Nissan To Make Quick Bucks Out Of Leaf Quick Chargers?

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Nissan won’t sell their much ballyhooed pure plug-in Leaf until December. But a successful launch wants to be well planned, and Nissan thinks of everything. They won’t sell you the Leaf just yet. But you can already buy the charger. If you bank account is properly charged.

In Japan, Nissan started sales of quick chargers for the Leaf, The Nikkei [sub] reports. It won’t be as quick as gassing up your car. The gizmo will fill up your battery to 80 percent of capacity in half an hour.

Nevertheless, Nissan doesn’t anticipate the machine to be a runaway seller. “Nissan is targeting sales of 100 units in the current fiscal year,” (which lasts until March 31 of 2011) says the Nikkei. Why the diminutive sales target? Money. The standard model costs 1,470,000 yen, which converts to shock and awe inspiring $16,371 at today’s rate. Yes, you read right. For the charger, not for the car. And that’s for the base model. If you want a “cold climate” charger, be prepared to pay $17,190. The “hot climate” charger inexplicably sets you back a cool $19,294.

Now we are beginning to understand what Nissan meant when they said they’ll use the “iPod model” when marketing the Leaf: They’ll sell you an expensive charger.

The less well heeled will not be left behind. Nissan will make the charger available at 200 of their Japanese dealerships. It will work with electric vehicles of other automakers, Nissan said. For a full half hour, you’ll be at the mercy of a salesperson until your car is back to 80 percent charge. Now that’s an ingenious way of driving traffic.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

More by Bertel Schmitt

Comments
Join the conversation
7 of 24 comments
  • BuzzDog BuzzDog on May 22, 2010

    Speaking of odd ways of marketing options for the Leaf, it amuses me that Nissan will offer a GPS package in a car with a 100-mile range. Maybe I'm atypical, but I don't use GPS very often for in-town trips, at least not enough to pay over $1,000 for a built-in unit. Being a bit of a techno-geek/early adopter I have considered a Leaf as a second vehicle for daily commuting and errands, and suspect - as with the EV1 - that will account for the bulk of early owners. On the surface, quick-charge stations seem to allow longer trips. But with the Leaf it means a 30-minute stop every 80 miles, assuming optimal location of stations along your route. In other words, the 210-mile trip I regularly make in under three hours would now take four, so it's still not a good option for me as my only vehicle. However, quick-charge stations are a positive step toward making EVs a workable option to ICE vehicles, IF that is what the buying public truly wants.

    • See 1 previous
    • Porschespeed Porschespeed on May 23, 2010

      Depends on whether the pig serving your abode is WYE or Delta. (At least in the US). Regardless, in the US, most anyone gets ~240V by using 2 hots (as opposed to a hot and a neut leg). That's how the average US electric dryer is wired. (Most are on a WYE pig...) Ain't rocket science. 3PH is a different kettle-o-fish altogether here. Perhaps JP is different...

  • Thebeelzebubtrigger Thebeelzebubtrigger on May 22, 2010

    Meh, I'm gonna wait for the cordless version. :P

    • Nonce Nonce on May 24, 2010

      You joke, but inductive charging is very doable, and raises a lot of interesting possibilities -- you could charge while you drive down the road.

  • Scottcom36 Scottcom36 on May 22, 2010

    A charger so elaborate and expensive, and clearly not intended for home use probably has the capacity to charge more than one car at a time, no?

  • Dhanson865 Dhanson865 on May 25, 2010

    Was I the only one that thought the redneck described in the video was going to say something about using his little cell phone to charge a truck 12v battery? I kept expecting him to try and jump start a car with his cell phone "charger". Nope, the video only talks about the cost of normal cell phone charger.

Next