Remembering the Nissan Leaf Tree for the Holiday Season
Lisa Steuer McArdle
· 4 min read
Many people are already getting ready for Christmas. From the songs on the radio, to
commercials
encouraging shoppers to start spending money
, it's the most colorful time of the year. It's also a time to reminisce about past Christmases, and the auto world
is no exception.Nissan proved this with the Leaf last year when it turned the Leaf into a rolling Christmas tree, according to
Top Speed
. Not only was it beautiful, but it was so bright you'd need sunglasses to look at it for long periods of time. So how many lights were on it, and is the Leaf the greenest of the green?
The specs on the Nissan Leaf are respectable
For anyone looking for a super powerful electric vehicle, the
Nissan
Leaf isn't it. It doesn't have the glamour of the Porsche Taycan, the long range of the Model 3, or the adorable looks of the Mini Cooper SE. What it does have is a cheap price tag, a fairly powerful engine, and a fun ride.The 110-kW electric motor generates 147 horsepower on the standard model, which is powered by a 40-kWh battery pack. If you decide to upgrade to something a little more powerful, the Leaf Plus generates 214 horsepower, and comes with a gutsier 62-kWh battery.
You won't be winning any races, as it can only get up to 60 mph from a dead stop in 7.3 seconds, but for anyone looking for a good daily driver for city life, the Leaf has some nice features.
Just how green is the Nissan Leaf?
When buying an electric vehicle, it's important to know just how many miles it can go, especially if this is the car you'll be taking on road trips or have to travel long distances in. It's also good to know just how long it has to charge before you can jump behind the wheel and go.
The standard Leaf isn't that great when it comes to mileage. It gets 150 miles per charge. When compared to a gas-powered vehicle, this may sound great, but it's easy to forget that there aren't nearly as many charging stations as there are gasoline stations. In time, this will begin to change, but for now, you'll have to carefully plan out any adventures.
As for the charging time, you're looking at about seven hours if you decide to plug it into a 240-volt connection. This is perfect for anyone who wants to charge up at home. If you decide to go to an actual
charging station
, it can take about 30 minutes.The car just got a whole lot brighter with the Nissan tree
In honor of Christmas, Nissan turned the Leaf hatchback into a Christmas tree. It took over 620 feet of tinsel, enough Christmas balls to fill a ball pit, and over 15,000 lights to create the Nissan tree. For reference, that's almost two football fields of tinsel.
To add to the beautiful scene, Nissan added a fully lit Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was probably a nice break for the reindeer to get a chance to ride for a change instead of pulling Santa's sleigh.
While all this is incredible, the most astonishing part was that Nissan powered all these lights using the Leaf's own battery system. In a brilliant move, the Japanese automaker used the power generated by the brakes and acceleration, or the E-Pedal system, to keep the lights burning bright without draining from the main battery pack.
With Christmas right around the corner, there may be a new car in your future. If this is the case, then you'll also need to pick an insurance policy to go with it.
Rather than getting the holiday blues as you try to find affordable car insurance, sign up with
Jerry
. It only takes 45 seconds, and the app will find a policy guaranteed to bring back your holiday cheer. 
