Chevy and Leaf to Rule the Electric Car Market
For anyone who is a keen follower of electric cars and has been keeping a watch over the latest developments, the unanswered question is whether it will be Leaf or the Volt that will be the market leader in the segment of electric cars?
That is a tough question and a tough question normally does not have any simple answer. However, let us try to analyze the good and the bad things of each car and why it may be more suitable for a particular type of user.
To begin with, the comparison between Leaf and Volt is not entire an apple to apple comparison because Leaf scores over Volt by being a Zero-emission and 100% electric car. Volt is in fact a hybrid, much like Prius. It can run on electricity as well as gasoline. And this distinction is actually going to probably decide Leaf’s success or failure in being the market leader.
You may say that Chevy has played it safe by going in for a safer route of hybrid technology knowing that the future is uncertain in terms of mass commercial adoption of electric technology. There is a lot that needs to be done to build the infrastructure that can support electric vehicles and sustain a commercial model that includes hundreds of thousands electric cars on the road. In other words, by using a hybrid technology, the risk element associate with a new technology has been marginalized for Volt to a considerable extent. It is electric besides being gasoline dependent, optionally.
The focus of this pioneering technology’s success and implementation is thus fairly on Nissan Leaf because it boasts of a product that is 100% electric and has a commercial pricing that will further ensure commercial acceptance by the masses. If someone was willing to invest $25000 for a Leaf then he stands to make use of a newer technology that is pollution free and cost-friendly. If this product succeeds, then Nissan’s future will take a leap by a factor that we cannot even write today. It will be exponential growth for Nissan and a great green driving culture for the future.
Even if Leaf was to fail, Nissan has already reaped the benefits of being a pioneer in the field of electric cars. While other manufacturers are awaiting and monitoring Leaf’s performance from the sidelines, Nissan will have lived its own battle and a win or no-win will have taught it intricate details of zero-emission technology and consumer preferences that others will only be deprived of.
To put a very brief summary, Nissan has everything to gain in the next couple of years. We cannot say the same for Volt and Chevy for sure.
This guest post is written by Marcus Isabela and she is an avid green technology fan. She also enjoys writing on fuel management solutions that revolve around fuel cards. A business fuel card offers many tangible benefits to a genuine business.