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Nissan Leaf sets new November sales record, Chevy Volt drops again

When you talk to people in the plug-in vehicle industry, one theme you hear repeatedly is that the more plug-in cars that are out there, the better things are for everyone. One reason is that more EVs build a need for more public chargers, and more chargers mean more people see that plugging in is feasible. But there's still something to be said for old-fashioned competition, and in the sales race between the two long-running plug-in vehicles in the US, the Nissan Leaf is resoundingly beating the Chevy Volt for 2014. In fact, it won't be long before the EV's cumulative sales top the PHEV's. But that's a topic for another month. For now, we have the sales results from November. Unsurprisingly, Nissan set another monthly record (that is, the best Leaf sales in any November, the 22nd time in a row we've seen a monthly record) with 2,687 sales last month. That's up 34 percent over last November and up 35 percent year-to-date. Toby Perry, Nissan's director of electric vehicle marketing, said in a statement that, "Our 'Kick Gas' ad campaign and 'No Charge to Charge' launch in Chicago and Atlanta drove an increase in November Leaf sales. Even with gas prices falling across the country, consumers appreciate that the cost of driving a Nissan Leaf is still a fraction of that of a gas-powered car." Over on the Chevy side of the ledger, there were 1,336 Volt sales last month, down 30.4 percent from the 1,920 sold in November 2013. So far this year, Volt sales are down 16.4 percent and Chevy has sold 17,315 Volts in 2014. As we said last month, the Volt slump might be due to people waiting on the new version to make an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show next month before going on sale in the second half of 2015. So far in 2014, Nissan has sold 27,098 Leafs. Look for our detailed post of US green car sales in the near future. Until then, please discuss last month's Leaf and Volt sale in the comments, below. News Source: Nissan, General Motors Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales hybrid sales

2014 Nissan Leaf named overall cleanest car in US

A research firm has named the zero-emission 2014 Nissan Leaf the cleanest production vehicle in the US, and that's figuring in the full, wheel-to-well lifetime impact of the car on the environment. The Automotive Science Group (ASG) studied more than 1,300 automobiles with at least four seats across nine categories, measuring everything from the amount of fuel needed to run the car during its lifetime to the extraction of natural resources to build the thing in the first place to end-of-life processing. ASG calls the process "wildly complex." The battery-electric Leaf, with its 84-mile single-charge range, took top honors overall, but there were other highly ranked vehicles in different categories. ASG also said that the Mitsubishi Mirage, with its sub-2,000-pound curb weight and 40 miles per gallon fuel economy, was the cleanest among gas-powered vehicles, while the Chevrolet Spark had the lowest cast of ownership over five years. Last month, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) put together its annual "Greenest" and "Meanest" (notice: we didn't say "Cleanest") lists and put the Leaf at number three. Topping that list was the Smart ForTwo ED battery-electric, but that was followed up by the Toyota Prius C compact hybrid, so fans of those vehicles can now start a healthy debate. The ACEEE uses data from the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board to compile its list. We have ASG's press release below. Life-cycle Assessment of 1,300 Models Reveals Best of 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4 February 2014 [Santa Rosa, CA] – The Automotive Science Group (ASG) conducted a comprehensive life-cycle assessment of over 1,300 automobiles across nine categories to distinguish the BEST model year 2014 vehicles in environmental, economic, social and "all-around" performance. Auto consumers are now equipped with a car buying guide founded on principled facts, a departure from the notoriously subjective test drive "editor reviews" that have long been the industry norm. Using a unique combination of vehicle data inputs that include conventional specifications as well as ground-breaking social, environmental and economic performance indicators, ASG's back-end algorithms are wildly complex, but the front-end results – meaningful vehicle ratings and distinguished awards – are forthright and consumer-friendly. ASG's Automotive Performance Index is for automotive consumers what Google is for web users.

Recharge Wrap-up: EV taxis in Amsterdam, Montreal's electric carsharing goals

Amsterdam has become the electric taxi capital of the world. Taxi Electric, TCA, and Connexxion each operate electric cabs around the city, including 170 Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 taxis. Taxi Electric started with three Nissan Leafs in 2011, and the idea has caught on. Businesses are saving money on fuel and maintenance, garnering attention and new clients for themselves and doing their part to help reduce emissions and improve local air quality. The city of Amsterdam hopes to be emissions-free by 2025, and is building more and more charging stations to this end. This helps make the city the perfect home for the electric cabs. See the video above and read more from Nissan. Montreal is calling for a large electric carsharing program. Mayor Denis Coderre says that he'd like the city to be seen as a leader in electric transportation. His vision includes a carsharing program of 250 electric vehicles by next spring, growing to 1,000 EVs by 2020. This would help Montreal reach its goal of cutting the city's greenhouse gas emissions by a third over the next five years. The city also wants to build new charging infrastructure to make the carsharing plan, as well as individual EV ownership, easier to achieve. Currently, carsharing group Communauto operates a fleet of 40 EVs in Montreal. Read more at Treehugger. Enterprise Carshare has joined the nonprofit CarSharing Association. The car rental company's carsharing business made the announcement at the 2015 International Car Rental Show, during a session called "The Convergence of Car Sharing and Car Rental." "Enterprise CarShare is a well-established player in the industry and we're glad to have their help in expanding support for sustainable urban mobility in communities around the world," says CarSharing Association Executive Director Alan Woodland. Read more from Enterprise in the press release below. Enterprise CarShare Joining CarSharing Association LAS VEGAS (April 15, 2015) – Enterprise CarShare formally announced yesterday – at the 2015 International Car Rental Show – that it has joined the CarSharing Association, a not-for-profit organization committed to advancing cooperation between urban mobility providers, cities and public transit. The announcement was made during a Car Rental Show session titled, "The Convergence of Car Sharing and Car Rental," which highlighted the important role that the car rental industry plays in the evolution of urban mobility.