Volt or Leaf?

[efusco]

I was asked to post this poll that also appears at gm-volt.com to an allegedly less biased group.

As soon as the Nissan LEAF electric car unveiling hit the wire, comparisons with the Volt began. It will be of interest to see what we here at GM-Volt.com think. Here’s a run down, with a poll at the end. Design
Sure the Volt isn’t what its concept was but its no slouch either. Its a taught upright rakish car with a broad aggressive grille and stout sharp looks, though some people consider it plain-looking. The LEAF looks like the Versa cousin on which its nearly based, though its has a bit of a frilly swirl to it and a narrow nose straddled by two bulging bubble-like head lamps and an “oddly concave back end” as one writer put it. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so decide for yourself.
Interior
Both cars showcase their technology in the dash. Both have dual LCD screens and a unique shifter. LEAF went with a mouseball type, where as the Volt has a pull down lever. LEAF has a bright, white, airy appearance whereas the Volt has a sporty interior. LEAF gets a 3rd passenger in the back row, Volt cannot. Both have sizable hatchbacks for storage.
Performance
LEAF has top speed of 87 MPH and unknown 0 to 60 though one reporter guesses “high sevens”. Torque is 280 Nm. Volt does 0 to 60 in 8.5 seconds, has a torque of 370 Nm, a top speed of 100 MPH and can squwak the wheels. Volt likely weighs more and both will have a low center of gravity. Ride and handling in either car is unknown.
Connectivity
The Volt is connected to a central monitoring station in Detroit via GM’s tried and true satellite-based OnStar. LEAF is connected to a global monitoring center through an unknown connection system.
Range
This is where the cars differ drastically. The Volt will travel 40 miles on electricity. That will be on both highway and city driving at a moderate temperature. Expect AC and heat to cut into this somewhat, but certainly with careful driving, people are likely to be able to get more EV range. LEAF is said to get 100 miles of range but most experts think this is an exaggeration and will be significantly reduced by HVAC and aggressive driving. I can say that is likely based on my personal experience having logged more than 2000 miles personally in a MINI E, and getting closer to 70 miles of range with a 35 kwh pack.
The key advantage to the Volt is it can continue to be driven without limit beyond 40 miles due to its gas range extender and the fact that there are gas stations everywhere. LEAF dies at 100 miles. To recharge it you’ll have to wait 16 hours if you are away from home. There are no $45,000 high voltage public fast chargers now, but Nissan has teamed with a company called eTec to get 250 installed in 5 major US regions.
With LEAF long road trips are not possible.
Batteries/Warranty
Both cars are using lithium-ion manganese batteries. Nissan’s formulation are very large laminate cells of which the car contains 88 total making up the 24 kwh pack. The pack will discharge much more deeply than the Volt and not have the same thermal management protection, especially in cold weather where operation is particularly abusive to the cells. Volt can turn on the ICE if its too cold to warm the pack first. Volt will also offer 10 year 150,000 mile warranty and Nissan has not said what it would offer, though Mark Perry director of product planning at Nissan told me “We’re going to do a very competitive warranty and we haven’t announced it yet.”
“Think about if form a consumer standpoint,” he says. “How long to people keep cars?, who keeps a car 10 years or 150,000 miles? Our aim is mass acceptance then, whatever than number happens to be.”
Environment/Efficiency
The LEAf as a pure electric car will never use any gasoline, which is what Nissan is heavily promoting calling it a pure zero-emissions vehicle. This attribute is also the car’s limitation. Volt can use gas or E85 if necessary, but for 78% of the population’s daily drives it will use no gas at all.
Price
It seems clear the Volt will retail around $40,000 including the batteries which are not likely to be leased. The LEAF will likely retail around $30,000 plus a separate battery lease. Since the battery costs at least $10,000, monthly cost of ownership should be similar.
Rollout
Nissan has announced it will roll out 5000 LEAFs in 5 geographic regions beginning at the end of 2010. Those cars will be sold to consumers through selected dealerships. Buyers will have to qualify and will be required to provide feedback for a study. Volt rollout plans have still not been announced though sources tell me they too will initially be in a limited geographic distribution. GM has all but stated 10,000 cars will be built in the first year of production.
So which do you prefer and why? - and be sure to take the poll:

[efusco]

For me, it boils down to one thing...5 seats vs 4 seats.

[daniel]

I voted for the Nissan for two reasons: The Nissan is a pure EV, and I personally do not believe the Volt will ever actually be marketed.

The long explanatory notes accompanying the poll, which I presume Evan is quoting, and are not necessarily his own opinions, repeatedly talk about the cars in the present tense, indicative mood, when he should be using the future subjunctive, since neither car actually exists and all statements about performance are hypothetical and speculative.

Nobody, not even the manufacturers, knows what the specs will be on these cars!

You might as well ask whether Spiderman could beat the Incredible Hulk in a fight!

[Tideland Prius]

I voted for the Leaf. It's a real electric car just like the Gen 1 Prius was a real hybrid-electric car. Sure the Volt is probably a real PHEV too but given that we already have a Prius, the Leaf will be a second around-town car like most ZENN owners on PC are doing.

[hill]

I needed another option: Which ever gets here first. A few more decades of waiting and we'll start another topic based on its comparative humor:

Cold Fusion or Warp Drive?

Give me SOMETHING . . . ANYTHING!

[markderail]

I'm neutral.

If it replaces my 2006 Prius, it would be the Volt.

If it's for a secondary car, meant for the Mon-Fri 8-5, then the Leaf.

[efusco]

Originally Posted by hill

I needed another option: Which ever gets here first. A few more decades of waiting and we'll start another topic based on its comparative humor:

Cold Fusion or Warp Drive?

Give me SOMETHING . . . ANYTHING!

I was waiting for someone to say "more options", but I chose to replicate the poll at gm-volt exactly to remain consistant. My choice was/is the Tesla Model S over either of these, but b/w the two I would say the Leaf b/c of seating and all electric. But the real world range would be a concern to me as my lake house is 60 very hilly highway miles away and it's a drive I make fairly often.

[Chrome]

Chevrolet Volt. I have nothing against the Leaf, but I prefer the interior of the Volt. PLUS, and this is really the main reason for my preference, I can use the Volt as my only car. I can't do so with the Leaf. I frequently take 300+ mile trips, and that would take several days with the Leaf--since it requires an overnight charge after each 100 miles.

But kudos to both companies.

[realale]

Originally Posted by Chrome

I frequently take 300+ mile trips, and that would take several days with the Leaf--since it requires an overnight charge after each 100 miles.

FWIW, one of the Leaf videos shows quick charge stations that they expect to build a network of (highway rest stops? close to interstate restaurants?) that will fully charge it in 30 minutes. Obviously, this suffers from the same uncertainties as many issues around these cars - will they ever get built at all?

Personally, I voted Leaf, as apart from a couple of 1000ish mile trips a year to visit family, the rest of our driving is waaaaaay less than 100 miles at a pop. For the long trips, I'll just rent a Prius from Enterprise for $25 a day.

I'm a firm believer that you make these big purchases to cover your ordinary needs, not the extraordinary. It was a big leap to move from a family with a station wagon and a minivan to a family with a single Prius, and no second vehicle at all (other than our feet and our bikes) but it's worked out great. Total number of times we've had to rent a second car - 1 - for a single day. Total number of times we've had to rent a truck from Home Depot, etc. - 0. Total cost savings to our family from only having one car and having it be a Prius - thousands of dollars.

Cheers,

Dave

[ystasino]

Originally Posted by markderail

I'm neutral.

If it replaces my 2006 Prius, it would be the Volt.

If it's for a secondary car, meant for the Mon-Fri 8-5, then the Leaf.

Agreed though the Leaf does have an edge for being #1