Hawaii To Be Among Handful of States Where Nissan Leafs Will Be Initially Offered

Hawaii To Be Among Handful of States Where Nissan Leafs Will Be Initially Offered

Hawaii will be one first markets Nissan will use to launch its all-electric Leaf vehicle, illustrating the lead role the state appears to be taking in the U.S. when it comes to battery-electric-vehicle adoption.

The Japanese automaker decided to make its five-seat hatchback Leaf available to the Hawaii public early next year after Hawaiian officials agreed to work with the company on developing and promoting an electric-vehicle network, Nissan said in a statement earlier this week.

Nissan, which earlier this month began accepting U.S. reservations for the $32,780 Leaf, said more than 8,000 people have already signed up for one.

The announcement illustrates that the last state to join the Union appears to be ahead of the game when it comes to adopting electric vehicles. In December, Maui Electric Co. installed the first U.S. ChargePoint EV-charging station made by San Francisco Bay Area-based Coulomb Technologies and powered by wind turbines.

And while Hawaii's approximately 950,000 registered vehicles account for less than half a percent of the U.S. total, according to the U.S. Transportation Department, the state accounts for five of the 150 U.S. ChargePoint stations listed on Coulomb's Website, or about 3 percent.

Overall, the state has vowed to get 70 percent of its power from so-called clean-energy sources by 2030.

Nissan had previously said the first sales of the car, which can travel 100 miles per charge, would be limited to California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Tennessee, all of which have agreed to work with Nissan on developing EV-charging networks.

Danny King, Contributor

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.