What will the future be like? The future of the car has been a favorite topic of Movies and television for years. What did you think vehicles would be like in the year 2010? Floating space speeders like on The Jetsons? Hovering craft like in Star Wars? We imagined better, faster, cooler cars than ever. That isn’t the direction that technology has taken. Cars already do what we need them to do. Hovering would be cool, but wouldn’t really serve any other purpose. The police are busy trying to slow drivers down because our cars already go more than fast enough. A lot of the time we can’t even use the speed our cars are capable of because there’s too much traffic. Although we do want good looking cars, consumers are choosing cars that look good, but pretty boring. Even spoilers are usually understated and painted the same color as the car. Auto makers tout the vehicles’ reliability and safety records, which has improved exponentially in recent years. Is there anything we need that our current cars don’t offer? Even more practicality, in the form of fuel efficiency. The price of gasoline has soared in recent years, and it’s expensive just to drive around town. Cars that run on less gasoline, or none at all, are the hot sellers. There are a lot of options for accomplishing this goal, from propane to hydrogen to biofuels. None of these technologies is perfect yet, especially economically. One technology has taken the lead in the last few years and reached the consumer via the car dealership showroom: electricity. Hybrids have been here for a while, and fully electric cars are appearing now. Toyota was the first to get its hybrid, the Prius, to consumers at a reasonable price. The other automakers followed closely on their heels. The Ford Escape, Infiniti M35, Honda Civic and Nissan Altima are just a few of the offerings. Hybrids don’t have to be small anymore, either, as evidenced by GMC’s Sierra and Cadillac’s Escalade. The government has encouraged the use of cars that consume less gasoline and don’t cause as much damage to the environment by offering financial incentives. You can go buy one of these cars today at your local Atlanta Honda Dealer or Car Dealers Des Moines with no problem. The fully electric car is the next development we’ll see. You’ve seen them for quite a while, in experimental cars owned by the local power company or as spec cars at car shows. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are finally hitting showrooms. Limited range and battery price are not completely resolved yet, but clearly this is the direction that new cars are going. Good old fashioned fuel efficiency is getting overlooked to some degree. Even gasoline powered engines can be greatly improved if they just use less gas. This is a technology that’s been slowly but steadily improving for many years. There are gasoline powered cars getting 34-35 MPG – the Honda Civic and Ford Focus to name a few. This was unimaginable back in the 80’s when gas was only $1.35 a gallon and we loved our V8s. So while we’re unlikely to see cars like the DeLorean from Back to the Future or Kitt from the Knight Rider, cars will continue to evolve to meet our ever-changing needs. America’s love affair with the automobile is far from over.

Fuel efficiency and “being green” is all the rage these days when it comes to trends in the automotive world. Carmakers have been paying attention and running full speed with this new way of thinking. The hybrid vehicle has been around for a while now and has definitely made its impact on consumers. There is a new kid in town that will give the hybrid a run for its money - the electric car.

Nissan introduced their first all-electric vehicle amidst heavy anticipation on August 2^nd. Nissan says that the LEAF is an electric car for real people - it is affordable and environmentally friendly. One thing right off the bat that the LEAF seems to have over its hybrid competitors is that space was not compromised during production. It is a roomy, 5 passenger hatchback that seems to actually comfortably fit that many people.

Now, what about the “green” specifications of this new electric car? It runs on a lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a charging station, much like you would your cell phone. This type of battery provides a similar driving experience to a typical gasoline-powered engine. The LEAF has zero emissions and can go 100 miles on a single charge. Just as the name suggests, cars like this can help purify the exhaust-filled air we all breathe every day.

Consumers can get these 200v charging stations installed by a professional electrician at their homes. To gain a full charge, the car needs to be plugged in for 7-8 hours which is plenty of time for an overnight refresher. The car can also be brought up to 80% power on a “quick charge” in about 30 minutes. The one downside so far is the production cost for these batteries. Right now, they cost about $10,000 to produce which could hurt the wallet a bit. Nissan is hoping however, that as production rises, the cost will come down. In the immediate future though, Nissan is relying on government-backed programs to help ease some of their cost and enable them to keep the actual cost of the LEAF affordable.

Another great feature the LEAF comes equipped with is a system called the Connected Mobility IT System. This system really allows the car to be interactive for both driver and passenger. Through this system, the car will be connected to a global data center that can stream information and entertainment 24 hours a day. The LEAF has a dashboard monitor that lets the driver know how much power is left in the vehicle, as well as the location of the nearest charging station. You can visit Nissan’s website for more information on this state-of-the-art technology.

As the launch (slated for sometime in late 2010) approaches, more specifications will be released along with detailed information on the cost of the vehicle. It seems however, that Nissan is truly committed to releasing this car as an affordable option for every family and to lead the way into an emissions-free future on our roads.