IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With Nissan
LEAF sales in the United States up
by 335 percent year-over-year since launching the enhanced 2013
model in March, Nissan is seeing demand for electric vehicles (EVs)
expand significantly outside the traditional West Coast stronghold
to "New Wave" markets across the country.
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"LEAF always has sold well on the West Coast for a number of
reasons -- state tax incentives that stack on top of federal,
High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) access,
environmental mindedness, a concentration of early adopters and an
EV culture and enthusiasm that dates back to some of the earliest
EV experiments before Nissan took them mass-market," said
Erik Gottfried, Nissan director of
EV Sales and Marketing. "In fact, for several months LEAF has been
the No. 1 seller in the Nissan portfolio in Seattle, Portland and San
Francisco."
Here's a look at the Top 15 LEAF markets nationally:
- No. 1: San Francisco, where
the 100-percent electric car has made it into the top ten best
selling vehicles in San Francisco
-- EV or otherwise.
- No. 2: Los Angeles. LEAF
performance is great against gasoline counterparts because of good
charging infrastructure, a dense urban footprint and congestion.
"LEAF really whips gasoline-powered vehicles in traffic jams and
congestion because unlike them, it uses minimal energy while
sitting in traffic," said Gottfried.
- No. 3: Atlanta, a "New Wave"
EV market that has nabbed the No. 3 rank thanks to a number of
factors including congestion where LEAF performs well, state
incentives and HOV and high occupancy toll lanes (HOT) access.
"Those combined factors result in a real lifestyle change that puts
time back in your day and greatly facilitates personal mobility,"
said Brendan Jones, director of EV
Infrastructure Strategy for Nissan. Georgia has a tax credit worth up to
$5,000 for zero-emissions vehicles.
In Atlanta, Nissan workplace
outreach has resulted in more than 100 LEAF sales to Southern
Company employees.
- No. 4: Seattle. Energy
companies have been a major proponent in developing the West Coast
Electric Highway that has helped to educate consumers and raise
awareness for EVs
- No. 5: Portland. Oregon has a
Chief EV Officer to promote EV use.
- No. 6: Honolulu, with 26 quick
chargers, has one of densest charging grids in the U.S. The island
environment also makes it easier to strategically place charging
points so that EV drivers have easy access to reach key
destinations. EVs fit into a larger energy-independence initiative
in Hawaii since the state can make
its own energy and become less reliant on shipping in fuel.
- No. 7: San Diego ranks in the
top LEAF cities for many of the same reasons in other California and West Coast markets: state tax
incentives, HOV/HOT access and general environmental
mindedness.
- No. 8: Sacramento as state
capital has a high level of awareness and education around EVs with
a concentration of early adopters and an appreciation of EV
culture.
- No. 9: Nashville, home of
Nissan Americas headquarters and the plants that assemble both LEAF
and its battery. Many "New Wave" EV markets demonstrate a high
level of viral sales growth. "LEAF owners have exceptionally high
levels of satisfaction with the vehicle and are eager to share that
experience with curious peers. Those peer-to-peer discussions
frequently lead to additional LEAF sales," said Gottfried. In
Nashville, credit goes to a robust
charging infrastructure and a core group of employee enthusiasts
who raised awareness of the practicality of the vehicle in the
market in 2011. Since then, the "cul de sac phenomenon" has taken
off with general consumers in the market where one person buys a
LEAF and validates it for the entire neighborhood. "In mid-size
cities like Nashville, people know
and talk to their neighbors. We don't see that everywhere, but in
certain communities we've seen peer-to-peer selling play a huge
role and sales really are viral in nature," said Gottfried.
- No. 10: St. Louis, where the
reasons for growth in this "New Wave" market include enthusiastic
dealer engagement that results in increased community education and
awareness, corporate and university outreach and midwestern
pragmatism that appreciates the value equation of an EV. "Expanding
beyond the early adopters who love new technology, we're seeing
more value-conscious customers motivated by the practicality and
frugality of EVs. People see an EV as a freedom from vehicle
running costs. Not only is charging cheaper than fueling -- EV
maintenance costs are much less expensive. Much more frequently
LEAF drivers are telling us they trade out their old monthly gas
bill for the entire lease price of a LEAF," said Gottfried.
- No. 11: Tied for the spot are Chicago and Denver. In Chicago, charging infrastructure growth has
been more recent and now is robust." Illinois provides a $4,000 state tax incentive for purchases and
reduced registration fees. Driving habits in Chicago also are heavy with suburban to urban
commuting patterns. The enhanced driving range of the 2013 LEAF --
partially enabled by the energy-efficient hybrid heater that is an
especially important feature for Chicago -- has helped make the EV a viable
commuter car in this huge car market.
Helping to popularize LEAF in the greater Denver market is Colorado's $6,000 state tax credit, EV enthusiast dealers
who sponsor considerable grassroots education and awareness
activities and a general green-mindedness in the market.
"Colorado has a green outdoorsy
streak and a vibe that embraces EV culture," said
Gottfried. "In an area known for great craft breweries,
employees from New Belgium Brewing even drive LEAF to make their
sales calls around town. The company offers free public access to
its charging stations, which are cleverly concealed in 1970s-era
gas pumps. That sort of EV-friendly environment improves
visibility."
- No. 13: Washington D.C. Again,
the compact footprint with urban-suburban commutes in easy range,
strong LEAF demographics of highly educated buyers in a tech
corridor and a quickly growing fast charger network lend to the
increasing popularity of LEAF in the nation's capital.
Additionally, for the greater D.C. area, Maryland offers a $1,000 EV tax credit.
- No. 14: Dallas-Ft. Worth,
which has a healthy charging infrastructure in the state that is
home to NRG's eVgo, which provides car charging services. Adoption
of EVs in the market also has been accelerated by peer-to-peer
selling at tech and transportation workplaces such as Texas
Instruments and BNSF Railroad. Texas is planning to offer a $2,500 state rebate for EV purchases.
- No. 15: New York City. Its
demographics and compact footprint have helped make EVs popular
especially in communities surrounding Manhattan. Communities in the market such as
Princeton and Westchester and areas of Long Island and New
Jersey that are conducive to home charging are the most
popular. The New York market also
benefits from sales of small EV fleets, including the NY Department
of Sanitation. High-visibility projects such as the LEAF taxi pilot
have helped to raise consumer awareness. Cab drivers report that
riders express enthusiastic interest in the EVs, which results in
much more conversation and higher tips. LEAF taxi drivers share
information cards with QR codes to educate consumers more about the
vehicle.
"Given the sustained demand we've been seeing among increasingly
diverse markets and buyers, we're bullish on the EV market and
confident that LEAF will continue to be the leader in practical,
affordable EVs," said Gottfried.
SOURCE Nissan Americas