is nearly double that of the Prius. Its tailpipe emissions are actually non-existent. The Leaf alleviates range anxiety as well, because it delivers the equivalent of 99 miles per gallon.
Nissan & Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has predicted that battery-powered autos may account for 10% of global sales by 2020, especially in light of higher oil prices and tighter emission norms. But, as in the US case, governments will have to get behind such vehicles in a solid way. In the UK, deficit targeting has left the $7,940 electric car subsidy untouched. Beijing is planning to put 500,000 energy-efficient vehicles into the market every year. Is India paying heed?
No comments:
Post a Comment