Nissan's Leafy EV

by Richard Chen

Published: August 3rd, 2009

A month ago, a diagram of the just-announced Nissan Leaf EV appeared on the web. Unlike the Tesla S, the Nissan EV appears to be a fairly conventional front motor/front drive (FF) vehicle, with the battery pack in front of the rear axle. A shovel nose appearance, thanks to the small electric engine, results in a aerodynamically advantageous tiny frontal area. A degree of crush space is maintained for the pedestrian-cum-hood-ornament that will inevitably occur with the Leaf’s quiet powertrain. The distinctive snout, combined with some distinctive curves at the beltline and rear, give the Leaf a, ahem, unique visual identity. If Nissan was trying to create the Prius of EVs, they’ve succeeded. Now, if they had only stamped plant-like veins in the sheet metal . . .

Recharging times of the 24 kWh lithium battery pack are 8 hours at 220V, and 30 minutes with an unspecified high-voltage power source. Two power plugs are located in the nose under the Nissan logo, reminiscent of GM’s EV1, with max range estimated at 100 miles. The Leaf’s pack is mostly underfloor with room for three in the back seat. By comparison, the $40K-ish and 40-mile EV range-ish Chevrolet Volt has a smaller 16 kWh battery pack that that intrudes into the rear passenger compartment. The cost of the battery pack is not included in the Leaf’s price, which is rumored to be south of $30K but before the federal $7500 EV tax rebate. Although Renault/Nissan is in cahoots with Better Place, no announcement has been made as to whether the Leaf’s battery pack will be leased or swapped through BP. From factories in Japan as well as eventual production in Smyrna, TN, arrival is slated for the end of (yes, you guessed it correctly) 2010.

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Martin Schwoerer on Aug 04, 2009

gslippy and niky, you guys are right, the economics of electric propulsion don't look exceedingly good for the U.S. Even though people drive awfully much. From my vantage point of course, I can't disregard that gasoline currently costs around $7.20 per gallon here in Germany, that some utilities offer cut-rate prices for vehicular electricity, and that in addition everybody already has 220V or 230V in their household.

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IceWendigo on Aug 05, 2009

Great news I do Not like the leasing Unless; A) Other manufacturers can offer batteries(eventually). If 3 years after you buy the car a battery manufacturer comes up with a battery that is comparable in performance and reliability but costs 1600$ to buy completely instead of a leased 10,000$ battery and you can buy that instead that would be great. So battery manufactureers can compete and you get more choice, the same way you can choose the tires and arent bound to buy/lease "Nissan tires", you can pay more for a performance tire, less for an economic model or choose one that is best suited for your climate(ex:snow&ice tires). Some people may be inclined to pay more, others might say I dont mind having a 120km range instead of 160km if I save more money. I think this issue, propriatery-anti-competition-bondage vs choice is important for the public to start being aware of and start demanding. B) And provided you are NOT bound by long term contracts (otherwise point A is moot, you could buy any brand of tire for your car you want but have to lease the Nissan tires for 10 years first otherwise you have a 6000$ contract penalty)

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