Page 29 - ElectriCar Magazine
P. 29

 MSRP: $32,525 - 150 range Motor: 147 hp
Battery Capacity: 62kwh LithiumIon Curb Weight: 3,946
on late, 2009, Nissan unveiled its production version at its Yokohama headquarters and committed to begin retail sales in both the North American market and in Japan at end of 2010.
Range, Charging, and Battery Life: Speaking of recharging, the Leaf
can be plugged in to a regular 120- volt outlet or a 240-volt outlet, but
the charging times vary dramatically between the two. On a 240-volt connection, Nissan says both the standard Leaf’s battery and the
larger one in the Leaf Plus can be replenished in seven hours. A DC fast- charging connection is optional on S models and standard on SV, SL, and all Plus trims. The standard Leaf models all come with a 40-kWh battery which provides a relatively limited range
of 150 miles. This might be enough range for some drivers with short commutes; it outperforms the 125-mile range of the eGolf, but it’s less than half the range of the Model 3’s Long Range model. The Leaf Plus provides more driving range thanks to its larger 62-kWh battery pack. To unlock the Leaf’s maximum 226 miles of driving range, you’ll want to go with the S Plus trim level, as the SV Plus and SL Plus models are only rated for 215 miles.
First Generation Design: The Leaf’s frontal style is characterized by a sharp V-shape design with large, up slanting Light-emitting Diode (LED) headlights that create a distinctive blue internal reflective design. The headlights also split and redirect airflow away from
the door mirrors, which reduces wind noise and aerodynamic drag. The
LED low-beam headlights consume less electricity than halogen lamps.
Nissan sought to make the Leaf appealing to mainstream drivers by giving it a familiar five-door hatchback design. The bottom of the car has aerodynamic paneling to reduce drag and improve aerodynamics as much as possible. According to Nissan, the 2011 MY Leaf has a drag coefficient of Cd=0.29 which was improved to Cd=0.28 in 2012 for the 2013 model year. Auto magazine Car and Driver used a wind tunnel to measure Cd=0.32 for the 2012 MY Leaf.
Powertrain: The Leaf uses a 110hp front-mounted synchronous electric motor driving the front axle, powered by a 24 kWh lithium ion battery pack rated to deliver up to 120hp power.
The pack contains air-cooled, stacked laminated lithium ion manganese oxide batteries.
The Leaf has a top speed of over 93mph. Unofficially, 0 to 60mph performance has been tested at 9.9 seconds.
Battery: With the 24 kWh electric vehicle battery it consists of 48 modules and each module contains four battery cells, a total of 192 cells, and is assembled by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), a joint venture between Nissan, NEC and NEC Energy Devices, at Zama, Japan. The battery and control module together weigh 480 lbs the specific energy of the cells is 140 W·h/kg.
The Leaf’s design locates the battery, the heaviest part of any
EV, below the seats and rear foot space, keeping the center of gravity as low as possible and increasing structural rigidity compared to a conventional five-door hatchback.
The battery pack is expected to retain seventy to eighty percent of its capacity after 10 years but its actual lifespan depends on how often DC
fast charging is used and also on driving patterns and environmental factors. Nissan said the battery will lose capacity gradually over time
but it expects a lifespan of over
10 years under normal use. The 2011/12 Leaf’s battery was initially guaranteed by Nissan for eight years or 100,000 miles. Nissan stated in 2015 that until then only 0.01 percent
of batteries, produced since 2010,
had to be replaced because of failures or problems and then only because
of externally inflicted damage. Some vehicles have already covered more than 120,000 miles with no battery problems. In mid 2016, Nissan estimated that fewer than 5 batteries are replaced per year worldwide; about 0.012% of all Leafs since introduction. Nissan recycles 15–20 batteries per
Nissan Leaf continued on page 79 27
developed the Nissan Hypermini and ran a demonstration program for it. The car sold in limited numbers to supply government and corporate fleets in Japan between 1999 and 2001. A small fleet of Hyperminis was also field-tested in several cities in California between 2001 and 2005.
In 2009, Nissan unveiled the EV-11 prototype electric car. It was based
on the Nissan Versa, but with the conventional gasoline engine replaced with an All-Electric drivetrain, and included an 110hp electric motor, 24 kWh LithiumIon battery pack rated to have a range of 175 km (109 miles)
on the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s LA-4 or “city” driving cycle, navigation system,
and remote control and monitoring
via a cellphone connection through Nissan’s secure data center to the
car. The technology in the EV-11 was previously developed and tested in the EV-01 and EV-02 test cars, built with an All-Electric powertrain that used the Nissan Cube as a development mule. The EV-11 prototype was on display July 26, 2009. A week later,
JUNE 2020

































































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