Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf September US Sales Move Upward

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The Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf had very strong US sales in September. The Volt, Chevy’s electric vehicle (EV) with extended range, sold 2,851 units, helping to make September GM sales the best since 2008, according to Autoblog Green. A total of 210,245 GM vehicles were sold last month. September’s Volt sales also just nudged August’s, when 2,831 Volts were sold.

Meanwhile, September Nissan Leaf sales were up compared to August. The number of units sold for Nissan’s EV were 984, up compared to 685 in August. This was actually quite similar to its September 2011 sales of 1,031.

Source: Autoblog Green

Adam Johnston (184 Posts)

A University of Winnipeg graduate who received a three year B.A. with a combined major in Economics and Rhetoric, Writing & Communications. Currently attempting to be a freelance social media coordinator. My eventual goal is to be a clean tech policy analyst down the road while I sharpen my skills as a renewable energy writer. Currently working on a book on clean tech and how to relate it to a broader audience. You can follow me on Twitter @adamjohnstonwpg or at www.adammjohnston.wordpress.com


  • ga

    I’ve got a 2011 Leaf, 10K miles in SF and no degrade so far. I’m leasing it so I really don’t care. It’s Nissan’s problem. I’m planning on swapping mine for a 2014 upgrade that should have most of the battery problems addressed. Maybe I’ll buy that one.

    • http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan

      Thanks for the note. Sounds good. :D

      If you’d like to write up a guest post on that for us at some point, we’d be happy to post it! :D

  • Paul a leaf owner

    I am surprised the LEAF did that well considering Nissan now states a 20% capacity loss in the battery system over 12 months NORMAL. Press: Call and verify this. People buying this car are in for some bad surprises.

    • Bob_Wallace

      Paul, I suspect you are posting something that is untrue.

      Please link to a statement from Nissan stating that a 20% capacity loss in 12 months is normal.

      • Wallace

        Paul is a Leaf owner, so I doubt he would fabricate stuff about the Leaf.
        Putting 2 and 2 together, there are many Leaf owners having range issues already and CEO of Nissan disagrees and said the cars are normal.
        So adding these 2 comments together brings you to the assumption that the loss is considered normal.
        I am a Volt owner and do not want to put down any electric car because they are great, although I believe and am hoping all the testing GM did and all the over engineering that went into the battery will result in a long lasting battery.
        The Volt battery is supposed to last 5000 deep discharge cycles and still retain 70-90% of range. This amounts to 200,000 miles and still have a useable battery. With the gas range extender, you can stretch out this battery to last longer than gas engines. Hopefully it all works out, I have confidence.

        • Bob_Wallace

          What Paul did not report is that the vehicles in question were driven far in excess of normal distance in 12 months.

          Batteries degrade with discharge cycles.

          I am still waiting for Paul to document his charge.

          • http://twitter.com/george_otty george otty

            It is not hard to research the known battery problems the Leaf is experiencing in hot climates (i.e. Arizona owners with their Leafs running/parking/charging in over 100 degrees temps day after day). But the majority of Leaf owners are in more temperate climates. My Leaf has over 20,000 miles on it, almost a year old and has lost no measurable/discernible range at all and I’m travelling 2000 miles per month. Lets not use a small percentage example with problems to paint the entire story.

          • Bob_Wallace

            The number of Leafs experiencing problems even in AZ is small. It could be that the batteries used in the Leaf might have problems in extreme heat conditions and Nissan may have to swap out a small percentage of cells that are overly sensitive to high temperatures.

            It might even turn out that people who live in very hot places are going to need to purchase EVs/PHEVs with liquid battery cooling systems like the Volt uses.

            It might be necessary for EV manufacturers to offer battery cooling systems for hot climates and battery warming systems for very cold climate. We’re still in the early “Model T” years of electric cars, much to learn.

          • miserableoldfart

            Perhaps electric cars in the sunbelt should be equipped with solar charging units built into the roof, hood and trunk areas to- perhaps – run some kind of heat sink cooler system.. just a thought.