The Nissan Leaf: Marketing a New Technological Paradigm
William Trapp
BUS330
Instructor- Benjanette Matthews
February 25, 2013

The Nissan Leaf: Marketing a New Technological Paradigm With each passing moment the technological capabilities of the human race continually evolves at an exponential rate. No industry reflects this more than the computer micro-processor industry. Advancements in this industry have been so extensive that it simply unfathomable for most people. According to Intel cofounder Gordon Moore the processing power of the average computer processor can be expected to double every two years (Moore’s Law, n.d.). This exponential rate of evolution has been the benchmark for our technological growth for the better part of a century. From 2000 to 2009 alone the number of transistors on an average microchip went from 37.5 million to a whopping 904 million increasing the processing power at rate that simply boggles the mind (Moore’s Law, n. d.). The ripples from the technological growth have begun to have a profound effect on the automotive manufacturing industry, and Nissan has taken the reins with the introduction of the all-electric Nissan Leaf bringing the entire industry into a new paradigm.
What is the Leaf? The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric 4 door passenger sedan powered by a lithium ion battery pack running an 80 kW AC synchronous electric motor creating 107 horsepower (Nissan Leaf, n.d.). Its Lithium-ion battery pack is estimated to give the Leaf a range of approximately 100 miles on a single charge, making it the leader among the all-electric automobiles available today. Charging the leaf can be accomplished in one of three ways. The vehicle can be charged in 12 hours from 0% to 100% at any standard 110 volt electrical outlet, is can be charged in approximately 4 hours using a dedicated charging station at normal charge, and it can be