by Bob McHugh, Driveway Canada
The Nissan Leaf relies solely on electric power for propulsion and was the first mass production EV (electric vehicle) sold in North America.
No glorified golf cart here, the Leaf can seat up to five adults and has more than enough power to be driven a highway speeds... just like a normal car.
When Leaf was released as a 2011 model year vehicle Nissan already had pre-sale orders for its entire first-year production run of 20,000 units. Based on a stretched version of Nissan's B-platform, Leaf uses a low-slung Lithium-Ion battery pack to store its electrical energy and it's located near the centre of the vehicle, under the floor. In addition to ample rear cargo space, the battery position also helps make the Leaf more stable and more nimble than other EV's.
