The Nissan Leaf Electric car goes on tour in the US

LOS ANGELES — The Leaf, an electric vehicle that Nissan plans to start selling globally next year, will be introduced here on Friday, which marks the start of a 22-city tour.

The Nissan Leaf Zero Emission Tour will make stops in 11 states and will end in New York on Feb. 14.

The Leaf display will spend four days in Los Angeles, being shuttled to various locations to build up awareness of Nissan’s commitment to being the first to market with a mass-produced electric vehicle. The Leaf prototype that crowds will be checking out is close to what the production will look like. But the car on display doesn’t run.


However, a Nissan Versa outfitted with the Leaf’s powertrain will be available for special drives for the news media, politicians and V.I.P.’s. No public drives will be offered.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s chairman and chief executive, will speak at a news media event on Friday morning in downtown Los Angeles.

The Leaf, an all-electric five-door hatchback, will have a 100-mile range, Nissan said.

Mr. Ghosn said last month, in introducing the Leaf at the Tokyo Motor Show, that the vehicle would be priced “competitively” compared with other cars its size. This has been estimated at $25,000 to $33,000. But the price won’t include the lithium-ion battery packs; those will be available for lease separately. The spent battery packs will be recycled by Nissan and reused.

The powertrain consists of an electric motor, with an equivalent of 110 horsepower, driven by a 24-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Top speed is estimated to be 87 miles an hour. The battery can be quick-charged in about 30 minutes to 80 percent capacity, with a special high-voltage unit. It can also be charged from a conventional 110- or 220-volt outlet.

A network of 2,500 charging stations especially for the Leaf is being built in Tennessee, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle and Phoenix, where sales will initially be focused.