While there aren’t any official numbers yet on insurance costs of the Nissan Leaf since it isn’t out yet, based on what we know of how insurers arrive at their numbers, some inferences can be made. The good news is, it looks likely that the Leaf will be a very low cost car to insure.

The big Nissan warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles means that they are picking up the slack which should mean insurers will be able to charge less. The same warranties are offered on most Nissan vehicles, including the Nissan Versa.

Accident rates are arguably expected to be lower due to the limited 100-mile range of the Nissan Leaf. This will mean less time on the road in general and therefore less chance of getting into an accident.

If range anxiety really does dwell in the minds of most drivers, then they could reasonably be expected to ease off on the accelerator and drive a little more cautiously to conserve battery power.

What will also be interesting to see is whether insurers penalize the Leaf due to its silence. Will the lack of engine noise result in higher accident rates since people, animals and other cars will have one less sense to detect the presence of the car? What do you think, will that be a factor in Leaf insurance costs?

You may conclude speculating on the new Nissan Leaf specs. They have been release and there shouldn’t be any real surprises here beyond it being a little lighter than what was being rumoured.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf specs are as follows. A 24 kWh batterythat can be quick recharged in less than 30 minutes and a range of 100 miles. Maximum torque is 206.5 pound-feet from 0 -2,730 RPMs, roughly equal to a 2.5 liter V6 engine. The Leaf accelerates from 0 – 62 mph in 11.9 seconds and has a top speed of 89 miles per hour. It weighs in at 3,366 pounds and has a maximum available horsepower of 107.

As we and other electric car sites have noted, the top speed and acceleration numbers have both been bested by test drivers, so take them for what they are – conservative.

Since electric cars have access to their peak torque at 0 RPMs they have an advantage in the acceleration department so it’s not too surprising to hear that a Nissan Leaf can accelerate faster than a classic Mustang by going from 0 – 60 in seven seconds.

Hopefully facts like this will help electric cars win the hearts and minds of consumers that are worried about their ability to merge into highway traffic or impress their teenage girlfriends in parking lots.

Other relevant Nissan Leaf stats include its 90 mph top speed and its approximately 100-mile range. And for those of you baulking at the Mustang fact, the About Mustangs folks have the 1967 Ford Mustang taking 7.4 seconds to go from 0-60.

Under the right circumstances, some people will be buying a 2011 Nissan Leaf for as little as $12,280. That’s right, it’s possible to get enough rebates on a Leaf to bring its starting base price of $32,780 down to less than $13K. Here’s how it works.

First off, there’s the $7,500 federal tax credit. That’s the biggest and most obvious credit. Then there’s another $5,000 for anyone living in the state of California due to its Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

The next step gets quirte specific as it’s only available to eight counties in California: Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Stanislaus, San Joaquin and parts of Kern. Anyone living in these places can apply for a $3,000 rebate for buying an electric car like the Nissan Leaf. At this point, the purchase price of a new Leaf is $17,820. The final piece of the puzzle depends on where the buyer works as many well-to-do companies offer green incentive car buying programs for their employees. For example Sony Pictures Entertainment and Google both offer employees $5,000 off a vehicle like the Nissan Leaf.

In a bid ease potential Nissan Leaf owners of “range anxiety,” Nissan has just announced that they will be offering a fee-based service that will provide unlimited roadside assistance that will allow anyone who runs out of battery power to summon up more with a phone call.

The cost of the roadside assistance is very reasonable at $18/year proving this isn’t just a cash grab on Nissan’s part but an honest attempt to give the few drivers who might find themselves stretching the Leaf’s 100 mile range, a little extra comfort.

The details of the Nissan roadside assistance program are such that drained Leaf’s, and their owners, will be towed to the nearest Nissan dealer for a recharge. If the Leaf owner has incurred any costs related to the exhausting of the battery, Nissan will reimburse them in full up to a maximum of $6,500.

Currently this program is only offered in Japan but it’s likely we’ll see something similar stateside in the near future.

Nissan has closed the door on Leaf preorders today. But, don’t panic Nissan fans, the preorder is not an ill omen. The reason for the cessation of taking Nissan Leaf reservations is that they have already hit a cap of 20,000.

Nissan had been expecting to hit the 20,000 mark by early December. Those of you who got onboard early enough will still have the opportunity to buy or lease a new Leaf. For those of you who are interested but late, there will be a new phase of reservations early next year.

The new Nissan Leaf electric car polar bear ad goes straight for the heart of environmentally conscious drivers. Check out the video Nissan has simply title, “Polar Bear” above.

Don’t mind me here. I’m just going to grab a tissue. I seem to have gotten something in my eye.

San Francisco residents thinking about purchasing a Nissan Leaf electric car are in luck as the potential cost to buy the slick little EV is dropping almost daily due to dealer price wars.

It all started when the first discount of $500 off the Nissan Leaf MSRP was announced. Soon after, a second San Francisco dealer topped that with a $1,000 discount. Since then another has claimed to beat both those offers while yet a fourth dealer claims to be the premiere place to buy a Leaf with a full 5% off the MSRP amounting to $1,639 shaved off the base model Leaf.

This latest offer comes from North Bay Nissan, who regrettably can’t offer free shipping due to the large discount already afforded.

Are you thinking about buying a Nissan Leaf? Living in or near the Bay area? Let us know.

The Wall Street Journal got a chance to take the Nissan Leaf electric car for a spin. They posted their little tour in the above video. It won’t give you any major new revelations about the Nissan Leaf, but it helps satisfy those of us who can’t wait to get in and try one of these slick, little EVs ourselves.

Al Castignetti, the division VP of Nissan, recently stated at the groundbreaking event in Tennessee that more than 50% of the 130,000 Nissan Leaf pre-orders came from people who currently own a Toyota Prius.

Castignetti went on to say that, “. It tells us that there is a segment of eco-friendly consumers who are interested in going to the next level. They own a hybrid vehicle. But if the next step is available, they want to take it.”

Castignetti described the enthusiasm that Nissan dealerships have been expressing about the Leaf and explained that in order for a Nissan dealership be allowed to sell the Leaf they must install a minimum of two electric car charging stations. All larger Nissan dealerships will be required to install four charging stations with one that is reserved for Nissan Leaf owners.