Nissan turns a leaf with EV for the mass market

Nissan’s mass market EV for 2010 – the Leaf – has been unveiled. The C-segment eco hatchback can carry five passengers up to 100 miles, reach a 90mph top speed and be recharged in 30 minutes. It goes on sale next year in Japan and the USA, spreading to Europe by 2012. Jonny Smith went to meet and drive it

2010 Nissan LEAF EV
Price: £18-£20,000 (est.)
Battery power: 24 kWh / 90kW
Charge time: 30 mins
Motor power: 80 kW (107bhp), 208 lb-feet torque
Top speed: 87+ mph

The Leaf looks intentionally conventional. “We wanted this car to be distinctive and recognisable as a Nissan, but not too ‘out there’,” said design chief Shiro Nakamura. “Much of its shape is dictated by drag reduction and wind noise control.”
    
The rear profile harks of Renault’s previous generation Mégane, while the smooth nose hints of Micra and features a hinged trapdoor where the pair of recharging sockets are located.

Internally, the most striking feature is a distinctive piano black dash panel that apes the keypad of a mobile phone. There are three digital screens in front of the driver that display your battery range, batt temp, elapsed time and how much power is left in reserve. A clever EV-specific sat-nav keeps the driver informed of nearby charging stations as you drive.
    
Your EV even communicates with your mobile phone to remotely inform you of charging progress (through e-mail) and allow you to pre-set the air conditioning.

Battery tech
The 4445mm long Leaf uses a bespoke platform specifically designed for EVs with a front-drive 80 kW (107bhp) electric motor. The 48 laptop-sized laminated Lithium-ion manganese battery modules (collectively weighing 270kg) and are located beneath the floor and rear seat area. This means they don’t encroach on occupant or boot space. Crash impact safety dictates that they’re inboard between the wheelbase.
    
Each module comprises of four laminated sheets about the size of a magazine and has its own management unit. In other words you can remove and replace single modules for repair/maintenance.
    
The price of EVs plays a key part to the Leaf becoming a mass sales success. Nissan are suggesting it will cost £18-20,000 – in the region of a well-specced hatch. But in order to sell it so competitively, Nissan say customers will buy the car and lease the batteries.
    
To buy them would add at least £6k to the price, plus by leasing it any customer scepticism that could be associated with new technology is lifted. Nissan would warranty the batteries in exchange for a monthly payment, reportedly under £100.

Changing tech
The immediate advantage of EVs over hydrogen and other alternative powered cars is that we already have a highly developed national grid. The Leaf can be charged through your household mains 240v in eight hours, which can be set to cut-in overnight for economy-7 benefits.
    
If you exceed 100 miles in a day you’ll need to charge on the run. Provided charging stations are established, you’ll be able to fully charge in 30 minutes. These could be in carparks or outside offices. There has already been interest from shop chains in providing charging docks, in the knowledge that customers will browse as they wait. Either that or public charge stations will bill you via your phone, similar to E top-up.
    
It costs $350 million to set up battery building infrastructures in existing factories, according to Nissan spokesmen, and there is already the intention to convert Sunderland after 2012.

Behind the wheel
The first thing you notice is the eerie silence, followed by the impressive acceleration. This guinea-pig bodied Leaf can match a 3.5 V6 petrol off the line to 40mph, and boasts a torque curve that fossil fuel burners could only dream of.
    
But after a while quietness doesn’t feel so odd. After all, manufacturers have spent decades striving to create luxury petrol cars as quiet as possible. The Leaf EV has gone a long way to convincing me that electric power is genuinely the future, both inside smog-ridden stop-start cities and out.