CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Nissan Americas officials joined Gov. Pat Quinn and representatives from the City of Chicago to announce the Illinois rollout of the all-electric Nissan LEAF for this fall. Nissan has accelerated the launch of Nissan LEAF in Illinois in response to strong consumer demand and supported by plans that include an extensive electric car charging network in Chicago and surrounding suburbs in the coming year.

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“Governor Quinn, Mayor Emmanuel and other visionary Chicago-area leaders have paved the way for mass market adoption of electric cars in their community,” said Scott Becker, senior vice president, Administration and Finance, Nissan Americas. “Chicagoland consumers want a transportation solution that uses no gas and produces no emissions, and the introduction of the Nissan LEAF to Illinois makes that a reality.”

In February, Gov. Quinn announced an investment of $1 million in capital funding to install state-of-the-art charging infrastructure for electric cars throughout the Chicagoland area, matching an additional $1 million in Clean Cities Grant funding secured by the City of Chicago. In total, the project will result in a network of 280 electric vehicle charging stations. Illinois also offers up to $4,000 in rebates after the purchase of electric and alternative technology vehicles – in addition to the $7,500 federal tax credit – making Nissan LEAF even more affordable to Illinois residents.

“Illinois is laying the groundwork for electric vehicles, and our efforts are paying off,” Gov. Quinn said. “By investing in electric vehicle technology, both the State of Illinois and Nissan are making transportation in our state more efficient, sustainable and affordable.”

“Nissan’s entry into the Chicago market is exactly what the city had in mind when we developed our EV infrastructure plan,” said Karen Weigert, Chicago’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “With the 40 Level 2 charging stations to date already installed, Chicago is well on its way to having the most robust EV infrastructure in the nation.”

The City of Chicago working with 350Green helped spearhead an aggressive EV infrastructure plan that called for 73 DC quick-charging stations and 207 Level 2 stations to be installed at public parking garages, grocery stores, tollway oases, etc. by the end of 2011. Thus far, 40 stations have been installed and, when complete, the system will provide the Chicagoland area with the most extensive infrastructure for electric vehicles in the U.S.

Nissan LEAF

The Nissan LEAF is the first and only 100-percent electric, zero-emission vehicle available to the mass market. Since its launch in December 2010, Nissan has delivered more than 5,000 Nissan LEAF electric vehicles in the United States. The Nissan LEAF currently is available in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon and Washington, with Illinois and other additional markets launching later this year. To date, more than 5,000 Nissan LEAFs have been delivered to consumers in the United States, and more than 10,000 globally. Also, more than 350,000 have expressed interest in the Nissan LEAF by signing up for updates, including information on how to purchase and reserve a vehicle, at www.NissanUSA.com.

About Nissan Americas

In the Americas, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 and 2011. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

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• New pickup trucks manufactured locally including Nissan TDS (1)

As I mentioned before, the evolution of cars from gas guzzlers to electric suckers is inevitable if you want to help the environment shape up. With car manufacturers recognizing the effects of using gas powered vehicles to the environment, most of them are looking for ways to create green cars that won’t alienate their current gas powered car customers and lovers. One of these manufacturers is Nissan as they just showed off their green car: The Leaf.

“This is not a golf car, it’s a real car,” Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told the crowd. The Leaf, with motors equal to a 100-horsepower gas engine, can be recharged to 80% capacity in a half hour, of fully overnight. The five-passenger sedan can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 10 seconds.

As with most problems with green cars, it is extremely expensive! According to the article, there’s a very big chance that the price will range from $25,000 to $30,000. Now whether this will go down as more people buy green cars is really up for debate, but in the long run, the price of maintaining this is a heck of a lot cheaper.

The next problem now are the charging stations–and it looks like Nissan is actively participating in setting up the stations. It should push the other car manufacturers to do their share in making the world better for everyone. I’m hoping that this starts the ball rolling for more electric cars in the future.

Source

NovaCharge, the exclusive Southeast authorized channel for ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations from Coulomb Technologies, today announced a sales distribution agreement with Green Energy Marketing & Consulting of Tallahassee. GEMC is a leader in promoting electric transportation and related products and services in the state of Florida. NovaCharge and GEMC will combine their talents to promote sales and installation of the ChargePoint Network to Florida’s businesses, community colleges and universities, electric utilities, and government agencies.

A kickoff event, The Electric Car: The Past Meets the Future, will be held on September 19 at The Tallahassee Antique Car Museum in Tallahassee, FL from 11 AM to 2 PM. The public is invited to come see and learn about the vehicles. Featured at the show will be a 1907 electric Babcock and a 2009 Tesla Roadster. The cars will be charging from the 50KW solar array that powers a portion of the 100,000 sq. ft. museum thus creating an eco-friendly, greenhouse gas-free, charging solution.

(Source) Press