When Inside Line asked Nissan about the hike, and its battle against Chevy’s Volt, a Nissan spokesperson said: “This idea that these two cars are battling it out for the hearts and minds of consumers isn’t what we’re seeing.”

The starting price of 2012′s Volt is still $4,000 more expensive than the Leaf. The 2012 Nissan Leaf goes on sale this fall.

Source: Inside Line

So, does the Leaf live up to it’s electricity-sipping hype? Inside Line editor Dan Edmunds gave us a long term review.

The Leaf may not exactly hit that 99 mile range it promoted last year, but a 76.7 mile single charge range was recorded during real world testing. Also, the Nissan Leaf consumed 34 kWh per 100 miles for the month, which is on par with its EPA estimates.

Leaf is powered by a rechargeable electric battery powerplant. A 240V charger can be purchased through Nissan and installed in your home easily and quickly. We’ll report back soon to see if Inside Line can improve that real-world range top number.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf features an electric motor with 107 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. Power is provided by laminated lithium-ion batteries, which allow the Leaf to travel approximately 99 miles on a single charge. Once depleted, the batteries can be fully recharged in eight hours, using a standard household outlet.

U.S. pricing starts at around $32,000 ($25,280 after a $7,500 federal tax credit) and that alone has brought customers into dealership lots for reservations. For now, Nissan has not announced any more Leaf production added on to this year, but that may change as demand grows.

Either that, or people will just have to go out and put down a $99 reservation of a 2012 model.

Nissan has dropped a sticker of “$32,780—or less” for their Leaf EV. How can it be “less” – that all depends on your tax breaks state-to-state. See, anyone who buys a hybrid or electric vehicle is eligible for thousands of dollars in tax rebates from the government. Amounts tend to vary by state or the type of vehicle purchased. For example: California has a $5000 rebate, Georgia offers a $5000 tax credit, and Oregon will offer a $1500 tax credit.

If your state offers decent incentives, you could be looking at an all new 2011 Leaf for only $27,000.

Nissan begins taking reservations for Leaf April 20. Buyers interested must also pay a refundable $99 reservation fee starting that day. Leaf will be available in certain markets this December, with a national roll-out by 2011.

Source: Car and Driver

Creating that infrastructure will be a huge challenge, but Mark Perry, director of product planning for Nissan North America, tells the Tennessean the company will be ready when the first Leafs (Leaves?) roll into showrooms in December 2010. “There is a lot of work to be done and not a lot of time to do it,” he said.

Nissan didn’t announce a price tag on their Leaf, although they claim it will be an affordable, C-segment model. Nissan also states their electric car will be cheaper to maintain, due to less moving parts – and will fall under Government guidelines for tax exemption and/or rebates on fuel efficient/alt. energy vehicles.

The Leaf uses a laminate lithium-ion battery pack with an output of over 90 kilowatts. The car’s drive motor puts out 80 kilowatts of power, substantial enough to give it performance equivalent to a gas-powered car. Nissan claims the Leaf has a range of over 100 miles, fairly typical for electric car projects from other automakers. The Leaf uses regenerative braking, and has a recharge time of 30 minutes to get the battery pack up to 80 percent using a quick charger. From a 200 volt source, the Leaf takes 8 hours to recharge.

The Leaf will be built in Japan, as well as their United States plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Source: CNET