At last, an all-electric car model has reached Guam — three years after its launch in the U.S. mainland.

Statesiders may view the rollout of the Nissan Leaf as something so 2011, but not Guam drivers.

With the island’s gas prices near $5 a gallon, the possibility of buying a gasoline-free car is tempting.

The local Nissan dealership unveiled what it says is the first all-electric vehicle for the local market, the Leaf, on Nov. 6. And there wasn’t a shortage of guests who wanted to test drive the car.

When you combine the allure of doing away with gasoline expenses, and helping to save Guam from getting smothered by vehicle fumes, you’d at least be curious about it.

Lots of questions
Those who checked out the Leaf were loaded with questions.

Does it have power and speed similar to a conventional, gasoline-powered car of its size?

Does the cost of the Leaf, which is several thousand dollars pricier than an economy car, even after existing federal tax credits are factored in, make sense budget-wise?

Is the driving experience similar or better than cars of a similar kind?

The answers are yes, maybe and yes.

The Pacific Daily News test-drove a Leaf with upgrades: a solar panel on the spoiler to help power some of the car’s tech features; a dashboard view of the entire outside of the car — sides, rear, back and overhead; leather seats; and Bose sound system.

It has a surprisingly roomy interior for a car its size. There’s ample room for stuff in the back.

The test drive
The test drive began with getting to know the electric car basics. You press a button to turn the ignition on or off, as long as the car’s remote “key” is somewhere in your pocket or within enough range for the car to read it.

To shift from park, drive or reverse, you very lightly touch, clock-wise, a computer mouse-like control between the driver’s and front passenger’s seats.

The car accelerates quickly. Nissan Guam representatives say the car can go more than 80 mph, but that shouldn’t be necessary if you don’t want a traffic ticket.

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