Nissan Announces Leaf Price in Switzerland

One by one, countries all over the world are gearing up to receive the Nissan Leaf, the first global electric vehicle to be manufactured by a major carmaker. This time, it's the turn of Switzerland to get in the game, becoming the fifth European market to receive the pricing list for the car.

The Leaf will be priced there at 49,950 CHF ($50,788), with the first deliveries to be carried out in early 2011. Unfortunately for local customers, it's not yet clear whether the government will help the purchase of the Leaf by offering incentives and tax breaks.

"Nissan LEAF is the perfect car for a country dedicated to promoting clean, renewable energy," said Simon Thomas, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Nissan International SA. "The combination of zero emissions, ultra-low running costs, and the sheer practicality of the family-sized car will appeal to many Swiss motorists. The fact that it's also great fun to drive is another bonus."

The Nissan Leaf can run for 100 miles (160 km) on a full charge, thanks to the laminated compact lithium-ion batteries that manage to develop 90 kW. The electric motors produce an additional 80 kW/280 Nm of torque.

Recharging the battery to 80 percent of its capacity can take as little as just 30 minutes thanks to a new charging system developed by Nissan. It will however still take 8 hours to bring the battery to full capacity from a 200V home outlet.

So far, according to Nissan, some 27,000 people worldwide have placed their reservations for the Leaf, with the production of the car already begun in Japan.