Sold On Electric

Nissan's Leaf outsold GM's Chevy Volt during the month of April, according to Autobloggreen. In North America, Nissan sold 573 units of the electric car while GM sold 493 units of the plug-in hybrid Volt. The numbers are a sharp contrast to previous months in which sales of the Volt doubled the Leaf's.

"The latest cumulative U.S. sales totals for the plug-in duo, since launching in late 2010, has the Volt leading the pack with 2,029 units sold, while the Leaf comes in at 1,044. Year-to-date, Volt sales stand at 1,703, while Nissan says Leaf production had, as of April 15th, hit nearly 8,000," reports Autobloggreen. Comparing Nissan and GM sales has been a monthly routine this year because they are the only two mainstream auto companies with available electric cars. But the field is slated to get crowded when Ford and BMW join the party with their versions later this year.

Meanwhile, according to GM, "Volt owners are going nearly a month between fill-ups. In mileage terms they were getting approximately 800 miles between fill-ups in the month of December, and that figure has risen to an average of about 1,000 miles in the month of March as owners learn how to maximize their EV efficiency." I'll think about that the next time I fill up.

Impressed? Learn more about electric cars here. Gina Coplon-Newfield, Sierra Club's Campaign Representative for Electric Vehicles, was at last week's premiere of Revenge of the Electric Car. Read all about it. And watch the trailer here.

-- Brian Foley