August 5, 2010

Chair Jeff Cogen took the all-electric 2010 Nissan Leaf for a spin on August 5. The zero-emissions car goes on the market in Oregon in December 2010. The Nissan Leaf is the wheeled ambassador of the EV project, an initiative to develop the infrastructure needed to power electric cars.

The Chair drove the Leaf through the streets of Portland, up to Portland State University, onto the 1-405 freeway and back to Portland General Electric (PGE) headquarters, where he attended a press conference that featured Governor Ted Kulongoski and PGE CEO Jim Piro.

Oregon, along with Washington, California, Arizona and Tennessee, is participating in the EV project, led by ECOtality Inc. and partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Residents of these states can reserve and purchase the Nissan Leaf before the car is available in the rest of the U.S. Additionally, the EV Project will supply qualified buyers of the Leaf with a free residential charger.

August 5 also marked the grand opening of Oregon’s first Level Three Quick Charging electric vehicle charging station (built by NEC and Takasago of Japan). This public quick charge station in PGE’s parking garage can fully charge a Nissan Leaf in 20 to 30 minutes. The Leaf has a range of over 100 miles and looks and drives much like a regular 5 passenger car. However, the vehicle is distinguished by what makes it different from other cars—it uses no gasoline, no oil, and has no exhaust pipe.