The Dallas-Fort Worth area has seen a spike in Nissan LEAF sales due to an onslaught of local benefits aimed specifically at LEAF owners, so it came as no surprise when we recently found out that a Dallas couple purchased the 50,000th LEAF, making the model the first EV to reach 50,000 sales. The proud owners, Todd and Lisa Bolt, who work at a local church, decided to jump on the LEAF bandwagon after a pastor purchased a LEAF of his own. Soon after, many fellow employees began following his lead and now more than 20 of them have become LEAF owners.
"Beyond the simple economics of not buying gas, we've been impressed with how well the LEAF drives," said Todd Bolt. "When we show the LEAF off to family and friends, they're surprised that the car is so quiet and rides so well. The LEAF does everything we need day-to-day, and given the financial savings, I don't know why we'd buy another gas car."
LEAF sales in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have climbed 50 percent in 2014 alone. With the area's "No Charge to Charge" promotion, which provides two-years of free public charging for LEAF owners who bought their car after April 1, 2014, and a new 2,500 state tax rebate on the lease or purchase of a LEAF, sales are only expected to grow within the next few years.
"With 'No Charge to Charge,' the new EV tax credit and enthusiastic new owners like the Bolt family, Dallas is poised to climb the ranks of leading LEAF sales markets," said Toby Perry, director, EV Marketing for Nissan. "Texas is a great indicator that the right mix of customer awareness and strategically placed charging can lead to rapid EV adoption, and we expect to use that model to grow our sales in markets across the U.S."