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In this day and age, “going green” is on everyone’s minds. People are coming up with creative ways to save energy and reduce pollution, and this includes car manufacturers. There are many hybrid cars now, but only recently have car companies released mass produced electric only cars. Enter the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt.

Nissan touts the Leaf as the first car without a tailpipe. The car produces no emissions whatsoever. Under the hood, the Leaf has an 80 kw electric motor capable of getting the car to an impressive 90 mph. The motor is powered by a 24 kw lithium ion battery, which is charged with a built in 3.3 kw charger where the gas tank opening would normally be. One charge will get you around 100 miles of driving distance. The Leaf also has five doors (four normal doors and a back hatch) and has room to seat five comfortably. The styling is compact yet modern and sleek, which is fitting for a car of the future. The Leaf is also relatively affordable at $35,200.

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Chevy is countering Nissan’s offering with the Volt, whose big selling point is the fact that you’ll never run out of battery power while driving. Unfortunately, it is because the Volt has a 1.4L gas engine that recharges the battery as the car is driven, a fact that Nissan likes to point out. To add insult to injury, the recharging engine only runs on premium fuel. The 16 kw lithium ion battery is capable of pumping out 150 hp, and the driver has the ability to switch from electric to gas power at the touch of a button. The four door body style is more conventional than the Leaf’s and fits in nicely with the rest of Chevy’s offerings. The Volt is slightly cheaper at $32,780, but the cost of premium gas will even out the price difference.

Both the Volt and the Leaf do make an effort to improve the environment and cut down on oil consumption, but the Leaf is the clear winner for those who want to completely eliminate their vehicle’s carbon footprint. However, Volt buyers won’t feel as guilty by having the option of driving on gas or electric.

If you’re a die-hard tree hugger who can make the compromise between power and emissions, buy a Leaf. If you’re a petrol-head who can’t give up that little extra power but want to help the environment, buy a Volt. Or just wait until other companies offer up electric vehicles in order to have a wider range of options. Either way, Mother Nature will appreciate it.

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