Nissan LEAF Review

Pros: Drivability, technology, looks, concept, practicality

Cons: Potential high price, first-generation

By Alborz Fallah | March 17th, 2011

Our Rating:

Performance, Ride & Handling	3.5
Comfort and Interior	3.5
Quality & Design	4
Value & Features	3

The Nissan LEAF is the most advanced mass-produced electric vehicle in existence today.

Even though it may still be another 12 months away from going on sale in Australia, Nissan invited CarAdvice to take the environmentally friendly vehicle for a test drive.

The Nissan LEAF is a little bit out of this world when compared with any other car on sale today. It has so many features that will make you go “oh, that’s a great idea” that even if it wasn’t an electric car, it would still be a very cool vehicle to own.

For example, you can tell it to start up the air-conditioning (or heater) at 6:30am in preparation for your drive to work at 6:45am. It has a mobile SIM card built in so it constantly updates itself with new info (e.g. new charging stations, vehicle updates). You can find out remotely, from your iPhone, how much charge your car has left and can even tell it to begin or stop charging remotely (if plugged in). It can log your drive and tell you how much power you’ve used and where. Seriously, it’s like the beginning of SKYNET. The entire car feels like one giant smart computer that wants to make you happy. Alas, it still can’t make coffee (but its on-board computer can suggest places that can).

Before we get too into the ins and outs of the Nissan LEAF, it’s important to get the basics right. For those that are still trying to make heads or tails of Electric Vehicles and Hybrids, the main difference between the Nissan LEAF and a hybrid (e.g. Toyota Prius) is that the LEAF doesn’t have a petrol motor at all.

While the Prius can run on electric power alone for no more than a kilometre or two at best, the LEAF runs entirely on its electric motor. It can manage a range of between 100km and 170km.

Research has shown that more than 80 percent of Australians drive less than 80km per day, which would make the LEAF the ideal car for, well, 80 percent of Australians.

The idea is simple. The Nissan LEAF is just like any other car, except that you’ll never have to visit a smelly petrol station again. You simply treat it like you would any other car. For example, you drive it to work in the morning and then drive it back in the afternoon. Put it on charge overnight and all is good again for the next day.

The benefits of an electric vehicle over a hybrid are pretty obvious. It doesn’t pollute, given there is no combustion on any level. If the source of its electricity is from green power (e.g. wind, solar, nuclear) and hence also zero emission, then electric vehicles could potentially be the best thing that can happen to transportation.

The Nissan LEAF didn’t just happen overnight though. While many have come to associate Toyota with green technology (partially thanks to the Prius and partially thanks to Toyota’s marketing department), the folks at Nissan have been working on electric vehicles since 1992.

The Nissan-Renault alliance has been a huge benefit to both companies with advancements in electric vehicles a proud achievement of the venture.

Nissan has already sold out its entire initial stock of LEAFs for the US market, so this isn’t the sort of model that is waiting to gain acceptance. It has already been warmly welcomed in the States, Japan and Europe. Global production is expected to hit 300,000 units per year by 2013.

Nissan Australia CEO, Dan Thompson, believes at least 10 percent of Nissan’s sale volume will be electric vehicles by 2020. His boss, Nissan Global CEO Carlos Ghosn, thinks the same figure but applied to the whole industry. It’s hard to know what will happen in eight years given the pace at which technology and the car industry moves. All we can say is, there are interesting times ahead.

The real constraints for electric vehicles are batteries. Currently all electric vehicles use lithium batteries (most hybrids use less-advanced nickel-hydride batteries), similar stuff that you’d find in your iPhone’s battery. Lithium is a lot harder to get and process than one would think, especially at the level of refinement required for an electric vehicle.

There is 250kg of lithium batteries in a Nissan LEAF. That’s spread over 48 modules, each about the size of a small laptop. Inside each module are four cells which store the power that drives the LEAF. These little cells are expected to have around 70 percent performance even after six to 10 years of use. Even then, Nissan has set up an entirely separate company just to gather used batteries and put them to use in other applications and eventually recycle them.

Better yet, given the LEAF’s modular design, the batteries can easily be replaced. In five years the lithium battery pack may have significantly improved in performance, so perhaps you can pick up a second-hand LEAF, stick new batteries in it and away you go.

Currently there are only two Nissan LEAFs in Australia, with sales expected to begin within the next 12 months. Pricing is still not confirmed but given its main competition, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (which goes on sale to the general public in a few months time), is expected to cost upwards of $60,000, it’s not going to be that cheap. In the United States, the Nissan LEAF starts from just $32,500 (not to mention government incentives).

Think of the Nissan LEAF as a first generation LCD TV screen. When they first came out they were expensive, these days they are cheaper than anyone would have ever thought. The same principle of technology advancement will apply to the LEAF and other electric vehicles. Initially they will cost a fair bit but as volume picks up, cost of production comes down and the technology improves, one could predict that electric vehicles will one day demand the same sort of small premium as today’s diesel passenger cars. Nonetheless, in the case of the LEAF you can replace its batteries with better ones at any time in the future, so it’s not going to be left behind by advancements in lithium technology.

The big difference between the Nissan LEAF and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is size. The LEAF is a good metre longer than its Japanese rival. It also happens to be larger in every proportion than a Mazda3 or Toyota Corolla. So it’s actually a car you can use every day and transport adults in, unlike the i-MiEV which is more of a city-only car with limited space.

Also unlike the i-MiEV (which is based on a petrol model), the LEAF is a dedicated electric vehicle, built from the ground up to be just that. Its electric engine develops 80kW and 280Nm of torque and its body shape is aerodynamically optimised for maximum efficiency.

It’s designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible, so it’s 95 percent recyclable and a great deal of its components are also made from recycled material. It’s hard to argue with its Earth-saving credentials (even if you want to get into the CO2 cost of lithium extraction it’s still better for the planet than an internal combustion vehicle).

Before we were allowed behind the wheel of one of only two Nissan LEAFs in Australia, Nissan engineers took us through how the charging system works.

It’s actually relatively simple. There are three ways to charge a LEAF. You can charge the LEAF at home so long as you have the right power system installed (the same 15amp power requirement as your air-conditioner). This can be installed by an electrician for about $200. It will take around eight hours to recharge the LEAF from a completely depleted battery using your house’s electricity. The LEAF comes with a power control box which manages the flow of power to the car when at home.

Alternatively you can charge it from fixed cable infrastructure systems. Such units are already on offer by ChargePoint, BetterPlace, etc., in limited numbers around Australia. The location of these systems is certain to grow. The idea would be to find these charging points in office car parks or other places where your car is going to sit dormant for a few hours. These systems will cost around $5000 (plus installation), so expect to see a fair few of them around CBDs over the next few years.

The third and most potent charging method is a ‘fast-charge’ which is when a three-phase 415-volt power system is hooked up to your LEAF. This can charge your Nissan from empty to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes. Ideal when you need a quick recharge to get home. Given the amount of power being pushed into the batteries at one time, the system will not charge the LEAF past the 80 percent mark to help preserve its batteries. These systems are about $70,000 to $100,000 installed, so they are going to be more scarce than the normal charge points.

The public charging systems are going to be owned and managed by third party providers, of which there are currently plenty setting up in Australia. It’s still unclear with what plans and at what cost they will be offered to the general public, but we will find out within a few months when the i-MiEV goes on sale.

Nissan Australian Regional Electric Vehicle Manager, Michael Hayes, told CarAdvice that even if electricity prices increased by 50 percent, the LEAF would cost a maximum of three cents per kilometre to run. Significantly cheaper than any internal combustion engine. To give you an idea, a Toyota Prius uses 3.9L/100km (official figure), so that’s about 25km per litre. If fuel costs $1.50 per litre, that makes it six cents per kilometre. Of course electricity prices haven’t increased by 50 percent so the comparison is not really valid, but it gives you a rough idea of running costs. Plus, let’s not forget that the LEAF is zero emission, unlike the Toyota Prius which pumps out 89 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

So, it’s not lacking technology but how does a Nissan LEAF drive? Rather well, actually. The use of an all-electric engine means there is no sound, at all. Turn it on and it will sit silently (much like a hybrid at first).

Behind the wheel, my first gripe was a lack of telescopic steering wheel adjustment, but that’s not all that uncommon these days. Once you’ve positioned yourself comfortably you’re presented with an array of electronic gadgetry, all of which serves a very valuable purpose. My first intention was to find an open road and plant the accelerator, which is exactly what I did.

When it comes to drivability, the Nissan LEAF is an interesting car. You’re actually going to feel it accelerate just like you would in a sportscar. It’s a bizarre sensation given there is no engine noise. It feels and sounds like a Japanese bullet train about to hit cruising speed as it accelerates from the lights. With 280Nm of torque available from a standstill, the LEAF is much more lively than a Prius and many other cars (no official 0-100km/h figures yet).

Steering feel is very light, much like a Lexus. That makes it easy to manoeuvre around town and get in and out of car parks. Our test vehicle was a European model so it’s still unknown if the steering will be further tuned for the Australian market. Unlike the i-MiEV, the LEAF is front-wheel drive, but you’d hardly be able to tell the difference driving it normally.

The gearstick is tiny and very simple to operate. You simply pull it to the right and down to engage Drive, if you do that again it will engage ECO mode which will change the accelerator pedal response (essentially limiting power to preserve the battery) and optimise other systems. This is the only way you can get the maximum 170km range (also without air-conditioning). You simply press the P to go into Park.

Nissan says the average driver will get around 120km out of a LEAF when driven in normal Drive mode with the air-conditioning on, which is still 40km more than 80 percent of Australians need.

The typical analogue speedometer and tachometer displays are not present, instead you get a powermeter which tells you how much power you are using. You also get a distance to empty system that tells you how well the batteries are doing (so you’ll know if they are no longer being charged to maximum).

Above that you get a digital speedometer and also a peculiar ‘tree building’ system to the left. Depending on how environmentally friendly you drive, the LEAF will build more trees for you, well, digital trees. A somewhat useless feature to be frank, but it will make Bob Brown happy.

Nonetheless, if you really want to be the greenest person on Earth, you can sign up to Nissan’s global ‘LEAF portal’ and measure your driving style against others from around the world. Your LEAF will automatically update the portal with your driving log and the system will rank your driving style (based on how many kilometres you get out of a charge) on a global, national and even local level. A great way to take advantage of human beings’ need to win competitions.

The on-board computer system is pretty nifty too. It will tell you your driving range (on a map), nearby recharging stations as well as energy information. It will update your driving range every 500m based on your driving style and if you happen to turn on the air-conditioning system, it will even tell you how many more kilometres you will gain if you turn it off (or vice versa).

According to Nissan, early adopters of electric vehicles want all the information they can get, so the company has not held back.The Nissan LEAF’s iPhone application will be available for Australians in time for the vehicle’s launch. It will also be available on Android-powered phones.

Spending 30 minutes behind the wheel of a Nissan LEAF was an eye opener. Having driven electric vehicles in the past, it can be said that the LEAF is a step up from its competition. It’s the sort of car you would recommend to your family without hesitation.

Overall, it’s hard to fault the Nissan LEAF. It has won the European Car of the Year award and is certain to win many more. Sure, it may be expensive and its range might create what the industry has now termed “range-anxiety”, but if you think about it, how often do you travel more than 170km in one session?

It’s truly the first full-electric car that you can live with. It’s comfortable, it drives well, it’s full of technology and it has enough juice to get most of us around on a daily basis. More importantly though, it’s a sign of what’s about to come. Thumbs up to Nissan.

Energy-saving features

Automatic lights-on system
LED headlamps with load-sensing leveller
High luminance LED rear combination lights
Full colour rear view monitor, with vehicle width/distance display function
Rear windshield wiper (intermittent)
LED high-mount stop lights

Active safety features

VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control [TCS functionality included])
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution)

Passive safety features

High-strength safety bodyshell
Impact-energy-absorbing body construction to mitigate pedestrian injuries
SRS airbags for the driver and front passenger
SRS side airbags for the driver and front passenger
SRS curtain airbags
Two-stage load-limiter-equipped double pretensioner seatbelt for driver and front passenger
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) 3-point seatbelts for all seats

Reader reviews of the NISSAN LEAF

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http://www.caradvice.com.au/110596/nissan-leaf-review/
Nissan LEAF Review
Nissan
Leaf
The Nissan LEAF is what keeps the CEOs of BP & Shell awake at night...

http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Nissan-Leaf-Review-54-625x424.jpg

Alborz Fallah
Nissan LEAF Review
The Nissan LEAF is what keeps the CEOs of BP & Shell awake at night...
3 stars

Noely

great article,totally changed my mind of nissan ev. I will consider one in not too long.

andronicus

Yes, very good article.

But CA….can you please stop saying that a positive in your reviews are looks?! Both the Leaf and the gen II Cruze you have said that a positive of the cars are the LOOKS!?! Are you kidding me? Some of the ugliest cars on two wheels.

Looks and design are subjective and I just think….you have good taste…sorry to say.

Stick to the technicalities and let the readers make up their own mind about the styling yes>???

andronicus

….four wheels……four wheels
andronicus

…you DONT have good taste….far out, i should read what i write before posting. thats what happens when you do this on an iphone!

No Thanks

Excellent. Let me just plug it into my power supply, provided by brown coal.

Until the government provides a _serious_ green funding for alternative power, then this is pointless.

Rick

You don’t have to use brown coal – you’ve had the ability to buy 100% green power for several years now, just ask your supplier. Costs under $400 a year based on average use. Not too much if you want to start making a difference ?

It seems that most Australians are apathetic to offsetting their carbon emissions if it costs them *anything*. Over 80% of passengers who fly opt out of the carbon offset & that can be as little as $3 for domestic routes…

Dan

People don’t pay the “carbon offset” because they don’t like being conned.

As for the Leaf, well it does look interesting and will be the first of many.

MF

Install a solar panel on your roof! easy as that.
http://coljac.net Colin

I have Green power with my provider. I pay 5.5c/kWh extra, but they are legally obliged to source the amount of power I use from renewable sources. So I could drive one of these and be carbon neutral, and I plan to!
Zac

Even if it is charged with coal-sourced electricity, it is still more environmental friendly than an internal combustion engine car. Electric motors are about 90% percent efficient, and internal combustion engines about 25% efficient(I think). If I am correct that means 75% of ICE energy is being wasted as sound and heat, whereas only 10% of electric motor energy is being wasted as sound and heat.

jeremy

And lets not forget that no petrol engine will EVER put fuel back into the tank.
EV’s can recharge their batteries when they go down hill

Captain Nemo

Hi Alborz

Quick question. looking at the pic of the front charge point there doesn’t seem to be any sort of rubber seal.

What stops water running off the bonnet & into the charge socket if you were at a outdoor chrage point and it was to rain?
Alborz Fallah

Captain Nemo, nissan says it’s waterproof plus the power control box regulates power input so if it detects any issues it will stop power.
Shak

Umm, CA is the price of the fast charging station correct, because $70,000-$100,000 just seems excessive a tad…

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ Alborz Fallah

The fast charge stations are the ‘industrial’ level charging stations, not something you;d have in your house, but something you might find in a major petrol station or service stop. They require totally different power inputs etc so yes, rather expensive.

Shak

Wow that’s crazy.
jeremy

I have 3 phase power at home. One would assume many people do and that the uptake of EVs would be followed by mass-produced charging stations, consequently driving prices down. It all takes time.

nickdl

Great review. I really like the Leaf, and there’s a good chance that in 10 years time there will be EVs with a 500km+ range. In the mean time the Chevrolet Volt sounds like a better option because you can still drive a long range on it if need be. I recently read a column by Jay Leno who was commenting on his new Volt. In 6 weeks and over 1500km he had only used 6 litres of petrol. That was with his 50km daily commute which would be about the same as a large amount of k’s as a large proportion of Australian motorists.
darkone

If this is the future you can have it ,give me a combustion engine anyday.these things will be bought by famous people looking like they are helping the environment,a car with a range of 170 km is completely useless.Not to mention the price of electricity these days,why bother,it probably costs the same amount of $ to put petrol in your car.How many of the electronics will go wrong over time,and what will they cost to fix??.I would rather push a fossil fuel car than be seen in one of these plastic crud heaps,if I need something powered by a battery I will go buy it from games world.

Garry

Yes, cling to the past. Refuse to be open to new ideas. Close yourself off in that safe little box of yours. If you want to stay in the past do so. The rest of us will be happy to not hear your whinging.

It’s not about being a tree hugger anymore. The simple reality is that we ARE going to run out of fossil fuels and we will have to start looking for other ways to get around. As the article says, how often do you need to drive more than 170km? Obviously it wouldn’t be practical to have one as the only car in your house as it stands now, but the technology WILL improve. As for reliability, I think the whole issue of electronics being unreliable is an outdated one. Yes, they can be a pain but nothing is 100% fault free. As soon as EVs start to take a noticeable chunk of the market share the competition between the companies will lead to huge improvements.

I’ll admit that I won’t exactly be running out the door to buy one of these, but as the technology improves (which it will) the electric sports and muscle cars (think of the torque) will come too. Tesla is the obvious example there. The demand for exciting cars isn’t going to go away.

To sum up, the times they are a-changing: roll with it, just don’t be an early adopter.

darkone

top gear drove the tesla and all it did was break down,the way to go with cars is hydrogen fuel cell tech,dont have to keep charging the thing that way,and no I still probably wont buy one,not clinging to the past but combustion engines have been here for a long time and car companies wont lose millions in profit just getting rid of them,think of me what you like,but electric cars arent the right way to go.What do you do with all the left over batteries? its just another pollution issue.

Ben

Top gear is a stunt and rehearsed show.. Surely you know that. It was done for effect, and they admitted as much later.

The Batteries are recycled.. Why don’t you do a little reading.

Oh and by the way, Most, but not all, hydrogen cars ARE Electric. They just use a fuel cell instead of batteries. Fast charge batteries are already lab tested.. 5 Minutes or less quick enough? And with very large range.. These issues are only temporary, so no point in harping on them.
Lazybones

How many fuel cell cars have Top Gear taken around the track??
steve

And how many fuel cell cars can you buy today?

MF

You are funny, you complain about electricity price but you are complacent about petrol price? I am not sure at what underground petrol station u have been filling up ur tank, but the coles express i go to is getting damn expensive!
Eric

Darkone.

I wounder if this was 100odd years ago, Your comment would be.

“Petrol Naa that will never work, I am happy with my steam cart.”

LOL
Tom

Did you actually bother to read the article? 80% of the population drive less than 80km a day, so yes, a 170km range will be fine. You will probably need to own another car/hire one for longer journeys, but this is early days. The technology will improve rapidly with widespread adoption plus increased R&D. The article also pointed out that at current electricity prices, it will still cost half of what a Prius costs purely in fuel.

As for the reliability, an electric motor is hardly new technology – and it is a far simpler device with fewer moving parts than an internal combustion engine. I would imagine it would require far less maintenance than a normal car.

Of course this isn’t going to be the be all and end all, but the first petrol cars were rubbish too – even in the last 20-30 years cars have come along a huge way, and electric cars will do the same.

Skybreak

“so yes a 170km range will be fine…”
Not for me. Yes MOST days it would be fine, but not for days when I want to drive from Brisbane to Sydney, or even just do a daytrip on the Gold Coast.

I know electric cars will eventually have a longer range and recharge stations will be more common, but right now cars like this are a non-event for me.

If they allowed me to plug it directly into a 240volt outlet then it would be lot more convenient to live with.

jeremy

I can’t help but think you didn’t even read the article!
dadarjapit

Quoted from darkone – “I would rather push a fossil fuel car than be seen in one of these plastic crud heaps”

Are you sure about that?
Pfft…

darkone

yep

Jacob Martyn

Explain the SIM card in the car…how many $/year do we need to pay for that?

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ Alborz Fallah

it will be provided by Nissan as part of the car, costs included.

jeremy

Now that IS remarkable. With most companies looking for ways to increase revenue, I would have thought having a car networked would have been an easy cash spinner.
People seem happy to part with a small amount of cash each month for some special features.
Kudos to Nissan for keeping their market focus. This will set a great precedent for the consumer.
Jacob Martyn

Interesting…hopefully it doesnt use the Vodafone network!

curt

I’m in California (we have no coal burning power plants), and am anxiously waiting for my Leaf. I like the fact the car itself is more recyclable than any other mass-produced car and that a higher percentage of it is made from recycled products. Fortunately, in my state we have (with the Fed tax credit) $12.5k subsidies to go with this car bringing its price down to $21k. Given the features already built-in with this car, its roughly comparable to similarly equipped ICE vehicles.

Unlike the Volt (glorified hybrid), the Leaf is a fairly simple car with a lot less mechanical moving parts that can go wrong. Maintenance cost for this car will be less. The only outstanding cost issue of course is the time you have to swap the batteries out. In my case I plan to use the degraded batteries for power storage with my pending home PV system. This vehicle is a win-win for me.

http://coljac.net Colin

I’m jealous – left California some years ago, and now I’m in Australia waiting for a mass-market electric car to be released. At $32k I’d buy one in a second. Mitsubishi apparently want $70k+ here for an i-Miev; I know we’re a small market, but what gives?

Old Dog

I wonder what a batch of batteries will cost in 5 years when the 80% of the population can’t do their required km. battery technology might get better, but it won’t get cheaper. Again we’ve invented something that requires a finite resource.

Batteries aren’t the solution to the oil barrels running dry.

ST

Spot on! When the lithium/element require for the new batteries reserves run out, then what? Sure this is a great solution now moving away from crude oil, but what are we doing to ensure we’re not making the same mistakes as before with petrol cars?

EVnow

Mmmm – unfortunately someone has given misleading info. Lithium batteries are 100% recyclable. Lithium is more abundant than all fossil fuels. Battery tech’ is expensive at the moment because of demand outstripping supply. As more mines come on line – like Galaxy Lithium, then price will settle. The new technologies, being found almost every month, have already developed increased recharge/discharge rates and capacities. Early adopters always pay more – but they drive true progress. Curiously – hydrogen storage is improving with materials acting as “bonding” agents to increase storage capacity at lower pressures. Electric is the future.

Alexander

Considering a Nickel Prius battery costed around $10,000 to replace 8-10 years a go, and now it costs $3-4000, i’d say lithium batteries will too. Lithium, like any technology will become out dated and a new battery system will replace it with time anyway
Lazybones

The price of batteries is expressed in USD per KWH. Its currently about $500-$700. So for the leaf the (24Kwh) pack would be about 10-15k for Nissan to produce. This price drops every year, with a report by Deutsche bank claming the expected price in 9 years will be about $250 per KWH.

Lithium isn’t the only battery tech out there, and once you have created a battery the lithium inside it can be recycled at 100% so your not constantly mining for it like Oil/Gas/Coal etc. The battery in the upcoming Lightning GT is based on nano tube technology which has an estimated life of 15,000 cycles. Or put simply nearly 6 Million Km’s before it needs recycling.

Ben

Not to mention nanotube tech allows for extremely fast charge rates.. With the correct input charge rates, it can be less than 5 minutes.

Alexander

I can honestly say i’d be happy to get one this time next year. EV’s seem (for my needs) a great idea, range wouldn’t be an issue as i have a 25km total daily commute, recharging would be provided by solar panels and my Prius is getting kinda boring…

CA, will Nissan have a pre-order system here like it did in UK/US?

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ Alborz Fallah

It hasn’t been decided yet how the pricing or sale of the LEAF will work here in AUS. No doubt we will be hearing more about it over the next 6-12 months.

Ben xr6

These are terrific cars! If all city dwellers had these for their daily commute to work then there would be more fuel reserve for the “enthusiast” on the weekend.

My only gripe is that surely the extra gadgets in the car would suck power, surely the range can be longer if you didn’t have the bluetooth, and the wizz bang computer. But i suppose thats what the consumer wants these days.

I do agree tho, just like plasma TV, starts expensive but will come down considerably. Hell you can by one now for 600 bucks!
Car

I would not buy one of these I travel more than 600-800km quite frequently in one day so it would be utterly useless. I think if you worked in the city and lived close to the city have one of these, but then change to a normal car for the weekends which you would need for a family holiday or something

Mani

It would have been easier for you to say, “I’m one of the 20% of the population who drives more then 80km a day.”

Electrician

Since when we had ’3 phase 480v’ power supply. It’s 415v in our everyday life as the mean sqaure root value. 480v is certainly not the peak value. Pls update
Nick K

Kudos to Nissan for releasing such a well designed EV… Brave and a major milestone. For now this will remain a niche product due to price and range limitations… However as this technology matures it will go mainstream. An interesting hybrid variant of the Leaf could be one that uses a micro turbine to act a range extender… A great interim solution untill range is improved in EV mode.
Dees

I think the Volt is more advanced than the Leaf.
Also since the Leaf is leaving some customers stranded since the range is not as good as it is claimed to be.

Although EVs seem to be interesting for the future to see how much they change.
pugphile

It’s not zero emission as pointed out before, if you have one car being charged with a industrial level high voltage source, what happens to our electricity supply infrastructure when ten or twenty thousand or one hundred thousand cars are being recharged in the one day when Melbourne is in the midst of a hot spell? As it stands, the power companies struggle with reliable supply and no one wants to spend money on the supply (source) end of things.
As for solar panels, I don’t believe a solar panel or even a battery of panels on an average family home can deliver sufficient current to recharge the car (remember 15 amps).

steve

I am one of the fortunate few who now own and drive a highway-capable EV, a 1999 Ford Ranger EV. My EV provides safe, clean, quiet, and low cost transportation for many thousands of km each year. My electricity (as solar power) falls from the sky all day long. I call that clean power and affordable power. A 3.2 kW solar array provides 85% of my electrical needs for both house and car charging. The solar operates at its peak during the day, when I am at work. That means I am sending power to my neighbors during the day. I can buy it back at night to charge the car.

The electric car was practical ten years ago. I look forward to the modern advanced technology of my new Nissan LEAF.

JEKYL & HYDE

this is a no-brainer vrs a hybrid,for an a to b runaround car,and a big reason my nissan have put their necks on the chopping block developing it.they see a big future in it.i do to,for the simple reason that if you going to a different power source other than petrol,you might as well go all the way.pure electric has the less power loss through delivery,and i wonder what the service intervals are(lol).60k needs to be 30k but,then they’ll sell squillions.hopefully all the manufactorers have got together on a common battery dimension…
Jack

Great review of a great concept, it certainly looks like it has been well executed. For most urban folk it will reduce dependency on fossil fuel providers and increase dependency on electricity providers. A combination of an EV for urban areas and a diesel for long distance travel seems to be about the ideal.

In questioning, I’m aiming not at the car, but the way we make electricity. As the new EVs are introduced, our grid ages and struggles with meeting peak demand. So it’s clear that major investment is needed in our electrical generation. Also ethical investment: do you want to power your EV from brown coal or a 1950′s designed GE arrangement which houses its spent fuel rods above its reactor core? (So the nuclear infrastructure of the world needs urgent review too, this we know.) Can your home solar setup power the household and charge the new EV, or do you need to expand it? Will you need a larger separate battery setup to charge the car from at night if you choose an independent power generation path? Nationally, this is the time for Australia to step up and massively increase its funding to alternative sources of energy, in anticipation of this technology switch.

My one criticism of the car: the constant application of new technology totally reduces the driver’s privacy to zero. You are located constantly, your driving style is “ranked” a bit like playing COD online! People apparently dig this now, but George Orwell would be horrified. Maybe George was wrong? Maybe people really DO love Big Brother.
Yonny

For me, a car like this would be ideal for about 80% of the time. But when I need to do longer trips (all in regional areas) the range problem would be insurmountable. In other words, I’d need to have 2 cars – or possibly hire an ICE car when I needed to go on longer trips. This would probably be true for most people.

But if they can ever extend the range of a car like the Leaf to, say, 400 or 500 km, then it would be suitable for almost everybody almost all of the time. I wonder when (if?) we’ll see that.
ElecEng

“This is the only way you can get the maximum 170km range (also without air-conditioning).”

What’s the range if the air-con is on the WHOLE time the car is used – including at night? 80km?
In australia we have 30degC on certain times of the year.

Why don’t the car companies give their range in the worst case scenario? So people know you can’t do worse.

ElecEng

I meant 30degC nights…

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ Alborz Fallah

Nissan says it will get at 100km if driven normally with aircon on.
Of course if you floor it everywhere, that wil be reduced, but how much? I am not sure.

Octavian

Nuclear is not green, far from it, gas power stations are much greener. LPG cars are greener than this. But it’s a good example of electronic wizardry by Nisan to be fossil fuel independent.
AnnK21

I drive 40,000 km pa. so a range of < 170 km is not going to do it for me. I'd consider one if range was adequate & the purchase $ competitive
Octavian

I aggree, styling is subjective but ergonomics arn’t in a design. I want to see an emission statement of this car Nissan and compare it to a very frugal diesel, say the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion. Then people will start to see where I’m coming from.
Blitzkrieg

Surely they’re not going to ask $60,000 for one here in Aust when you can buy them for $21,000 in the US,that would be an absolute con.
So the public charge stations are to be owned and managed be third party providers are they,like Mcquarie bank (the millionaire factory) who charge you a fortune to park at sydney airport,and now have their greedy hands on private speed cameras.I can hardly wait for fair and just treatment from these third party providers when charging at these stations.
I can see their slogan now “Welcome drive on in we’ll charge you”.
jeremy

This technology is the way of the future. In due course these cars will be the norm.
Viable oil supplies will surely disappear. Not if, just when.
The carbon tax is comming. This will make traditional, coal powered electricity much dearer.
This is fantastic news for nuclear and renewable power industries.

We need to have the nuclear electricity debate in Australia.
There is too much false information in the media which feeds on fear.
Per Megawatt hour of power generation, there have been less deaths and injuries incurred with nuclear power than coal.
Coal power, apart from creating massive amounts of carbon, also creates more of a raditation hazard than a nuclear plant. How? Most coal naturally has low levels of radioactive elements in it. When it is burnt, they are distributed into the atmosphere. Hence the hype about “clean coal”.
Sure we need more wind, solar, hydro and geothermal. In Australia, the reality is the only way to have a low carbon electricity system is with nuclear power and renewables.
The nuclear power plant at Fukushima will eventually show how safe nuclear power is. This is despite using supersceded technology and enduring a magnitude 9 earthquake(unprecedented in living memory for the Japanese) and a massive Tsunami.
Australia has among the most stable geology of any land mass on the planet. We have massive tracts of unpopulated land. We also have abundant supplies of uranium.
The only real obstacles stopping us from having a low carbon ecconomy are:
1. Lack of political will. Driven by;
2. Public misconceptions about nuclear safety
3. The large capital expenditure for nuclear power plant construction.
4. Consideration for large water supplies required for power generation

The biggest difficulty is clearly educating the public about nuclear safety.

JEKYL & HYDE

“the nuclear plant…how safe it is”.clearly you have been smoking/snorting/injecting too much of the good stuff.i fell your destined for a life in politics,or the funny farm…

jeremy

Wow! I just cannot argue with any of your facts, because you have none!

Mark

I agree. Fukushima to me was not a disaster but proof that nuclear is safe. I did figure out who pulls the media strings though. The big coal burning energy giants. Talk about blowing up a mole hill into a mountian! Consider the benefits. ZERO Pollution. Versus coal which has total pollution and unlike nuclear coal pollutants are guarenteed and have no half life. The single biggest dumbest thing man kind is doing at the moment is turning their back on nuclear. All because of bogus media and Hollywood garbage and a bunch of greeny loons. I disgaree on renewables though. A side show joke. Nothing like seeing the beautiful English countryside covered in mile after mile of windmills that produce less electricity than a very small nuclear submarine! Renewables are a crock. They have only one place in our society. Solar water heaters on rooves.

Ben

No need for the hassle of nuclear even if you do believe it is save (there have been too many major nuclear issues to ignore).. There are better totally clean alternatives that are cost effective and comparable cost wise to coal. Solar thermal is one such tech and is extremely suitable to OZ. It also has baseload capability meaning it will generate day and night and never emits anything.

Definitely Solar Thermal is my pick.
Octavian

What about all that extremely toxic nuclear waste? I would rather invest in a much safer, simpler, cheaper and cleaner concentrated solar or wind technologies. Some mobile computer batteries have advanced a lot in the past few years, so I guess that same would happen with car batteries in the future.

jeremy

All that extremely toxic waste that came out of the ground you mean?
It’s not that hard to safely put it back there.
In fact, there is lower risk of radiation to life forms once it is properly stored than when it exisited in it’s natural form.
No one is saying renewables should be ignored. The reality is global renewable energy sources make up only 0.6% of total energy consumed.
We can do much more with renewables but they simply cannot provide a bulk, baseload supply.

Hung Low

No Doubt a perfect option to city dwellers for at least 80% of normal car usage. Well done to Nissan, great engineering limited by battery technology!
Octavian

Reduce load first, for example: if people bought TVs that were under 27 inches, used air-conditioning sparingly, have only one adequately-sized fridge, perhaps forgo a private pool and only had one computer and maybe a tablet per home. Only then renewable energy supply will be used more appropriately.
Paul

Have read a lot about this car recently and I love the concept, absolutely! I would be delighted if EVs fully replace all those smelly and noisy petrol ICE polluters and more – replace them VERY soon!
However, I am gravely concerned that some greedy morons in Australia are proposing ridiculous prices for this new Nissan LEAF (like mentioned 60k+ in the NRMA review from 15 April 2011). This is truly outrageous!!!
People wake up– this is a bloody con!
Prediction: if the price of a new Nissan Leaf in Australia won’t match the one currently sold in the US (~21,000) – then this whole undertaking here will end up to be a one, massive FAILURE!
And all thank to some anonymous, short-sighted, greedy morons. Nissan executives should really seriously think about it too. I am hoping that our government will step in swiftly and on time (like the governments in the US and Europe) to ensure that we are not denied affordable access to the latest technology and a better, cleaner living. Otherwise I am already losing interest in living a greener life. BTW, Toyota Prius is also massively overpriced…
Green lifestyle has to be affordable and profitable, otherwise it is not going to survive! Who said that?
Regards – Paul
Latitude

I’m conducting some research on the place that Electric Vehicles will occupy in our daily lives and need the thoughts of those with an interest in EV’s. If you’re interested you can click on the link below and register your interest. Your opinions will directly influence the makers of business decisions within the motoring industry. This is genuine research, not a sales pitch.

http://webq11.researchnow.co.uk/wix/p501345723.aspx?src=90
scott

Now, if the Leaf is $32000 in the USA ($25000 after govt rebates) RRP on US Nissan website, how come it would cost more here considering that we are a) right hand drive (like Japan), b) closer to Japan, c) our dollar is better than the US dollar. If it does not cost the same or less we are being gouged again, like with every other consumer item here.
Greg

The argument that you use electricity and therefore coal to charge it is moronic. Talk about cutting you nose off to spite you face. They going to burn the frigging coal anyway, at least you not also burning oil. Two absolute truths people need to face now and stop jerking themselves off: 1. Electric cars are the future. 2. The world will go completely nuclear. Renewables are, in a word, a joke and in some cases a scary joke eg. geo thermal. In case no one heard we need the earths core to survive. Tinkering with it is not a crash hot idea. Back to the Leaf though. Love the concept but have two big issues. Why must I pay twice as much as the yanks? Forget it. I’ll buy a scooter before that happens. Point 2. I had this idea that I could could just charge it from any wall socket in my home. It turns out that Nissan is bit misleading there. It has to be 15 amp. So you at your mates place for a BBQ. batteries are flat. You can’t charge it because he doesn’t have a 15amp wall socket. Are you kidding me! Like I said. Love the concept but the price and the power issue. I’ll wait thanks.
Mark

$60,000. Think again Nissan. Love the idea but not that much. I have a nice Trek MTB thanks. As for the Prius. Wow Toyota really need to wake up. The whole world is moving forward and they seem to be moving backwards! They don’t even have diesel car let alone electric. Actually even GM have an electric car and thats saying something! The Prius is a gimmic. I get much better fuel consumption with my 3L turbo diesel hilux.
gt6

Drove one of these at the Motor Show yesterday, they deserve to do well. Does everything a well built car should do. Within city limits (range and charging accessibility)they make excellent sense. Could see myself owning one as a daily commuter in time. Would like to test drive a Tesla Roadster now.
http://climate-change-theory.com Doug Cotton

As one with a background in Physics I am actually a firm believer that carbon dioxide does NOT cause warming as my website explains. Yet I have my name down with my nearest dealer for a LEAF when they hit Australian shores. Forget about your carbon dioxide emissions – buy this because it’s cheaper to run and the oil companies need competition.
Deep Thinker

I am convinced that this car and similar concepts are valid for our future needs, however, (and there always is a “however”. The single most challenging problem we face in our urban areas is the “amount” of cars, regardless of how they are fuelled, that join the “congo-line” of traffic every peak times in every large city throughout the world.
There is NO CAR that will ever allow us to escape the daily grind of traffic snarls each day as we head off for work or coming home. How will the problem of sitting in a traffic jam each day affect the use of battery storage in these cars?. What happens if your battery goes flat in traffic?
I love the concept but these questions have not come up as yet….
Deep Thinker

I am convinced that this car and similar concepts are valid for our future needs, however, (and there always is a “however”. The single most challenging problem we face in our urban areas is the “amount” of cars, regardless of how they are fuelled, that join the “congo-line” of traffic every peak times in every large city throughout the world.
There is NO CAR that will ever allow us to escape the daily grind of traffic snarls each day as we head off for work or coming home. How will the problem of sitting in a traffic jam each day affect the use of battery storage in these cars?. What happens if your battery goes flat in traffic?
I love the concept but these questions have not come up as yet….