RFQF6F74RYC6 It is hard matching EPA estimates for any car, especially hybrids. I found some helpful Prius Mileage tips, some of which are counter intuitive.
“..rapid acceleration to speed followed by cruising is actually more efficient, though counterintuitive”
“, keeping the windows open is more economical. The rationale: Battery drain from air conditioning uses more gasoline than aerodynamic drag caused by open windows.”
This one will have everyone passing you: “Remember that for every mph above 55 in a Prius, you could lose up to one mpg, mostly due to atmospheric drag — even with its advanced aerodynamic body.”
“..motor-generators (MGs) reach their maximum rpm at about 42 mph, which forces the engine to run to prevent damage to the MGs. So at speeds above 42, the engine must run, which creates added friction. This must be compensated for to maintain speed, causing a reduction in fuel economy.”
Nissan Leaf Electric Car, the first affordable mass-market zero emissions electric car, is now available for ordering with a whopping $7500 Federal Tax Credit on New Qualified Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicles through December 31, 2011. The credit will begin to be phased out for each manufacturer in the second quarter following the calendar quarter in which a minimum of 200,000 qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles have been sold by that manufacturer for use in the U.S. The credit is available against the alternative minimum tax.
The drops the price to as little as $25,280 after-tax savings. California adds a Electric Vehicle Purchase Rebate $5000 rebate while funds last dropping it even further to $20,280! See what type of conventional car you can buy for $20k. Check your local state for its rebates. The Chevy Volt unfortunately does not qualify for this level of rebate. Georgia also has a $5000 rebate.
It is all electric, not a hybrid car and is rated for a 100 mile range on a single charge, although this might be optimistic. This car is not for everyone. The Leaf is made in Japan and Tennessee. Nissan makes it, so you don’t have to worry about an unknown new company that may go out of business in a couple years. The car is partly made of recycled materials and they use wind power to power a portion of their factory.
The Leaf comes with a home charging dock that requires a 220/240V 40AMP dedicated electric circuit, so additional costs of approximately $2200 (50% tax credit available via Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit) will be incurred to upgrade your garage. Charging the battery to 80% of its capacity with a special rapid 440V charger takes about 25 minutes.
A full battery charge occurs in eight hours with 220/240V charging and cost approximately $2.28 in electricity. (Approx 19 kWH of charging, average per kW of electricity an expensive $0.12/kW in California) Nissan’s ads quote 38 miles travelled for one dollar of cost vs 19 for a Toyota Prius Hybrid. Kiplinger listed Nissan Leaf fuel cost at an optimistic 2 cents per mile, Prius 6 cents, VW Jetta Diesel 9 cents, and Honda Accord 11 cents. The Leaf is projected to use 0 – 76g of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) per mile driven compared to 153-229 for a Prius Hybrid.
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