Print 76 comment(s) - last by monomer.. on Aug 4 at 5:38 PM

Nissan gets into the zero emissions game with the 2010 LEAF EV








Comments     Threshold


By TheEinstein on 8/2/2009 8:57:56 PM , Rating: 4
1) Recharge rate is?

2) Battery corrosion, crystalification, or other issues which will reduce the life span of the battery?

3) Acceleration, can it actually get some speed when needed?

4) Warrant distance is? 100,000 miles? 50,000 miles? 20,000 miles? Limited Parts?

5) How will this affect the lithium market which mathematically is not up to par with keeping even just the United States fully lithium?

6) How much energy does it need per week?

7) Will severe cold or severe heat damage the batteries?

8) If they answer all those questions to my satisfaction then I have one last: What colors does it come in?

By Keeir on 8/3/2009 3:02:20 PM , Rating: 2
1.) Figures from Autobloggreen and various other sources
Recharge from 110V standard US plug = 16 hours
Recharge from 220V semi-standard US plug = 8 hours
Recharge from Special Charger = 30 minutes for 80%. (These apparently are being built in select cities already. The charger only costs 45,000, which is very reasonable in comparison to a fuel pump)

2.) Unknown. Nissian has researched and have the capacity to build thier own special batteries. Manganese Spinel is the type they are working on... which makes sense. Manganese Spinel type is the same used by LG the primary supplier for the Chevy Volt battery. (Its important to note that Nissian has limited max power to around 90 kW, whereas the Volt battery must do above 110 kW. This tends to make a battery more fragile) Since Nissian is making thier own batteries, there are no tech specs floating around that I can see. From the Chevy Volt specifications released so far, I think it would be reasonable to assume that at the end of 10 years/150,000 miles, the Leaf would retain 50-75% of its original capacity, and through fancy battery management proably 75% of driving range. (Far Better than Tesla which has the same figure at 5-7 years)

3.) Up in the air. I have read that projected 0-62mph times are around 10 seconds. Based on the information provided, I thinks thats slightly optomistic, but reasonably so. (~100 max HP, but 200+ ft-lbs of torque). I guessing 10-12 seconds real-world.

Far more worrysome is the ~90 mph maximum speed. I think realistically, 85 mph will be lucky, a speed that is easily reachable on many US highways... sometimes even the "expected" speed... and if its required to have 90kW battery draw to obtain that speed, Range is likely to be ~20 miles at that speed.

4.) No idea. I think the confusion is that Nissian will persue different plans in different parts of the world. Some areas will be lease only. Some will be purchase car, lease battery. Some may be purchase only. Warranty will likely be similar to "normal" cars for most of the parts. If they want to sell the battery in California though, I believe they will need to do the 10 year/150,000 mile warranty or lease the battery.

5.) This is really over-rated. Lithium is highly recyclable and to this point, no drastic demands have been put on the system. In the long run, there is alot of Lithium out there in the world and the push to actual find and exploit these reasources may actually -lower- lithium prices.

6.) How much do you drive per week? The Leaf should consume around 200wh-250wh/mile in "normal" US driving. They currently are claiming less than 200wh/mile, using LA4. Do you currently exceed EPA estimates for mileage? if you do, 200wh/mile is probably okay. If not 250wh/mile is more reasonable.

7.) Manganese spiral Lithium Ion are alot better than other types of batteries in this regard as well. Lithium Iron Phosphate I believe are even more durable in regards to temperature. The short answer is yes. Severe Cold and Heat will damage the batteries, but Nissian will likely include a battery management system that will heat/cool the batteries to the appropriate temperature before go. This will probably be annoying if you park outside on days >100 degress F or <32 degrees F.

By monomer on 8/4/2009 5:38:41 PM , Rating: 2
8) It comes in only one color: Al Gore Green ;)

