Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf: the world’s first affordable five-seater electric car?

Nissan’s pre-launch publicity claims that the Leaf is the world’s first affordable medium-sized electric car, designed specifically around a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, and capable of carrying five adults in comfort. It is, says Nissan, ‘the embodiment of Nissan's radical, transformative vision for the future and the culmination of decades of investment and research.’

A ‘real’ everyday electric car

The Leaf, Nissan stresses, is a ‘real car’, an everyday car rather than an urban runabout, with a 100 mile range on one charge that satisfies the daily driving requirements of more than 70% of the world's motorists In the US, 80% of drivers travel less than 60 miles a day making the Leaf an excellent fit for urban commuters and leaving sufficient energy to power ancillary equipment. Its top speed of 87 mph also fits the profile of a majority of drivers around the world.

Pricing details will be announced closer to start of sales; however, the company expects the car to be competitively priced in the range of a well-equipped C-segment vehicle. How this will compare with the Volt’s expected price in the region of $40,000 remains to be seen. Additionally, the Leaf is expected to qualify for a variety of significant local, regional and national tax breaks and incentives in markets around the world.

Batteries and charging the Leaf electric car

The Leaf is powered by laminated compact lithium-ion batteries, which generate power output of over 90kW, while its electric motor delivers 80kW/280Nm. Nissan claims that this ensures a highly responsive, fun-to-drive experience that is in keeping with what consumers have come to expect from conventional petrol-powered vehicles.

Charging at home from a mains supply is estimated to take approximately eight hours, but the battery pack has a fast-charge capability, which is capable of an 80% charge in less than 30 minutes, or an extra 30 miles worth of range in about 10 minutes. Achieving results like this requires a dedicated charger – potentially priced at around $45,000 - well beyond the reach of most households.

Impressive IT

The Leaf employs an impressive IT system. Connected to a global data centre, the system can provide support, information, and entertainment for drivers 24 hours a day. The dash-mounted monitor displays the car's remaining power – or "reachable area" – in addition to showing a selection of nearby charging stations. Mobile phones can be used to turn on air-conditioning and set charging functions – even when the car is powered down. An on-board remote-controlled timer can also be pre-programmed to recharge batteries.

Renault-Nissan Alliance Partnerships

Nissan has adopted an intelligent approach to the infrastructure necessary for the success of their electric car. Under the banner of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the company has built 30 worldwide partnerships with countries such as the UK and Portugal and local authorities in the Japan and the USA. They have three functions:

• The development of a comprehensive charging infrastructure through public and private investment

• The development of incentives and subsidies from local, regional, and national governments

• Public education on the individual and societal benefits of zero-emissions mobility.

It may very well be that the Leaf is distributed to selected fleets in 2010 / 2011with whom Nissan has built partnerships, ahead of a more comprehensive launch in 2012. And it may also be the case that the Leaf will be initially sold in those markets and cities where an incipient infrastructure is in place.

Renault-Nissan electric car range

At the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn confirmed that there will be a range of at least three electric vehicles in the next few years – and potentially a fourth. In addition to the Leaf, Nissan will build electric versions of the NV200 light commercial and the Infiniti (on a Leaf platform) and possibly the Land Glider concept that was shown publicly for the first time at Tokyo. The first electric vehicles will be manufactured at Oppama, Japan, with additional capacity planned for Smyrna, Tennessee, USA. Meanwhile, lithium-ion batteries are being produced in Zama, Japan, with additional capacity planned for the USA, the UK and Portugal, and other sites for investment are under study around the world.

A mainstream, high-volume electric car

The Nissan Leaf is more conventional in external design than the fastbacks Toyota Prius or Honda but manages to look more modern and distinctive than either of them.  Its bonnet hides two charging points beneath the Nissan logo and features two bulbous blue-tinted headlights that improve the airflow around the car. In profile, it takes design cues from the rear treatment of the Renault Megane. It avoids what many car makers are concerned about – the perception of electric cars as ‘toys’ and achieves what Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s head of design, wanted – a mainstream, mass selling car, precisely suited to the second decade of the 21st century.

Expensive to buy, cost-effective to run

Like all electric cars, the Nissan Leaf will be expensive to purchase. In Britain and potentially other world markets, the company may sell you the car, but not the batteries. These may be leased for a monthly charge, which would reduce the sticker price. In Britain, this arrangement would have pretty spectacular results: the complete car would retail at around £18,000-£20,000 but take the up-front price of the batteries away and you’ve immediately lowered the price by £6,000. And, then, of course, you have the dramatic user cost-savings that apply to electric cars. Nissan calculates that using typical Japanese market figures, the monthly petrol bill of a C-segment car costs the equivalent of $63 US. The all-electric Leaf, using the same assumptions would cost $13 US per month. Obviously there are differences in UK prices and operating costs, but the order of magnitude is similar.

How does the Nissan Leaf stack up against the General’s Volt?

They are essentially two different animals.

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in series hybrid in which the small petrol internal combustion engine that powers the generator extends the range from an electric-only 40 miles to a total range of over 300 miles. In doing so, it reduces much of the range anxiety that is prevalent with an electric car. It will have acceleration of 0 to 60mph in 9 seconds and a top speed in excess of 100 mph.

The Nissan Leaf is an all-electric car that was purposely designed around its lithium-ion battery pack. The Volt, however was based on the Chevrolet Cruze so it’s an adaptation of an existing car which may have meant compromises in its development.  The Leaf, like all pure electric vehicles, brings on range anxiety on the part of the driver and passengers due to its finite range. Nissan have tried to mitigate this with the vehicle’s 100 mile range and the partnerships it has made in order to try to develop an infrastructure of charging points. Its sat-nav will also inform the driver of the location of the nearest charging stations.

Infrastructure, range, price and design

It may be that when both vehicles are freely available, an infrastructure will be in process of development but, for the moment, the Volt’s greater range is very much in its favour. However, price will be a major determinant of both vehicles’ success – as will motorists’ reaction to the exterior and interior design - so for, the moment, we must wait and see.