Did they come with a tow truck?

The Nissan company has already tested the Leaf extensively in all kinds of climates.

In moderate climates – not too hot, not too cold – it has proven itself to be useful under some circumstances when driven close to where its charging station is located.

The biggest problem is range anxiety. If a great demand is placed on the stored battery energy by turning on the heater when it is 30 below or turning on the A/C when it is 30 above the driving range numbers decrease dramatically. One wants to go somewhere but one also wants to have the reserve to get back without having to call a tow truck.

Nissan may have supplied the city with a Leaf on loan with no cost to the city.

For fifty grand a few more potholes could have been repaired instead of leaving them as is for next year.

“The purchase, complete with charging stations, is in the 50-thousand-dollar range”

Really? I thought just the car was 50k and the charging stations were alot more?

The kind of thinking that would have a municipal authority purchase a vehicle of such limited ability and range would be right at home in Vancouver or
San Francisco. Buying such a vehicle under the premise of:
“the City’s undertaking to make its fleet of vehicles more environmentally friendly”
is downright foolish, and clearly demonstrates how gullible many people are.
It is a blatant waste of money, with NO hope of a return. This vehicle is not replacing a big block 1972 Buick Roadmaster station wagon, if anything, it would replace another small, fuel efficient vehicle that certain staff would use to flit about town.
Simply put, some people who work for the city got to indulge themselves on a whim.
metalman.

I can understand why the City decided to purchase this “Leaf” as they would like this technology to “branch” out into their fleet vehicles. But the “root” of the problem is that although this vehicle does not burn fossil fuels, it still leaves behind a great carbon foot print, perhaps even greater then a fuel efficient gas power car. The issue is the production and disposal of the batteries that power the car. Also the life span of this vehicle is far shorter account battery change out is very expensive. Sometimes people can’t see the forest for the trees. The “trunk” is pretty useless as well..

part of the City’s undertaking to make its fleet of vehicles more environmentally friendly.

To make their fleet more enviromentally freindly would be to get some the people out of the large vehicles they use to scoot around town when they could be using small four cylender unit to move people.
Cheers

Like the “Natural gas buses” used at the Vancouver Olympics. Where are they now? Are they still trucking fuel in for them or have they been retired? Single fuel vehicles are fine as long as there are lots of refuelling locations. If not, they are a lot of trouble.
Here, we are losing our last natural gas refuelling station early next month. Don’t know of any others north of Vancouver.

If the car is going to be used to run errands such as pick up catered food for committees at City Hall or elsewhere, this might just be the perfect car.

If it is going to be used to drive through unplowed residential streets to talk to residents about bylaw infraction complaints ….. well, let’s wait till the streets are driveable.

Might work well for the puppy police!

Actually you might be on to something Gus. Give it to bylaw enforcement and it will never have to leave the office. ;)