Meet your Dealership: Priority Nissan/Mazda

Welcome to RosenthalPriority Nissan/Mazda, in Tyson's Corner (Vienna), Virginia

Hello again everyone and welcome to another edition of the Meet your Dealership series, my seventh installment.  "Seventh?" you ask, when so far there is but one other?  Okay, you caught me.  My apologies go to the other 5 dealerships who's photos are waiting for a story but now I'd like to present a more current tale.

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It was Friday, 18 November.  I started out making good mileage in my Nissan LEAF on my way to work.  I'd used 4 bars and my LEAF was reporting over 50 miles (80 km) remaining range on my car, more than enough to see me home again.  However, to get to work I have to cross the Potomac River and on that 34°F (1°C) day as I reached the far side of the bridge my car's range dropped by half to 26 mi (42 km) and only 3 bars — not enough to get home!  I can only guess that despite my hypermiling with no heater, no heated seats and no heated steering wheel, the car must have activated the heater beyond my control in order to heat the traction batteries.

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Even though it's well know that the estimated range of the LEAF is quite inaccurate, the 3 bars remaining pretty much proved I needed a boost to get home.  Since my job site has no policy against charging an electric car on site, yet chooses to enforce a no charging policy, I had to make other arrangements to get home.  Knowing my car could probably make it to Tyson's Corner, I decided to give Priority Nissan/Mazda a call to see if I could us their Aerovironment EVSE.  So I phoned up and left a message with the service department and the Service Manager, Gary, called me back and told me it was a-okay!  Thank you so much Gary!

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So I left work around 15:30 and made it to Priority around 16:15, about 15 minutes earlier than expected.  There I met Gary and showed him my LEAF.  We chatted a bit about how fun it was to drive and then he showed me to their one public AeroVironment EVSE, which they have behind the dealership.  They have a second EVSE for the Service department which I didn't see.  We immediately plugged in and after a moment of confusion I pressed the charge now button and we got the electrons flowing!

I thanked Gary for his help and proceeded to the dealer showroom to get some reading done for my Loudoun County Writers meetup on Saturday.  The folks at Priority were kind enough to let me borrow one of their desks and do my reading though I was very happy whenever one of them came up and asked me how I enjoyed my LEAF.  Unfortunately, by this time Gary had left for the day which is why his image is missing.

The showroom is long and thin and on the left as you face the wall you have a selection of Mazdas and on the right and a variety of Nissans on the right.

After I finished my reading I went to find my old friend Mohamed Wadood.  I first spoke to Mohamed over the summer when I was trying to compile a dealer reservation list to help customers find dealerships opened LEAF quotas.  Mohamed agreed then that Priority Nissan would not sell the LEAF for above MSRP and would not include any surprise options when buying the car.

Mohamed has worked hard to keep Priority Nissan/Mazda clean, spotless and honest.  He stands by Rosanthal's Fair Price guarantee.  Mohamed is well-versed in the nuances of leasing and promises a 62% residual.

He's achieved the Platinum Elite Award and a near perfect rating.  And Priority is quite honest and upfront about their $389.00 processing fee: it's printed right on the wall.

Priority may not have been the first Washington area dealership to become LEAF certified, but with folks like Mohamed they know the LEAF and are ready to bring the automotive industry into the 21^st Century.

Priority Nissan/Mazda has been in business since 1988 when it was one of Washington's main Datsun dealerships.  The current building was constructed in 1989 and has been a Tyson's Corner landmark.

Need a test drive?  I didn't learn until the end of the March Drive Electric event that Priority had a Blue LEAF for test drives on Wednesday, 16 March.  None the less, I was very happy for Mohamed (telephone: 703-867-7087, email: mohamedwadood@me.com) to show me the Grey LEAF Priority has available for anyone to take a test drive.  Give Priority a call and schedule yours!
Priority Nissan/Mazda is located at:

8525 Leesburg Pike
Vienna, VA 22182
703-442-8700

View PRIORITY NISSAN MAZDA OF TYSONS CORNER in a larger map

Priority Nissan/Mazda, your source for the Nissan LEAF in the heart of Tyson's Corner.  Welcome.

Week of November 8th!

Yes, you heard me correctly: my Nissan LEAF is expected to arrive the second week of November, 2011.  Some time between Tuesday, 8 November 2011 and Monday 14 November 2011, just in time for Thanksgiving and the holidays and well in time for the 2011 tax year!  It also comes about 50 weeks after I ordered my EVSE, much to my chagrin, but c'est la vie, c'est la guerre.

Many, many thanks go to Justin Maynard at Nissan of Chantilly for cluing me in on the delivery week since I can no longer access my customer dashboard.  LEAF number 5061 is on its way!

Test Drive the Nissan LEAF at Nissan of Chantilly

My friendly, neighborhood dealership representative Justin Maynard was kind enough to pass me a note earlier this month about how you can now test drive your very own Nissan LEAF at my official Nissan LEAF dealership, Nissan of Chantilly.  I've not heard from any other dealerships — I'd guess that other dealerships also have LEAFs for test drives (especially Criswell Nissan, given that the were claiming they'd have them in August) — but welcome any other dealership to send me a note so I can let my readers know about it.

Justin asks that you call first to schedule an appointment to ensure you'll have a chance to drive the vehicle to ensure that the car is available and properly charged before you come.  That said, anyone is invited to drop in, be it those like me with an active vehicle order or you who may just want to learn a little more about this wonderful, electric car.  I can't speak more highly of Justin's knowledge of the LEAF and how he can help you too drive free of fosil fuels…

What?  No, I'm not gonna drop a footnote about coal and natural gas (methane).  Will you guys get over this?  First of all, electric vehicles are more fuel efficient than gasoline vehicles even under 100% coal because coal plants are much more efficient generators than the standard internal combustion engine.  Plus, would you rather have those nasty emissions where your kids play or way out in the middle of nowhere where they build that coal plant — which is prevented by the EPA from polluting anyway?  And further, who said I was going to use Coal to power my EV when I could use Dominion Virginia Power's Green Rider or simply put up my own solar panels with a company like Solar City…

…Sorry!  I guess I sometimes get carried away with my environmental concerns, even if those aren't the only reason I want an EV.  And I believe you should want one too!  So give Justin a call at 703-889-3700 to schedule an appoint to test drive the Nissan LEAF at Nissan of Chantilly.  Once you do, I'm sure you'll be signing up to own your very own piece of the electric revolution!

Nissan LEAF Destination Charge

A friend of mine recently asked me why I was so worried about the Destination charge when my dealership representative promised me not to charge it.  As the issue is complicated I feel it only proper that I explain it here for all to see that it's not a knock against any dealership or Justin Maynard, who I can't recommend more!

Technically, the dealer doesn't charge the destination fee, NNA (That's a link to the Nissan North America private dealer website) charges it and generally the dealers pass that on to the consumers.  I don't know if I've made this clear but I really like Justin Maynard, who wrote up my offer, and I would buy from him again in a heartbeat.  In fact, I have great respect for Mohamed, Carlos, Sharron, Bruce, Chris, Brian, J.D. and any other LEAF specialist I've spoken with in the area and hope to be posting my reasons for the agonizing decision I made to choose Nissan of Chantilly someday soon!  In fact, it's my sworn promise if I don't take possession of the LEAF I ordered that I will make absolutely sure Justin is able to sell it for a tidy profit in my stead.  And I'm sure just as orphaned Chevy Volts have been selling within 36 hours, any area LEAFs will do just as well.

Now, I'm sad to say many dealers don't know that the destination charge is not part of the price quote or MSRP.  I don't consider this their fault.  This is a fairly new process and mistakes, if made, are never done as a means to pull the wool over the customer's eyes.  Much as car dealers may be maligned for some reputed antics, remember they are human beings and are doing their best not just to sell you a car but to make you a satisfied customer so that you will come back again and again.  Be thankful that we have so much choice of dealership here in the Mid-Atlantic region; it's this competition that contributes to keeping most dealerships honest.

Now, we don't know the Invoices for the 2012 Nissan LEAF but as estimated on the My Nissan LEAF website, We know the profit margin on the vehicle itself is about 4.24% for a total of $1,582, which matches what Bruce at Herb Gordon Nissan quoted me last month.  Contrast that with the Accessories, also known as Port Options, which have about a 20% profit margin over MSRP.  For example, my car order, with fully-loaded options, comes to about $282 profit for the accessories in addition to the $1,582 profit for the vehicle for a total of $1,864 net profit.  The dealer doesn't get a penny of the Destination charge, however, and so any reduction in the remaining $850 cost comes directly out of their profits.  It won't eliminate the profit, but it will reduce it to $1,014, still a tidy sum.

Now, as I said, the Dealer can't control the Destination charge, which is why, when you order your car, on the Nissan Customer Dashboard, you see this disclaimer:

MSRP excludes tax, title, license and $850 destination charge.

Again, this isn't from your dealer, this is directly from Nissan North America; don't blame your sales person!  Tax, title and license, obviously, will vary from state to state so it's not fair to include that in the price.  You did expect to pay sales tax and registration fees, didn't you?  So Destination is yet another charge on top of this, which your dashboard has listed since the time you ordered as a warning to you.  The value of the Destination Charge may vary from state to state, but Nissan can calculate that and report it on your Order Details page just fine.  It's quite reasonable for them to charge it — after all, they're shipping the car all the way from Japan — but despite having said all this, I don't have to like it.

Now, when Justin and I discussed the quote he was going to send me, we agreed no extra charges, that Transportation, Destination and everything else would be covered under MSRP.  And I honestly think he truly believed that at the time.  I of course noted MSRP would still not include Taxes, Title and Licensing, as it never should, and we agreed there too.  This is why whether I take the car or not, I am happy to offer him and his wife dinner for 2 on me to say thinks for being such a good sport in this process.  But that still begs the question, will I take the car?

Well, I've listed some reasons against the 2012 LEAF vs. the potential for the 2013 LEAF here before and so part of my hesitation to take possession stems from that discussion.  In the end, as I calculated in the My Nissan LEAF forums, my car's take-home cost should come to 1 of 2 costs:

• $39,848.39 (Destination Charge rolled into MSRP Profit)
• $40,723.89 (Price includes $850 Destination Fee)

Both prices include tax, title and registration; license plates aren't included since I will try to order my plates through the DMV separately.  I do have a plate in mind but because named plates are so competitive in Virginia, I'm not going to post it here, but I will say it's related to one of my other blogs.

In any case, I wanna keep my car cost under the dreaded $40,000 mark.  And that's why I may just walk away.  My current car is a 2001 Toyota Avalon (now an 11 year old car with over 180K miles on it) and although fuel efficient for it's class at the time, it's no hybrid, never mind electric.  I'm itching for a change but I've waited this long, I can wait a bit longer, especially when faced with a $1,062.53 annual property tax bill.  But at the time I paid around $35,000 for the vehicle, very near to MSRP since I did my research tough I gave a little back on the port options like a glass breakage sensor.  In my book, that was an expensive car, but it had leather seats, a 6-disc CD changer (which has been broken for about half the life of the vehicle thus far), heated seats, sleek design and a quiet, smooth ride.  All in all, it's a nice car and I got what I paid for.

The LEAF, by contrast, is a souped up compact with a lot of nice bells and whistles, like RFID entry and CARWINGS and lots of other features not available in 2001 that are now standard on even the smallest cars.  What you're paying for on the LEAF is a freedom from the pump — that and a really bad Yen to Dollars exchange rate.  You could save hundreds in fuel cost by charging at home vs. paying the ever-rising price of gasoline, but then knock a G off that for the Car Tax and how many years does it take to equalize the expense?  Well, I'll save that calculation for another post, but it will take some time even with the Federal Tax Credit of $7,500 which I can take advantage of early next year if I take possession of the LEAF in November.

So that's the calculus; and now you know.  So what do you think?  Should I take the car even if it cracks $40,000?  Should I walk away?  Should I wait for a Tesla Model S, which can take full advantage of my 19kW EVSE and get 300 mi (483 km) per charge?  Should I just take the LEAF and flip it in 18 months for a late-model-year 2013 LEAF with the 6.6kW charger option?  Or should I just convert it to a Lease for 3 years with a $500 or so annual premium on my 24K miles per year requirement?  What should I do?

Nissan Dealerships: Send me your Allocation

I'm calling out to any Nissan Dealership that's LEAF certified and wishes to post their allocation quotas, or recertify their commitments to MSRP, etc.  Please use the embedded form below to update your details so I can manually update the pages where these issues are covered.  My list of allocation quotes has been retweeted by @NissanLEAF and is a great way to get people to your dealership and I will be creating a new post for the August numbers.  I look forward to helping you connect to your customers!

Greater Washington D.C. Nissan LEAF Allocations for July

The following dealerships still have allocations for you to order your LEAF with them; feel free to check out their web site and then select them as your preferred dealer.

Dealership	Contact	Phone	Original Quota	Remaining	As of
Tri-State Nissan of Warrenton	Brian Nieves	540-667-6800		1	2011-07-29 10:45
Nissan of Chantilly	Justin Maynard	703-889-3700	3	1	2011-07-29 19:00
Koons Falls Church Nissan	Carlos Perez	877-702-9995	5	2	2011-07-29 16:10

The way the allocation quota system works is simple: we, the customer choose a preferred dealer and select our options.  Our Nissan Dashboard then gives us the MSRP of our selection and we're presented with a button to Request a Quote from our preferred Dealer.

Meanwhile, the dealerships all have their own dashboards at nna.net.  From there they can see all the quote requests and send out their price quotes for the as-configured LEAF.  But here's where these numbers get involved.

Each area dealer is assigned a quota for the maximum number of orders they may submit.  Let's assume your preferred dealer is allocated 4 orders and has already submitted all 4 of those orders.  When you come in requesting a quote, that dealership won't be able to order your car until the next month when the next set of dealership quotas are posted since his current quota is filled.  I'm not sure if they'll send you a price quote in this circumstance but the quota means that if the dealer has no more slots, you will end up waiting longer.  The dealers above have guaranteed slots as of the time given in the right column.

The Quota System was introduced late last year when it was found certain dealerships were dominating their markets with seriously marked down LEAF prices.

As always, call your dealership first to arrange price and find out if they have any remaining slots.  More than enough slots are allocated for each region so if one dealership has fulfilled his quota, just try another one.  However, a dealer's subsequent month's allocation quota will be based on the number of orders submitted in the current month, so let's all make sure our favorite dealers are getting the business they deserve today so that can continue to get the business they deserve tomorrow!

Tri-State Nissan

1230 Millwood Pike
Winchester, VA 22602
http://www.tristatenissan.com/
540-667-6800
Contact: Brian Nieves (Internet Manager)
bnieves@tristatenissan.com

Still looking to Request a Quote for a LEAF?

And in the Winchester, VA area?  I could not recommend more highly Tri-State Nissan!  Brian Nieves at Tri-State is on the ball and ready to help you join the electric revolution.  But you'd better hurry: Tri-State only has 1 (ONE) LEAF ordering spot left so you'd better hurry!

What do you get for going with Tri-State Nissan?  Well, whether you're buying a Gasoline Powered Vehicle, a Gasoline Electric Hybrid or a pure battery electric vehicle, one thing you'll always need are good tires — and that's just what you'll get from Tri-State Nissan: Lifetime Tire and Rotation coverage.  And what's more, Tri-State is willing to pledge the MSRP Guarantee.

So give Brian a call or drop him a line and enter the zero-emission club!

What options are available on the 2012 LEAF?

With the first orders of the 2012 LEAF it comes time to update the price list for the 2012 model year now available.  My friend Bruce Kim at Herb Gordon Nissan of Silver Spring, MD (who I can't more highly recommend as a preferred dealership) has been kind enough to send me the official price list for the new model year car.  The long and short of it is there's not been much change to the Port Options / Accessories list and they've confirmed that the 6.6kW charger is still a pipe dream that won't see the light of day until the 2013 model year.  The main take away apart from the already released price is the official cost of the "Zero Emissions" Graphic which I failed to mark in the 2011 edition; I've added it here. I don't have invoice costs yet but as I don't know of any Below MSRP dealerships in the Tier 2 rollout region yet but will update this chart when it becomes available.

Any number in italics is speculative based on last year's value.  Also note that it is my understanding that there is no more money for the ETEC Grant from the Department of Energy and since the CHADeMO port is already included in the price of the trim level.

Nissan LEAF Trim Levels

Code	Description	List Price / MSRP	Invoice	2011 List Price	2011 Invoice	Comments
17112	SV	$35,200	$33,707	$32,780	$31,394	Includes $930 Cold Weather Trim; $1,490 net cost increase
17212	SL	$37,250	$35,668	$33,720	$32,293	Includes $700 Fast Charge Port and $930 Cold Weather Trim; $1,900 net cost increase

As stated above, there are no factory-installed options for the 2012 model year LEAF.

Nissan LEAF Port-Installed Options / Accessories

Code	Description	List Price / MSRP	Invoice	SV Trim?	SL Trim?	Comments
L92	Floor Mats & Cargo Mat Area	$170	$131	Yes	Yes
B92	Splash Guards	$140	$110	Yes	Yes
M94	Recycling / Organizational Package	$225	$178	Yes	Yes
M92	Cargo Cover	$290	$219	Yes	Free
M93	Cargo Net	$20	$15	Yes	Yes	Not available with M94 Recycling / Organizational Package
N92	Hologram Kick Plates	$125	$99	Yes	Yes	Not available with B93 Eco Design Package
B93	Eco Design Package	$260	$219	Yes	Yes	Not available with B95 "Zero Emissions" Graphic or N92 Hologram Kick Plates
B94	Protection Package	$225	$183	Yes	Yes	Includes front and rear bumper clear protectors
S92	Safety Kit	$75	$63	Yes	Yes	Includes First Aid Kit and Emergency Kit
B95	"Zero Emissions" Graphic	$130	$105	Yes	Yes	Not available with B93 Eco Design Package

Now there are also options that can be installed at the Dealership that would likely have the highest markup and profit margin if charged, such as Alloy Wheel Locks — though, as I pointer out there are some dealerships where that's a complimentary upgrade and shouldn't count against the unexpected options pledge.  I would also like to point out that we customers shouldn't blame our poor dealerships for the $1,490 - $1,900 price increase over the 2011 model year.  It's unlikely that the difference extends from a jacking up over invoice since the Invoice to MSRP margin is usually very small.  That said, it's possible that Nissan North America may have agreed to this to compensate dealerships for the expense of installing EVSEs on their lots, though the more likely explanation is a weak dollar and a strong Yen.  In fact, what we can see from Edmunds is that the invoice price gap is even greater, with a $2,313 price increase for the SV and a $3,395 increase for the SL.  However, this is comparing apples to oranges because the 2011 Invoice doesn't include the Cold Weather Trim or the Quick Charge Port — in fact, we still don't know what the invoice cost was on the Cold Weather Trim option for the 2011 LEAF was.  What we can say for sure is the net profit above MSRP is now $1,493 for the SV and $1,582 for the SL trim or about 4.24%, same as last year.  This means the net profit margin for the dealers has increased, but only slightly since the 2011 model.  This supports the idea that the increase is due mainly to the weak dollar and a strong yen.

Nissan LEAF Colors

Code	Name	Example
QX1	Glacial Pearl
RAT	Blue Ocean
K23	Brilliant Silver
KH3	Super Black
NAH	Cayenne Red

Same colors as last year; still no green LEAFs.

Personally, I think it most likely that the set of options and trim I'll be picking tomorrow on this car still lacking a 6.6kW charger will be the SL trim with all port options and in Red (as we still lack Green).  Then again, $39,455 (with Destination charge, before tax) is a butt-load of money to pay for a car, even with a $7,500 tax credit.  It was one thing when there wasn't this new $1,900 premium on the 2012 model SL over the 2011, but now it just seems the cost is ridiculous.  Will I order it tomorrow?  Stay tuned!

Mark your Calendars Tier 2: 27 July 2011

I have it direct from my new preferred dealership Nissan of Chantilly that their dashboards will be opening up 27 July 2011 for ordering the 2012 Nissan LEAF!  After all these months, it's been hard to decide who to make my preferred dealership what with ordering right around the corner, but I have a long-standing relationship with Justin at Nissan of Chantilly and although he's currently on vacation I'm told that at least this dealership will be able to send out offers this Wednesday.

I'm going on faith that Justin's agreement to MSRP for the LEAF and no surprise options still stands when my Dashboard opens but am waiting to hear back from them about that.  In the mean time, I welcome everyone to call your preferred dealer this week to confirm the 27 July date.

Are you excited yet?

Nay Sayers! Eat This! Order You LEAF Next week!

Yes, Chris at Criswell comes through and here's the proof.  I just received the following e-mail from Nissan:

Hi redacted, thanks for reserving and patiently waiting to order your 100% electric Nissan LEAF™. We're very excited to let you know you'll be able to order your new 2012 Nissan LEAF next week.

So what is new for the 2012 Nissan LEAF? We have taken feedback directly from our customers by making the most popular optional equipment on the 2011 model standard equipment on the 2012.

This equipment includes a battery heater for cold-weather operation, heated outside mirrors, heated front steering wheel, heated front and rear seats and rear HVAC duct. The Quick Charge Port is also added as standard equipment on the Nissan LEAF SL model.

The 2012 Nissan LEAF is available starting at $369 a month/36-month lease ($2,599 initial payment – excludes tax, title and license)*.

We'll send you an e-mail when it's time to work with a dealer to pick your car's color, review options and get a quote.

For more information available to Nissan LEAF reservation holders, please click here.

Now, although the MSRP for the 2012 LEAF isn't quoted in this e-mail, it can be found in the official press release from this morning: $35,200 for the base SV trim level and $37,250 for the base SL.  The lease is still pretty low but since I drive a lot more than the 15K mile terms of the lease per year, it really won't easily work for me.  Also, I'm really pretty desperate to get the 6.6kW charger for the J1772 port which still isn't scheduled to be in the car until the 2013 model year when the car's manufactured at the new Smyrna plant.

I also received this posting from one of my blog readers which I have edited to take out his or her personal information

I have reservation number redacted reserved on 4/20/2010. As of Saturday 16 July I have not had word one from Nissan on ordering since 12/19/2010. I haven't even had a Leaf News since 3/29/2011. My profile states my reservation is complete, but all other options have been disabled. So no I do not believe all 2 areas will be allowed to order. In fact, I doubt they let the rest of the country order until the 2013's start rolling off the TN plant.

I am very happy to report you as incorrect on the first point.  And, for those waiting for the cold weather package, here it is.  For those in the Eye-Poked Eight states of AL, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, as well as the newly added Tier 2 states of IL and MS, your time has finally come!  So call your dealer and verify the price now because if you don't like the price you're offered when your dashboard opens you'll have to wait 24 hours to renegotiate and order again!

And what about the rest of the U.S.?  Well, after Tier 2, or Wave 2 as it's now called, we have the following from that press release:

Nissan will expand into additional new markets as the year continues. In the fall, orders from existing reservations and new reservations will begin in Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. By the end of the year, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island will be added as markets where the Nissan LEAF will be available for order.

In other words, Wave 3 will include CT, CO, MA, NH, NJ and NY, bringing the total number of states including the District of Columbia up to 22 23.  Then Wave 4 begins with DE, IN, LA, NE, OH, PA and RI, bring us to 30 31 of 51!  Finally, the remaining 21 20 states will be able to order for the final tier, Wave 5.

So congratulations Tier 2!  Here's to making the Right Coast the Environmental Coast!

My First LEAF test drive

My first test drive of the LEAF was at Brown's Fairfax Nissan, around 10:00 in the morning on Tuesday, 15 March 2011.  Here is a brief account of my first impressions.

Starting off, it's interesting to note how the electric parking break works.  Pulling up unlocks the break, and pushing down locks it.  When it's locked, it has an orange light on the tab as well as a view on the console.

Once the parking break was disengaged, you had to turn on the car to adjust the side mirrors.  Of course, the LEAF has a push-button start, tied to the foot break pedal.  So I hit the break and pressed go.  Ding! I was in business.

I adjusted the mirrors and then set the LEAF in motion.  Putting the LEAF in gear is kind of counter-intuitive, since pushing forward is actually reverse and pulling back is the Drive / ECO Mode toggle.  For this drive I decided to test out ECO mode and was pleasantly surprised.

Sharon, my LEAF tour guide for this drive, was nice enough then to directed me right on to I66 so I could put ECO mode right to the test.  I activated the Steering Wheel cruise control — the controls are small but easy to spot on the right side of the wheel — and set it for the speed limit, 55 mph.  I would have gone faster but the road was too congested and even if I had, I'd not say so publicly.  Needless to say, ECO Mode + Cruise worked perfectly, maintaining a speed between 54 mph and 55 mph.

At the end of the test drive, we headed back to Brown's Fairfax Nissan where I took Sharon's picture and thanked her for the drive.

I didn't get to test the Audio over Bluetooth from my iPhone, but Sharon told me James had tried it and said it was working great.

All in all, I have to say I love the LEAF!  I only wish I didn't have to wait another 8 - 12 months to drive it again!

Meet your Dealership: Brown's Fairfax Nissan

Welcome to Brown's Fairfax Nissan, in Fairfax, VA

On Tuesday, 15 March, I dropped by Brown's Fairfax Nissan to test drive, for my very first time, the all-new, fully electric Nissan LEAF.

I was running a little late that very busy Tuesday and, turning a corner, I arrived at Brown's around 09:30.

I promptly parked in the customer parking lot to the left of the main building.

The Sales Manager, James was actually out testing the LEAF when I arrived so I wasn't able to see the car when I approached the building.  Instead, I entered their lovely showroom.

In the showroom, I met the Nissan North America representative, Dylan — who was also the person who conducted the EVA/DC the following Saturday.

I chatted with Dylan briefly, unable to contain me clear love for this particular electric vehicle, then asked to see the dealership's LEAF expert.  This is when I met Sharon.

Sharon Connacher-Donovan has been working for Brown's Fairfax Nissan for 27 years and can boast a 98% customer satisfaction rating, receiving the Platinum Level award.  I then went to explore the dealership while I waited for James to get back with the Blue LEAF.

When I saw the Calling All Visionaries sign, I became quite excited — my first test drive of the LEAF was coming…

The Customer Waiting Lounge at Brown's Fairfax Nissan is quite comfortable and there's a large, flat-screen television which you can see to the left of the photo.

The lounge is capacious and seats about 15 people.

Between the customer lounge and the showroom is a play area for the little ones.

There's also your standard assortment of yummy snacks.

And of course, though you won't need a regular oil change with the LEAF, their friendly service staff are well equipped to solve your electric vehicle needs.

Of course, the big question for the prospective EV owner is where are the EVSEs?  Well, Sharon pointed the first 2 out to me right there in plain sight, at the left corner of the building.  They only have the Level 2 AeroVironment chargers at all the Nissan Dealership and I must admit this EVSE is pretty.

And there's a third located on the exact opposite side of the building, near the back.

You can't go wrong with Brown's Fairfax Nissan and you can find no better sales specialist than Sharon.  When you buy from Brown's Fairfax Nissan, you become a friend for the life of your vehicle.  Sharon is very knowledgeable and can answer all of your LEAF-related question.  The customer service at Brown's Fairfax Nissan is excellent and I'm sure you'll be as happy with them as I was during my test drive.

Finally, James arrived back with the Blue LEAF and I finally got behind the wheel of my first LEAF, with Sharon by my side, which I'll discuss in another post.

Brown's Fairfax Nissan is located at:

11000 Main Street
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-591-8009

View Brown's Fairfax Nissan in a larger map

Brown's Fairfax Nissan, your neighborhood Nissan Dealer.  Welcome!

Three Test Drives! Yay! But where was the forth?

Today I test drove 3 Nissan LEAFs, and tomorrow I plan to visit 3 more dealership, take pictures, get more information on their plans for the LEAF, giving them a dedicated post — or, in the case of Nissan of Chantilly, a second one.  But I was disheartened that my old friends at Chevy Chase Nissan didn't let me know they were getting the car for a test drive today too!  It would have been the perfect opportunity to take pictures of their dealership and meet with some of the staff, like I did at Brown's Fairfax Nissan, Herb Gordon Nissan and Criswell Nissan today.  But don't worry, Chevy Chase Nissan, I still love you and will come by sometime soon, even if you don't have the LEAF! I promise!

Two More Dealers with LEAFs

Nissan of Chantilly

Wednesday, 16 March, 10:00 - 18:00 (10am to 6pm)

Brown's Fairfax Nissan

Tuesday, 15 March, 09:00 - 18:00 (9am to 6pm)

I plan to attend both events and make my first test drive of the day at Brown's Fairfax Nissan, where I long ago bought my first car, a used 1992 or 3 Nissan Altima.  Hope to see you there!

Sorry this isn't as pretty as the other announcements.  I figured better get the information out there than make it pretty but too late for you to drive!

More Washington, D.C. Area Dealerships Showcasing the LEAF next week

Yet one more dealership has announced a Nissan LEAF event for next week: Passport Nissan of Alexandria!  So, if you can't make it out to Silver Spring or Gaithersburg this Tuesday, or Sterling this Wednesday, why not check out the LEAF at Passport Nissan of Alexandria?  Having corresponded with Said for months and J.D. today, I can say that the folks at Passport are friendly and helpful and great to talk to, and like the other dealerships I'm planning to visit next week, I hope to be bringing you pictures from this event too!

The reservation process for Passport Nissan Alexandria isn't as automatic as some other dealerships, so it's best to call and inform them of your intention to attend their event so they know you're coming.  Indeed, I couldn't find any information about the event from the home page of their website and only knew about it thanks to Said's e-mail informing me of it.  However, you can find out more about it here.  The event notice I received read as follows:

Nissan LEAF

Passport Nissan to demonstrate the affordable, 100% electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF

Coming to Passport Nissan March 15^th and 16^th

Ride and drive time must be reserved in advanced.

Passport Nissan can be reached through the link above or by calling Passport Nissan at 888-864-0528.  I personally hope to attend all 5 drive events in the Washington area next week, logging many a mile in my 10 year old ICE.

One wonders, what do you call a dead head for the LEAF…?

More Visionaries needed!

Come Test Drive the Nissan LEAF at Criswell Nissan in Germantown, MD!

Sometimes, it's great to be wrong!  It looks like if you can't be in Silver Spring on Tuesday, 15 March to test Drive the all-electric Nissan LEAF, why not try Criswell in Germantown?

Of course, I can't say I'm surprised.  I knew the Drive Electric Tour had more than one car and figured multiple dealerships would be getting it on the same day.  Criswell has been a friend to the EVA/DC for a while and is my favorite Chevy Volt dealer in the area so naturaly if there were any spares, they'd be one of the dealerships to get one.  They also support the MSRP guarentee on the Volt, which is more than you can say about most Volt dealers!  I'm only sad that I didn't hear it directly from them.

As you may recall, I contacted 30 of the area Nissan dealers last December about providing free space to pimp their dealership.  So far, only a few dealership have replied; most of them have merely sent promotional materials for their other cars.  Herb Gordon stayed on point, and I have a good relationship with Brown's Sterling Nissan.  But in this case, Criswell Nissan didn't bother to reply to my inquiries or contact me, ever.

But that's water under the bridge, folks, because I happen to like Criswell's dealerships, especially Criswell Chevrolet and Criswell Nissan and now I'm very happy to pass on an invitation to you brought to my attention thanks to the EVA/DC:

New Nissan LEAF Electric Car at Criswell Nissan Dealer in Germantown, MD

The Criswell Nissan LEAF Test Drive Event will be Tuesday March 15, 2011

We will provide you the opportunity to learn all about the Nissan LEAF. You will be shown the highlights, attributes and benefits of this ground breaking 100% electric ZERO Emissions car.

But the best part is that you can drive the car for yourself! You will be able to drive the car on a pre-determined course with a ‘co-pilot’ to answer your questions and show you all the interior features of the car.

Due to time limitations each LEAF Test Drive will be by appointment only.

Please call 888-475-1240 to schedule your LEAF Test Drive.

Join us on Tuesday March 15, 2011 and be one of the first to drive a Nissan LEAF!

(Only those with a registered drive time will be guaranteed a test drive. Non-registered guests will be able to drive the LEAF on a first come first served basis or can experience the LEAF as a passenger).

The site continues with information about the car that you can read there.  All in all, this is great news for the week of 14 March, the week of the Washington, D.C. LEAF!

When it Rains, it Pours!

Come on, Virginia, it's now your turn to Test Drive a Nissan LEAF at Brown's Sterling Nissan

No sooner do I hear from Herb Gordon Nissan than the wonderful folks at Brown's Sterling Nissan send me a kind note that has me all a twitter!  Yes, now there will be a LEAF test drive in Virginia as well as the official one at the National Harbor and the drive at Herb Gorgon Nissan, you can now get behind the wheel in Sterling, Virginia, in Loudoun County, just off Pacific Blvd.  I cannot thank enough both Aaron, Brown's General Manager, and Dmitry, their Internet sales specialist for being leaders in Northern Virginia among the Nissan LEAF Tier 2, Atlantic Coast, rollout.  And I couldn't have said it better than Dmitry, so I'll let him take over from here:

Nissan Leaf available for test-drive no 03/16/2011

Great News!!!!

We are pleased to announce that we will have Nissan Leaf for customers review and test-drive on Wendsday 16th of March from 9am-6pm, here at Browns Sterling Nissan.
Our address is: 45155 Towlern Place, Sterling, VA, 20186
Phone Number (703)948-1100

As you may already heard Nissan Leaf is 100% electric, no-gas vehicle. It is projected the most affordable electric compact size automobile.
Designed to work specially with a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, the Nissan LEAF comes as a medium-size hatchback which is able to seat five adults comfortably. The power train lacks a tail pipe found in its internal-combustion engine (ICE) equipped vehicles, resulting in zero emissions of all manner of greenhouse gases. The Nissan LEAF’s regenerative braking system will work well with its innovative lithium-ion battery packs to provide a driving range of over 160km on a single charge.

For any additional information about the vehicle, please click on the link below: http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index?next=header.vlp.postcard.picture.thumbnail.#/leaf-electric-car/tags/show/360

Now, if the name of full discretion, I should point out that Brown's Sterling Nissan is my preferred dealer at the moment, so I am biased toward them.  That said, they are legitimately the second dealership to inform me of this opportunity at this moment so I feel it only right that they receive all the proper recognition due!

One question remains: will there be other dealerships offering test drives in the Washington, D.C. area in the week leading up to the National Harbor event?  I would speculate no, that these will be the only 2.  My reasoning is simple: on Sunday, the Drive Electric tour leaves the Concord Mills event in Charlotte, NC, and it'll probably take a day to get everything up here to the D.C. area, which rules out Monday.  On Thursday, they'll be setting up for the National Mall event on Friday so they'll need the cars then too.  And after the event, the Drive Electric heads over to Nissan North America Headquarters in Nashville, TN and there'll be no more time to see the vehicle until perhaps deliveries begin in December, 2011.  Of course, I could be wrong and let's hope so on both counts!

Calling All Visionaries

Herb Gordon Nissan invites you to test Drive the Nissan LEAF

So rang out a wonderful surprise e-mail from Herb Gordon Nissan of Silver Spring, MD.  Herb Gordon Nissan is one of the 30 area Nissan dealers I've contacted about promoting the LEAF on this site for free.  Of all of those dealers, Herb Gordon Nissan was one of 7 that never replied to my e-mail inquiries — until now!  And what was this e-mail about? Was it about a sale on a new Altima or Tundra?  No, it was about a LEAF Test Drive!  Sure, Nissan's allowing anyone to test drive the LEAF at their Drive Electric Tour event at the National Harbor the following Friday, but why wait when you could have a Test Drive Tuesday the 15^th!

The message I received announcing this exciting event is as follows:

calling all visionaries

here's your chance to drive the 100% electric Nissan LEAF

history is being made and you can be a part of it. the Nissan LEAF is going on tour. you can see it up-close and get a chance to test-drive one. but be sure to sign up now so that we can reserve the time and date you want to schedule your drive. we can't wait to see you.

Visit Our Site
to schedule your test drive

drive electric tour
sponsored by Herb Gordon Nissan

drive electric tour hours:
Tuesday, March 15 from 9AM - 7PM

First LEAF, First Smart Electric and the Solar Prius

First Electric Smart Car Delivered to Silver Spring Woman

My friend Mindy is the proud owner of the first, number 1 of 250, absolutely fresh off the factory floor, before any other in all of the American Hemisphere, Smart For Two Electric Drive.  She is the Gudy / Olivier (alt) of the East Coast and quite frankly my hero!  Now, Mindy didn't create Azureus but like Olivier, who took ownership of the very first consumer-level production Nissan LEAF on 11 December 2010, Mindy signed the lease that would make history.  At the Smart Dealership in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, Mindy braved the the nightmare Washington Snow Day of 26 January 2011 to attend an event featuring Penske Automotive Chairman Roger Penske And Smart USA President Jill Lajdziak.  And as a show of the tremendous dedication of Mindy to the Electric Vehicle movement and the Electric Vehicle Association of Washington, can you guess what Mindy did after the ceremony?

Well, sir, what she did was load that brand, spanking new first in the Hemisphere Smart Electric onto a truck and have it carted into Washington, D.C. for display at the Washington Auto Show!  Now that's dedication!

Solar Powered Cars

An interesting question (well, technically an aspiration) is posted at the end of the article about Mindy's car linked above:

FuzzyDemons wrote:

now with a soalr panel on top and generators on the axles it could almost have an unlimited range

Now, as anyone who spends 5 minutes talking to me knows, I'm in love with the idea of going Electric and living off-grid on Solar / Photovoltaic, Geothermal and Wind energy.  I'll probably never be able to achieve that in my lifetime, but it's a deep-rooted aspiration for which I pine — if only my HOA would approve Solar Panels… but that's a story for another day.  As it is, I thought it worth replying to FuzzyDemons to try and instill some reality in our collective dreams of free energy and decided to post this response, which I reproduced for you here:

FuzzyDemons,

You really should visit us at the D.C. Auto Show where you can see Mindy's car and sometimes even Mindy in person at the EVA/DC display ( http://www.evadc.org/ ).  You'll recognize us by the spider-translucent Tesla Roadster and the RAV 4 EV from the Wikipedia Page; but what I want to point out to you is the Solar Prius that our friend Bob Bruninga constructed right next to Mindy's Smart for Two EV.

You see, the Solar Prius has a number of photovoltaic cells covering its entire top surface, including the hood.  Now, solar cells have advanced in the years since he's done this but turning sunlight directly into electrical potential is a tricky business.  So don't be surprised when I tell you that after 8 hours in the sun, Bob's Prius gets about 4 miles of additional range.

You see, the surface area of a car is pretty small.  Yes, a well-constructed vehicle could increase its surface area and lessen its weight to achieve much better range from sun, but to really get a car solar-powered, you're best off putting panels on the roof of your house and installing some large marine batteries to capture that energy during the day so you can feed your car from it while you sleep — or simply take advantage of Net Metering.

Now, you may only get 4 miles per day from the solar panels, but that's 4 miles for free after the initial installation cost.  It doesn't take a genius to see that those 4 free miles you get can really add up: 4 × 5 = 20 miles per week; 20 × 50 = 1000 miles per year, and in a 50 mpg Prius that translates to 20 gallons of fuel saved.  At ^$3⁄_gallon, that's about $60 per year you can save by adding panels; when fuel reaches ^$5⁄_gallon, it's $100!

So, can solar panels on the car get you to work, or the store or the mall?  Probably not.  But they can contribute to your overall savings, which is definitely good.

As for generators in the axles, that's just Regenerative Breaking; the Smart Electric already has that.

Now just to clarify, the Solar Prius gets about 1/2 per hour of sunlight, so at 8 hours of sunlight per day, that translates to 4 miles.  Of course, the sun can shine more than 8 hours, so as usual, your mileage may vary.

Interviewed

There's an interesting story from the Washington Auto Show Press Event on Thursday, 27 January 2011.  I was watching over the Bob's Solar Prius when I spotted Victoria Riess of Planet Forward with her professional camera equipment taking video of the black car.  Happy to help if she had any questions, I approached her and then agreed to an interview.  Unfortunately, that was first time I'd ever seen the Solar Prius and didn't yet know much about Bob's amazing work!  See, Bob is a physicist so you know whatever he did has got to be extremely clever; he also has a really fetching hat!  In fact, Bob has a lovely placard on the side windows of his Solar Prius explaining how he did the work of creating this piece of engineering beauty.  So, naturally, my interview was pretty bad, to say the least, and so don't be surprised if it never sees the light of day.  However, Mindy was there also, minding her number 1, first, extra special Smart Electric — one of only 3 at the show, apparently!  3 Smart Electrics but only one Nissan LEAF?  The mind boggles, but there were other interesting cars there that I'll save for a later report…  In any case, I suggested Victoria interview Mindy as a better candidate for Planet Forward since she's the Gudy of the Smart Electric community and, quite frankly, also my hero.

All Dealerships have been contacted

I have finished my initial calls and e-mails inquires to the 30+1 area Nissan Dealerships which are currently LEAF certified.  I also have 2 old letters from a couple Virginia Nissan Dealerships that I hope to transcribe in the next few days, though clearly this is still a small fraction of the dealerships I've contacted so I hope to have a lot more reviews for you in the coming days.

Meanwhile, it is now 18:21 on 10 December 2010 and still my LEAF Request a Quote Dashboard has yet to be opened.  This is bad news for me, but good news for you dealerships because it still leaves time for the regional LEAF buyers to switch to your dealership before the official ordering period begins in our area.  So you have my inquiries, you know my details; have at it!