Canadians snap up first round of Nissan LEAF reservations

Nissan is carefully managing release of the LEAF: the first 40 for the Canadian market were reserved within 2 hours

All of Nissan Canada's model year 11 inventory was spoken for within two hours on August 27 as the company opened the reservation process for the Nissan LEAF. Those registered with Nissan were invited to reserve a LEAF, and all forty available to the Canadian market in this round were snapped up. Delivery to the first buyers of model year 11 will begin in September.

Reservations for model year 12 will open in the coming month, according to Nissan Canada. The company expects to release 600 of the electric cars to the Canadian market through several waves of reservation into next year.

Nissan is carefully managing the purchase process from the first step, when consumers sign up, until the customer drives the Nissan LEAF home and plugs it into a personal charging dock. Reservations are open only to those registered and living within the vicinity of a Nissan LEAF certified dealer. A refundable fee of $99 is required to secure a reservation. Customers must also book a home-charging assessment to prepare for installing the home charging dock. The $100 cost of the assessment can be applied to the cost of the charging dock.

Last week, on August 22, Nissan Canada announced the 27 selected Nissan retailers that had passed the "rigorous certification process" to sell, support and service the all-electric Nissan LEAF in Canada. Nissan LEAF certified retailers have modified sales and service departments and undergone specialized training to provide the unique customer and vehicle service required, in time for the Nissan LEAF launch in the Canadian market. 

The Nissan LEAF is a medium-size hatchback with a range of 160 kilometres (EPA LA4 cycle) on one full charge. With a 240 volt home charging dock, full charge is achieved in seven hours, and with a Level 3 Quick Charger, 80 per cent charge can be achieved in just 26 minutes.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery, Nissan LEAF generates 107 horsepower, 207 lb-ft of torque.

The instrument panel provides the driver with regular updates on range and driving efficiency. A telematics system called CARWINGS allows the driver to communicate with the car via a smart phone to turn on the air conditioning or heat remotely, and manage and monitor charging.