Nissan will back electric Leaf's battery for eight years

Amid the spate of electric-car news today comes one more announcement: Nissan is going to back its Leaf electric vehicle's battery for eight years -- the same warranty length as Chevrolet is offering on its extended-range electric Volt.California, Washington state, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee customers will get Leaf first, starting in December. Next will come Texas and Hawaii, followed by North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama. By April, the rest of the U.S. will get a crack at buying the $32,780 car.

"We are pleased to see so many people making a choice for a zero-emission future by placing reservations for the Nissan Leaf," said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, sales and marketing for Nissan North America.

Nissan is also seeing some trends among those who have plunked down $99 to reserve a Leaf:

• Favorite color: The favorite color of Leaf owners is blue. More than 30% of reservations are for blue and silver is a close second, at about 26%. The remaining reservations are close to evenly split among red, black and white.

• Parking: About 75% of people who placed reservations own a single-family home. About 68% have attached garages, while an additional 18% have detached garages or carports. All those factors are important in order to have home charging units.

• Purchase time: About 67% of reservations holders have indicated that they'd be ready to purchase or lease a Leaf within one year of placing the reservation. An additional 24% indicated they would be ready in one to two years.

• Interests: Prospective buyers cite energy independence (35%); environmental consciousness (34%); and cost/fuel economy (20%) as reasons for their interest in the vehicle.