Time magazine is justifiably famous for its annual “Person of the Year” awards. But that’s not the only award it bestows each year. I was delighted to find an electric car, the plug-in Nissan LEAF on the list of Time’s top inventions of 2009. It is the only vehicle on the 2009 list.
What makes the Nissan LEAF so special? Top of the list is that it is is the world’s first EV built for mass production, not just a few hundred here and there like the electric versions of the Smartfortwo and MINI Cooper. The car’s top speed is more than 90 mph, and it has a range of 100 miles on a full charge, more than enough for the average daily commute or supermarket run.
The Nissan LEAF is on a North American tour right now, before it goes on sale in spring 2010 for delivery in fall 2010. The tour schedule for January and February 2010 for test drives includes Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington, D. C., Houston and New York City.
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