Nissan Leaf

[vfx]

And when the Model S comes out that should kill any rumors that EVs are unsafe.

 

[TEG]

One of these things is not like the other:

 

[benji4]

The LEAF owner is looking to trade up!

 

[TEG]

Yes, I am!

 

[benji4]

One Roadster and one LEAF (or one Model S) in the garage would be nice too.... Black looks beautiful on the LEAF by the way, I've seen a number of these on the streets of Tokyo (mainly black LEAF taxis)

 

[TEG]

Those were all new Roadsters by the way with VINs around 1300.
One of them is Obsidian Black.

 

[doug]

One mode/display in the Leaf dashboard shows estimated time to recharge based on how far from "full" you are at the moment.
I find that somewhat handy.
So you can quickly plan how long you might need to stay somewhere while recharging.

What's striking to me is how slow this charging rate is. At 240V, 2.5 hours to get ~25 mile charge.

 

[doug]

Leaf taxis in Japan:
2012 Nissan LEAF in Japan | Autonet.ca

I'd be curious about two things. If they are regularly fast charging these Taxis, how are the batteries holding up. Also, have they modified these Leafs to have a motorized door as is common of Taxis in Japan (not likely).

 

[benji4]

What's striking to me is how slow this charging rate is. At 240V, 2.5 hours to get ~25 mile charge.

2.5 hours has to be for the complete charge, no? I'll definately try to take a ride in a LEAF taxi next time I see one drive by me... some taxi companies in Tokyo don't have the automated door, but rather the driver gets out of the car, opens the door for the passengers and helps them in the car, and then gets back in himself. Kind of a nice touch. Maybe that's what they are doing with the LEAF.

 

[dpeilow]

Ireland finalizes plug-in vehicle incentive scheme; Nissan Leaf buyers rejoice Autoblog Green

 

[JRP3]

What's striking to me is how slow this charging rate is. At 240V, 2.5 hours to get ~25 mile charge.

What's the LEAF current rate at 240V? Specs say the home charger needs a 40 amp circuit so continuous draw will be lower than that.

 

[doug]

What's the LEAF current rate at 240V? Specs say the home charger needs a 40 amp circuit so continuous draw will be lower than that.

The current generation of the Leaf has a puny 3.3kW charger, so about 14 amps.

 

[mpt]

About 10A in UK as normal outlets are 240V/13A.

 

[TEG]

What's the LEAF current rate at 240V? Specs say the home charger needs a 40 amp circuit so continuous draw will be lower than that.

Thankfully most home J1772 is being installed as 30amp+ so that vehicles with 6.6kW charging can still use it. So the current Leaf offers sort of "half speed" charging, with the expectation that they will someday offer a 6.6kW version. I use an adapter to charge my 6.6kW RangerEV off of the same J1772 plug at home. I find that daily charge time for the Leaf (after my commute) isn't a whole lot longer than the RangerEV because the Leaf is a lot more efficient. Having both gives me new feeling for the importance of vehicle efficiency when considering how much charge rate is "adequate".
(You spend less timing charging if your vehicle uses less power... imagine that...)

 

[DarkStar]

What's the LEAF current rate at 240V? Specs say the home charger needs a 40 amp circuit so continuous draw will be lower than that.

My experience is that my LEAF draws a maximum of just over 16 amps at 240 volts and adds about 14 miles per hour of charge. It has been noted that the LEAF will draw a maximum of 12 amps at 120 volts which adds about 5 miles per hour of charge.

 

[JRP3]

I never realized it was so low, I just assumed it would be at least 30 amps at 240V. That's silly.

 

[TEG]

Anecdotal reports suggest it was a cost savings measure on the AC charger part of the car.
Reports of when/if they may upgrade it to 6.6kW are conflicting. Perhaps they don't want to encourage anyone to wait for a new/improved model?
I suppose for Japan market with so many DC quick charge stations, and lower amperage home 240V service, it made a lot of sense.
When trying to keep costs as low as possible on a "global" car model it seems we end up with some "lowest common denominator" decisions.
For North America it does seem annoyingly crippled. Hopefully someone provides a retrofit someday soon. It would be nice if Nissan did this gratis, but I am not holding my breath.

 

[dpeilow]

Top Gear's Paul Horrell in the Nissan LEAF - want to know what he thought?

Remember, this was the guy that liked the Roadster.

 

[JRP3]

"It's like any other car, just smoother and more comfortable" This is what I try to convey to people who insist on comparing the LEAF and most EV's to the cheapest econobox on the market. EV's can potentially be quieter and smoother than many vehicles, including luxury vehicles that charge a premium for those features.

 

[TEG]

The Leaf seems to contain so many standard features so that no one can be tempted to say it is a "substandard" car.

Having touchscreen GPS/NAV/Traffic/Bluetooth/XM/CD/USB standard.
AC/Heat/PowerWindows/PowerBrakes/PowerSteering/DualRearViewMirrors/keyLessEntry...
LED headlights. Homelink. Auto-dimming rearview mirror. Rear wipers. Airbags all over. etc.
It even has the ability to adjust the headlight aim from inside the cabin.
It is a decent amount of car for the money even if you didn't consider that it is electric powered.

( You can get a"base" model which only omits things like foglights, back-up-camera, and the little solar panel gimmick on the back. )

Perhaps the biggest negative with the Leaf right now is the handling of the early USA orders. There are lots of people who signed up long ago, expecting to have their car by now, but are still waiting. (This was already a mess before the Earthquake/Tsunami which made the situation even worse.)