Nissan LEAF to Arrive in Hong Kong by April

Nissan LEAF deliveries are off to a slow crawl in both the US and Japan. Despite this, an advanced supply of electric vehicles are reportedly going to ship to Hong Kong soon. According to a recent Detroit Free Press article, Nissan has agreed to fast-track the order of LEAFs so they will arrive as early as April.

The Hong Kong government is also expected to sign a deal with another supplier of commercial electric vehicles. Kitty Poon, the city's acting secretary for environment, has stated that talks are underway with a British manufacturer that he only identified as Smith, which could be Smith Electric Vehicles, a US-based electric vehicle manufacturer that has recently bought its former British parent company, Tanfield Group.

The 2011 Nissan LEAF is an all-electric car, powered by a 80 kW motor that drives the front wheels. Energy is provided by a new lithium-ion battery pack positioned underneath the cabin floor to save space.

The EV can be charged up to 80% in just 30 minutes with a quick charger, while a full charge at home through a 200V outlet is estimated to take approximately eight hours. The socket for the Leaf charging plug is hidden underneath a flap with the firm's logo on top.

Nissan claims their car has a driving range of around 160 km (100 miles), while the hatchback will be able to achieve a top speed of over 140 km/h (90 mph).

The Japanese automaker has formed partnerships with countries such as the UK and Portugal, and local governments in Japan and the USA, as well as the private sector.