Diamond-Cut Life

What car trumps the hybrid Prius, so popular in progressive and now even mainstream circles, and proves its emissions-virginity by . . . . having no tailpipe?

Answer: the Nissan Leaf, an 100% electric vehicle (EV) coming out later this year. Thor and I went to a Nissan-sponsored event last month here in Portland at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where we sat like tourists so they could conjure the photoshop creation to the right. (Silly, but then, sometimes I am silly). In reality, we saw the car, but couldn’t touch it.

Both the city of Portland and the state of Oregon are investing heavily in the electric fueling grid that will let a whole fleet of Leafs populate our region soon. They’re being pioneers in this arena, similar to Oregon’s history with the bottle bill and disciplined land use.

Does my household plan to replace our current hybrid, chosen after ever so much careful research, with a Nissan Leaf? Nah, we buy a car about once per decade, at most. In truth, no car draws my passion. Rather, the way my body feels when I walk and bike turns me on, and letting someone else drive, as with vanpooling and public transit, is much more relaxing to me than operating a car.

That said, I wish Nissan well with the Leaf. Within the context of our car-dependent culture, this innovation sharply reduces emissions, at least when the electricity mix fueling the EV’s has the relatively high proportion of hydropower to coal that Oregon has.

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