First Look: Nissan Leaf: First all Electric Car: 367mpg!
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
Absolutely Zero Emission
Nissan LEAF electric car is not a hybrid – it’s a zero-emissions vehicle that uses a reusable lithium-ion battery.
The Nissan LEAF (Leading, Environmentally Friendly, Affordable, Family Car) is an electric car announced by Nissan in 2009. It is expected to be marketed in the North America, Europe, and Japan, beginning in autumn 2010. Unveiled in its final form in early August, the Leaf has no gas tank, no spark plugs, no tailpipe.
The Leaf uses a front-mounted electric motor driving the wheels, powered by a 24kW·h/90 kW lithium ion battery. The expected cruising range is the same as the EV-11 prototype, as is the engine. The Leaf’s small but spunky AC motor is what gives the vehicle its spring – the electric power plant offers 80 kW of power (107 horsepower) and 280 Nm (206 lb-ft) of torque. But the secret sauce is not the motor – it’s in the battery. Only recently have advances in lithium technology made batteries sufficiently light, cheap and energy-dense that companies such as Nissan are willing to take the mass-market plunge.
Although an exact price has not been announced, the car is expected to cost somewhere between $25,000 and $33,000
Performance
The car has a top speed of over 140 km/h (87 mph).
The battery can be charged to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes with a special quick charger.
The Leaf is a 5-seat hatchback. Like most in its class, three in the back will be a tight fit. Up front, however, things are spacious and well laid out. Behind door No. 5, the trunk is slim but the bottom drops deep.
A large touch-screen display is the focal point on the EV’s dash. Superimposed on a GPS map, an illuminated circle shows how far the Leaf can go on its current state of charge. A global computer server will provide a constantly updated series of icons showing the location of charging stations and the voltage of each. Nissan engineers expect that future versions of the software will also show if a charging station is in use and how long before it becomes available for the next use.
When the Leaf is plugged in, it will continue to “talk” to the driver via a smart phone. E-mail notifications alert when the battery is full, and charging can be scheduled for specific hours to take advantage of varying electricity pricing. The heater and air conditioning can also be remotely activated using a smart phone. Not just a luxury, this feature helps extend the car’s driving range by taking the initial burden off the battery.
Following the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement to grant $99.8 million to Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. (eTec), Nissan announced the production of up to 1000 Nissan LEAF vehicles for each of five major markets – Tennessee, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle and the Phoenix/Tucson region. In addition, 2500 charging stations will be installed in each of these areas
US production would begin in late 2012 at Nissan’s manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee.
Following General Motor’s claim that the Chevy Volt will have a fuel economy of 230mpg, Nissan claimed in its NissanEVs Twitter account that the LEAF would have a rating of 367mpg, using the same Department of Energy formula.
