Nissan LEAF

The 100-percent electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF has just been voted 2011 World Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show, edging out the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A8 for the top spot.

This is the latest in a series of accolades for the Nissan LEAF and Nissan and Chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn, said,”It is a great joy that the world’s first mass-marketed electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF, has won the prestigious award of the 2011 World Car of the Year”.

The World Car of the Year competiton was launched in 2004 with winners chosen by a panel of leading automotive journalists and experts from around the globe, including  Asia, Europe and North America.

Toyota iQ EV

Toyota has unveiled their iQ based EV Prototype at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show which offers zero emissions from its all-electric 47kW motor (driving the front wheels) and 270V lithium-ion battery (located beneath the seats). The new EV prototype will accelerate from 0-62mph in 14 seconds, has a top speed of 78mph, and offers a range of 65 miles on a full charge.

The new car is based on their popular iQ city car and a full charge on AC power takes four hours and an 80% charge on DC takes just 15 minutes. Toyota expects European trials to start this year and they have also announced the second generation RAVE4 is on course for a US market launch in 2012.

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Electric vehicle leasing prices continue to be imported by our partners and the Nissan LEAF 5-door hatchback automatic has just been loaded on Nissan business car leasing from only £306+VAT per month on 4 years or £323+VAT on 3 years. Zero emissions electric vehicle motoring is now a reality for any business fleet and at this rental is affordable,when you consider the whole life running costs.

The Nissan business car leasing deal is based on the following;

- Business car leasing on a non-maintained contract over a four year term at 10,000 miles per annum.

- 3 months rental in advance followed by forty-seven subsequent rentals (50 equal payments in total)

- “With maintenance”, metallic paint and other vehicle options can be added at an extra cost.

- The image shown may not represent the exact model.

- Pricing is subject to change at any time and must be verified directly with each vehicle leasing supplier

-Three year rental starts from £323+VAT

Toyota EV leasing programme

Toyota has announced its plans to introduce a production electric vehicle in Europe by 2012 through a leasing programme. This new model will be based on the EV prototype which is set to make its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Electric Vehicle leasing

The EV car is based on the successful iQ and will undergo road testing in Europe during 2011 and is also going to be marketed in the USA as well.

This new EV prototype integrates an all-electric powertrain within the iQ package while maintaining the agility of the popular city car, yet with zero tailpipe emissions and silent electric running.

The four-seater EV prototype has a new, flat lithium-ion battery pack, is expected to have a range of around 65 miles and is yet another example of Toyota’s innovative Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. Electric Vehicle leasing is also available right now on other cars if you are interested.

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The number of mainstream electric cars currently available is increasing day-by-day and our vehicle finance partners are starting to load their electric vehicle business car leasing prices now. The easiest way to find the latest electric vehicle car leasing prices is to use the Vehicle Type car leasing shopper, select hatchbacks and then choose “electric” for fuel. For example the Mitsubishi I-MIEV 5-door hatchback is on the site now on a three-year contract, 10,000 miles per annum, on non-maintained business car leasing from only £388.63+VAT per month.

The other electric cars on the site now include the Peugeot ION, Citroen C-Zero and Nissan Leaf and we expect the other partners to load their prices soon. Electric Vehicle leasing will provide your business with zero emission motoring and offers other running costs and taxation benefits.

Nissan ESFLOW

Nissan has released the details of their Nissan ESFLOW, zero emissions, EV sports car which proves you can produce a vehicle that is environmentally friendly, yet is still a thrill to drive. The car is based on Nissan LEAF technology but this new sports car concept runs on two electric motors and is rear wheel drive.

Performance is superb with the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint reached in only 5 seconds and the car has a range of over 240kms (149 miles) on one charge. This two seater electric sports car has dramatic styling with a long bonnet leading into a steeply raked, wrap around windscreen. Low profile tyres and crisp clean lines ensures it looks like a true performer and the exterior colour is inspired by glaciers – highly reflective solidified liquid with blue tints in its shadows. The car’s headlights and Nissan emblem are also tinted cool blue, the six spoke wheels contain blue carbon inserts as does the side sill, roof mounted lip spoiler and lower rear bumper.

Rear view of Nissan ESFLOW

The cabin is clean and open, with the seats sculpted into the rear bulkhead of the car to save weight. This means of course they are immobile, but the fly-by-wire steering and pedals adjust electrically to find the best driving position (rather than the other way round in a conventional car). The seats are upholstered in gold leather and perforated gold suede with the doors trimmed in dark blue leather and suede. This theme continues across the dashboard, which is also adorned with silver carbon trim plus four multifunction illuminated LCD displays.

Nissan Leaf

The biggest factor in determining how a contract hire leasing rental is calculated is what each vehicle leasing Company sets as their future resale value (residual value). Most of the top leasing companies rely on CAP data, the UK’s leading authority on vehicle information and data.

CAP has now forecast the the Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle will retain 40% of its pre-subsidy list price at 3 years and 30,000 miles. The government is offering a grant of up to £5,000 to encourage take-up of initially expensive electric vehicles and coupled with the benefits of zero emissions, this now makes the Nissan Leaf (and other electric cars) more accessible to business fleets.

The forecast by CAP is important as there has been a debate as to whether the batteries should be leased separately and CAP has maintained its position of only forecasting residual values where the battery is legally under the same title as the vehicle.  Mike Norman of CAP commented,”Although the future residual value of an electric vehicle is only a small part of the story, this forecast remains a significant moment in the industry. The figure of 40% reflects the belief that the current widespread scepticism in some areas fails to recognise that there will be a market for Leaf and similar vehicles among consumers, especially those who wish to wear their green credentials openly”.

EcoDaily Electric van

Iveco has launched a new EcoDaily Electric van and chassis cab in the UK and Ireland which now combines the robustness of its popular commercial vehicle, with a model that has zero tailpipe emissions. They will now offer a 3.5 tonne single rear wheel (Daily 35S) and 5.2 tonne twin rear wheel (Daily 50C) model in van or chassis cab, with special applications (crew cab, MPV etc) available on request.

This electric van is ideally suited to short distance journeys and door-to-door deliveries in an urban environment and of course qualifies for a 100 per cent discount on the London Congestion Charge. Depending on how many batteries you have fitted, the range varies from 55 miles to 80 miles and each vehicle has their speed limited to 45mph.

Atomik 500

The UK debut of the all-electric Atomik 500 “city supercar” will take place at the Salon Prive (at the Hurlingham Club in Chelsea) between the 21st and 23rd of July 2010. Two Atomik 500′s will be brought to the event by the Paris-based car manufacturer.

This fantastic city-car offers a supercar performance with zero emissions, reaching 0-100km per hour (approximately 60mph) in only five seconds and has a range of 200km (around 120 miles). Jerome Griffart of Atomik Cars said,”Atomik Cars offer a preview of tomorrow’s technology, in cars you can buy and use today. Our cars offer avant-garde design, ambition and technological skill and Salon Prive gives us the perfect platform to reach customers looking for that exclusivity”. For more information and tickets to the event you can visit the Salon Prive website

@ www.salonprivelondon.com

Renault Z.E.

Europcar and Renault have moved forward on an agreement reached at the Frankfurt International Motor Show last year. Europcar has pre-ordered 500 electric Renault Z.E. (zero emissions)vehicles and is set to offer the range to its customers by 2011, for the European short-term rental market.

Rafael Girona, Chief Operating Officer of Europcar Groupe said,”Europcar reaches a decisive point in bringing electric vehicles into the rental market; they will join the eco-friendly fleet that already features on our websites. The interaction between our network and Renault’s technology will genuinely pave the way for a major advance in mobility solutions”.