Business & Tech

Redwood City Man Purchases First Nissan LEAF

For $34,000 (minus a state rebate), Olivier Chalouhi, 31, was the world's first owner of Nissan's all-electric car.

At the grand unveiling of the first Nissan LEAF purchase, lucky Redwood City entrepreneur Olivier Chalouhi, 31, purchased the first zero emissions vehicle in Petaluma on Saturday.

The Nissan LEAF is expected to provide a much needed boost for local auto sales around the country.

Check out the video on the right for highlights from the event

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"If you want an electric car that can get on the highway in which you can put two car seats, that's the only one on the market," said Chalouhi, a father of two.

The LEAF is Nissan's first foray into electric vehicles, and gives drivers about 100 miles between charges, which are done with a charging dock no bigger than the size of a shoe cost.

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And at $34,000, the LEAF is more affordable than Tesla's Roadster, another all-electric vehicle that has received a lot of attention in recent years. LEAF owners also receive a $7,500 federal tax credit and a $5,000 rebate from California, so long as they keep the car in the state, said Dale Miller, president of the San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association.

The car is powered by a lithium ion battery, which has a lifespan of eight years. Later, it can be used to store power generated by other sources of energy, such as wind or solar, making it the ultimate clear-air alternative, Miller said.

"It's definitely not going into a landfill," he said.

Chalouhi, who works for the Redwood City tech start up, Fanhattan, selected North Bay Nissan after months of discussions with Ron Coury, the e-commerce director at the dealership.

"A lot of his questions got answered because as we'd get information, we'd send it out to people interested in buying electric vehicles," said Greg Dexter, executive manager of North Bay Nissan.

"And that creates a really good relationship between people…so when it came time for him (Chalouhi) to order a car, he said 'I'm going to do it right here.'"

The Nissan will make 50,000 LEAFs available in the U.S., Europe and Japan each year, with new markets being included in the near future, said director of marketing Trisha Jung.

In 2012, the Leaf will be produced in the U.S. which will give Nissan a chance to ramp up production to 200,000 cars a year.


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