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Lining up for the new Nissan LEAF
A Texas Nissan dealer has a wait list for the 2026 LEAF. That's the story worth paying attention to.
Roland Lynn runs Clay Cooley Nissan and Don Davis Nissan in Dallas and Arlington. He's already sold every 2026 LEAF his stores have received, and dealers up in Colorado are calling him to beg for the inventory he doesn't have.
Texas is not where most people picture an EV wait list. And yet Dallas, Houston and El Paso are three of the fastest-growing EV markets in the country.
The 2026 LEAF is part of the explanation. It starts under $30,000 with 300 miles of range. None of its range or charging stats are best in class, but it doesn't have to be for that price.
Lynn's read on why it's selling out:
"The average transaction price for a new car keeps going up. Being able to deliver an EV with 300 mile range under $30,000 is a very powerful value proposition."
We've watched the same shape of story play out over the past 18 months with the Chevrolet Equinox EV: 300 miles of range, a price that doesn't push out the average buyer and a familiar auto brand.
The other variable is gas prices.
A pump-price spike is a real disruption for families. But it's worth saying plainly: a gallon of gas you don't buy costs the same whether the pump reads $3 or $6. EV owners are insulated from that volatility in a way ICE owners aren't, and that insulation becomes a much bigger part of the math any time pump prices move up.
Put the two trends together and 2026 starts to look like an inflection point for EV ownership economics.
From the Market
The small electric trucks coming.
Roland made a point in our interview worth returning to: He thinks an affordable Frontier- or Tacoma-sized electric pickup would sell in Texas. He's right that the segment is nearly empty today, but it won't be for long.
Here's what's announced in the small-to-midsize EV truck space for the next 24 months:
Slate Truck — Compact two-seat pickup targeting under $30,000. (Jay Leno)
Telo MT1 — Mini Cooper footprint, Tacoma-length bed. (MotorTrend)
Ford midsize EV pickup — Ford's skunkworks team is developing a Ranger-sized electric truck targeting $30,000.
Scout Terra — Body-on-frame midsize truck slotting between Tacoma and F-150. (EddieX)
Ask Recurrent
Why does my EV still have a 12-volt battery?
Even fully electric cars carry a small 12-volt battery (or two), the same kind your old gas car had. It powers your locks, security system, lights and the computers that wake the car up.
If it dies, the car won't unlock or start until the 12V is jumped or replaced. The good news is that newer EVs are increasingly shipping with longer-lasting lithium 12V batteries.
The final episode of our EV 101 series dropped Monday on YouTube. If you've been following along, this one closes the loop. If you haven't, the series is a clean, jargon-free place to start.
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