The now iconic silhouette of the world’s most popular pure electric vehicle hasn’t changed, but as production starts in Europe the multi-award winning Nissan LEAF has undergone a number of significant engineering enhancements.
New MY2014 LEAF is more agile than before thanks to a comprehensive raft of chassis changes while it will go further on a single charge. The NEDC range has increased from 175 kms to 199 kms thanks to a series of engineering improvements.
And a new optionally available on-board fast charger halves the time needed for a complete battery recharge.
“Nissan is investing in a portfolio of ‘green’ technologies to maintain its global leadership in developing and delivering ‘zero emission’ transport,” said Mr. Samir Cherfan, Managing Director, Nissan Middle East. “Some of these technologies are the future but today we already produce the world’s bestselling all-electric passenger vehicle in Nissan Leaf.
Some of the changes have been made to improve its efficiency, some to enhance its practicality, some to enrich the ownership experience, but together they make an even more compelling case for electric vehicle ownership.
“Nissan has a clear vision of the future of transportation and in conjunction with countries and governments, it will develop the necessary infrastructure to manufacture high-quality zero-emission cars that are safe, well-engineered, attractive and fun to drive,” concluded Samir.
Nissan Leaf has been the best-selling EV of all time with more than 58,000 sales globally and is 30% ahead of where Hybrid sales were during its first two years of sales.
Motor and battery
The biggest single change made to New Nissan LEAF is to the powertrain – through changes that result in greater range. In the original car the battery charger and inverter was housed in the luggage area of the car behind the rear seats. Although comparatively compact, the assembly ran the full width of the trunk. As well as stealing some luggage space it meant a completely flat load floor was impossible to achieve.
The charger and inverter are now in the front of the car and integral with the electric motor itself which not only increases luggage space by 40 litres – about the size of a piece of airline ‘carry-on’ luggage – but also permits a flatter floor than previously when the rear seats are folded.
Although the high response AC synchronous motor develops 80kW as before, it features a number of new elements making it even more environmentally friendly and efficient. The new motor has had its intertia reduced by 5%, improving the overall efficiency of the unit.
Although the power ‘stack’ is now taller thanks to the inclusion of the charger and inverter with the motor, clever packaging has meant the bonnet line hasn’t been changed nor has weight distribution been altered.
As before, the motor is powered by a Nissan-designed 48-module compact lithium-ion battery mounted in a single pack under the cabin area to keep the car’s centre of gravity as low as possible. The battery pack is housed in a strong metal case giving extra protection in a side impact and is now assembled alongside Nissan LEAF in a new facility at Nissan’s European production base in the UK.
Performance against the clock has changed slightly with a top speed of 144 km/h (down by 1 km/h) and 0-100 km/h taking 11.5 sec (0.4 seconds quicker than before and improvements to the car’s aerodynamics, a weight loss programme and other technical changes mean the official NEDC range has risen from 175 km to 199 km.
Greater practicality is also promised by the option of an on board 6.6kW charger which allows the use of 32 amp public or home chargers.
A 32 amp post will recharge a depleted battery in half the time of a typical domestic 16 amp EV socket – four hours instead of eight – but more importantly it can give a meaningful boost to a partially used battery even during a short stopover.
With 600 CHAdeMO standard quick chargers now installed across Europe, even quicker charging is available for EV drivers. A quick charger delivers 50 kW of high voltage direct current straight to the battery mean even quicker charging – it takes just 15 minutes to boost a battery from 30 to 80 per cent capacity.
Following feedback from existing Nissan LEAF owners, the car’s on-board charging point has also been modified. The charger lid can now be opened remotely via the key fob or via an electric, rather than mechanical switch, in the cabin, and there’s a small LED lamp within the assembly to help identify the sockets at night or in an underground car park.
Security is further enhanced by an electro-mechanical lock which fixes the cable into the socket when the battery is being charged preventing interference by third parties. On the Acenta and Tekna grades, the car can automatically notify the owner if charging is unexpectedly interrupted.
A revised warranty plan for the batteries covers against defects in materials and workmanship for five years or 100,000 kms and they are covered by a new ‘State of Health’ clause, which covers against excessive capacity loss for added peace of mind.
November 8, 2013November 8, 2013
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