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Introductions

During the last few decades, increased concern over the environmental impact of gas powered transportation, along with the specter of peak oil, has led to renewed interest in electric transportation. Electric vehicles differ from fossil fuel-powered vehicles in that the electricity they consume can be generated from a wide range of sources including: fossil fuels, nuclear power, and renewable sources such as tidal power, solar power, and wind power. The electricity may then be stored onboard the vehicle using a battery, flywheel, or super capacitors. Two such vehicles available in the near future are the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the 2011 Nissan Leaf. Read below to see our comparison of the different offerings of each vehicle.

2011 Chevy Volt Introduction

Volt is an electric vehicle with a range extender. Volt runs on electricity from its battery, and then it runs on electricity it creates from a gas generator. Let's assume you have a fully charged battery, depending on the weather, electrical features in use and how you drive, you can drive up to 40 miles on the electricity store in the battery; totally gas and emissions free. After that, its gas powered, range extended generator automatically kicks in to provide electrical power. So Volt can go for several hundred additional miles, until you can plug it in or fill it up again.

2011 Chevy Volt Engine and Design

The Volt uses a three-phase AC induction motor rated at 120 kilowatts, or 160 hp, powered by a 6-foot-long, 375-pound array of lithium-ion cells mounted low along the Volt's floorpan. Though Chevy  wouldn't say precisely how much the Volt weighs at this point (we suspect it will tip the scales at around 3500 pounds), they did mention that much work has been done to keep the center of gravity as low as possible, to help diminish the driver's perception of mass.

Careful cell management is key to efficient utilization, not to mention the safe operation of lithium-ion cells, some of which have been known to fail in spectacular pyrotechnic fashion unless stringent temperature controls are in place. The Volt has dedicated cooling and heating systems for the battery pack, along with elaborate cell-condition-monitoring mechanisms for optimal efficiency.

The chassis is based on GM's Delta architecture, similar to that underpinning the new Cruze model, which promises contemporary ride and handling performance.

2011 Nissan Leaf Introduction

The 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first electric car from this Japanese automaker. This 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback runs exclusively on electric power. Leaf comes in two trim levels, base SV and uplevel SL. All use a 107-horsepower electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. Nissan claims a maximum driving range of 100 miles. The car plugs into either a quick charger, which can fill the battery to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes, or a 220-volt household outlet, which can fully charge the battery in 8 hours. The Leaf comes only with a single-speed transmission that functions like an automatic. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, front-side airbags, and curtain-side airbags. A navigation system is standard on all. SL models have a rearview camera. We have not yet tested the 2011 Nissan Leaf.

2011 Nissan Leaf Design

When Nissan first released pictures of the Leaf, people found it ugly, with its bulbous headlights giving it a frog-like appearance. But in person, the length of the car mitigates that criticism. And looking over those headlights, we could see that they are longer, and more fin-shape than bulbous. The lights are LEDs, used because of their low power draw. The shape of the headlight casings has an aerodynamic purpose, splitting airflow around the side mirrors.

A hatch in front of the car conceals two plug-in points, one a standardized socket for electric vehicles and the other a proprietary Nissan design that can charge the batteries to 80 percent in 30 minutes. Nissan developed the lithium ion batteries for the Leaf in conjunction with NEC. The batteries are flat slabs that fit in the chassis of the car. Weighing about 500 pounds, the battery placement and distribution helps to lower the Leaf's center of gravity. Beyond charging from a plug, the Leaf also incorporates regenerative braking. Similar to the Tesla, as soon as you lift off the accelerator, regenerative braking kicks in, sending juice to the batteries and slowing the car.

But when does these cars go on sale?

GM is aiming for a self-imposed November 2010 deadline with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. If you know you want a Volt, it may not be that easy to get at first. First-year assemblies will be capped at around 10,000 units, a fairly slow pace presumably chosen to allow for any needed debugging of the car and/or its production processes. That means only select Chevy dealers will have Volts to sell in the 2011 model year. After the initial production year, the Volt will become more widely available, however, possibly with production around 100,000 a year; or more considering the market and success of the Volt. Looking for info on the Volt? Visit Chevrolet.com for more information.

The Nissan Leaf goes on sale in December of 2010 as a 2011 model. Nissan is counting on 20,000 preorders for the car, and will initially build them in Japan. By the third model year, the company expects to start producing them from its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. For more info on the Nissan Leaf visit Nissan.com