When Top Gear said that, “In the real world, [the Tesla Roadster] doesn’t seem to work,” the electric automaker responded with a lawsuit. Nissan is taking a different tack, putting a clever twist on the one-sided, anti-EV message that the British television show keeps broadcasting about the faults of plug-in vehicles. In the town of Lincoln, where presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May supposedly ran out of juice in a Nissan Leaf (it was all staged), Nissan will install two charging points, one dedicated to each of the TV stars.
The EVSE – a PodPoint charging unit – will be put in the downtown area and the two sockets, will “allow both Jeremy and James to recharge their batteries at the same time.” How kind.
When the chaps aren’t around, other plug-in vehicle drivers will be able to charge for free at the station, something that the local government representatives are obviously pleased about (as you can read in the statement after the jump). The station should be operational by the end of August, and Nissan says it is going to invite May and Clarkson to be the first to plug in there. That’s an event we look forward to seeing on an episode of Top Gear right about… never. http://www.autoblog.com/2011/08/04/nissans-reponse-to-top-gear-here-have-two-charge-point/
Nice to see some companies take criticism as a good thing and improve upon it
Folks mistake Top Gear for actual reviews, when it’s pure entertainment. While I’m not an EV fan, TG’s approach does nobody any good, except their ratings. It’s like when they reviewed an F150 a few years ago and went on about the ‘shoddy workmanship’ - their example? An air vent somebody obviousely broke for the camera’s benefit…
While TG is entertainment (and pretty good entertainment at that) there is often a bit of truth in some of their comments.
I did not read the details but I believe the Tesla roadster is DOA now without it ever being verified those cars would actually go a couple of hundred miles on a charge so they’re right on that count.
bscar,
Dude, aren’t you the quite the narrator of the news today.
A veritable influx of invaluable information for the rest of us.
( aka somebody’s got a whole lotta’ nothin’ to do today )
Very interesting pieces, keep ‘em comin’
I don’t get out much , stuck here at work and all.
The only automotive news I’ve seen today is on my MSN home page.
One piece about the top ten american automotive inventions or inovations.
And another about the best and worst pre-owned vehicles that so many posters here ask us to answer for them.
@ken green
Yeah, I got let off work early today. Only had to work an hour out of my shift.
Plus, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted any autoblog stuff.
Others seem to enjoy it too, beats the heck outta the “coasting in neutral” or “fix or repair” or “should I buy this 20 year old Volvo because it’s really safe, or this 5 year old Hyundai? Both are the same price” posts that we normally get around here.
Mechanics Illustrated recently reviewed the Leaf as well with similar conclusion. The variable range indicator can be disconcerting as it changes constantly with conditions. They feel it is a hoot to drive, practically maintenance free; but. You should consider it as a 2nd or third vehicle and drive over known routes until charging stations are the norm. Or, at the least, you plan your trip along a route with cooperative plug in facilities and the planned time to use them. This is especially true with the on board 110 charger.
It seemed like a pretty realistic review and worth reading. The bottom line is…most really like the EV with it’s performance and practically non existent maintenance. It’s just that the support that is lacking and they are too darn expensive.
Exactly. The Leaf and Volt are good starts - people find they drive really well and are practical for short to medium commutes. But, range is a big issue for the Leaf, and the price of both Leaf and Volt is still too high for most. I found a site that did a test drive of Leaf, Volt, and 4 top selling hybrids with over 100 car owners considering a hybrid or plug-in. It was pretty good - handsoncomparisons.com
I test drove the Leaf last month, it was a blast! Pulled up alongside a Hummer, gave a wave to the driver who waved back. I don’t think he realized what I was driving. Had great pickup as an electric car should have. Plenty of room, my 6’2" friend in the back seat had plenty of room. But it is either a city car, or a second car, it would work fine for my 40 mile daily commute, and anyone who said it won’t replace their truck is looking at it all wrong. That’s not what it’s for. It’s for people like me who have relatively short commutes, with a second car for the other driver and longer trips.
When Mrs. JT is ready for a new car in a couple of years, I will seriously consider the Leaf and Volt, since she has such a short daily commute. But they will have stiff competition. The Volt is basically a hybrid Cruze. Even a Cruze LT-1 with the usual goodies will top out at $21,000. The Volt will be $12,000 more after the federal rebate. That’s a whole lot of gasoline. The average Volt user gets 123 MPG and the average Cruze LT-1 driver gets 28 MPG. It will take 109,000 miles to pay off the difference; even longer when you consider the time value of the saved $12,000.
The Volt gets 123mpg ? Isn’t that just 93 or so for a very limited range. After 40 miles, the motor kicks in then it’s little better than any sub compact, 37 mpg. A genuine EV with a longer range and lower price might be best for the Mrs. By then, there may be many better choices then a Volt. The Volt gets 60 mpg average for a tankful which sounds good and 10 mpg better then a Prius, but, you’ll have to plug it in overnight to do it again while the Prius gets it’s mileage continuously as a parallel hybrid.
Well, the Volt gets infinite mpgs if your commute is less than 20 miles each way (ignoring the occaisional engine use to keep the fuel fresh). So it just depends. But I agree that a Prius is probably better all around as far as comparing mpgs and total cost.
Infinite ? Still, at today’s prices, any vehicle that even approaches 80 to 90 mpg for a lot less money makes a Volt a poor financial choice. Is Mrs. JT ready for a scooter ?
