Nissan Leaf

stopcrazypp · May 26, 2010

EVNow said:
It is more likely that they will give a 100 mile range car and reduce the price. Remember at some point $7.5K will run out (after 200K vehicles) ...

Ofcource they could offer a higher range car as an option. 50 miles for for $5K.

Having both would be the best option. The ones who want/need the extra range can buy the more expensive one, and the others can buy the cheaper one.

William3 · May 27, 2010

I don't think there is any physical space in the Leaf where you can add another battery pack to double the range. They might be able to offer a totally different car with 180-200 miles of range, but not the Leaf.

Also, for all we know, the Leaf has a 100-mile range in "standard mode" that you can use everyday. My Roadster's everyday "standard charge" range is only 188 miles. You try to charge the Roadster to 244 mile range every day and you will kill the battery pack pretty quickly. Tesla even made me sign a document stating that I understand this. When they claim the $50K Model S has a 160-mile range, well that really means 123 miles. When they claim the upgraded Model S has a 300-mile range, well that really means 231 miles.

JRP3 · May 27, 2010

From the pics I've seen I think you could easily add more cells under the seat to get 180 miles of range, plus there is unused area under the floor in the back. I could pack that baby full of cells for plenty of range :biggrin:

stopcrazypp · May 27, 2010

William3 said:
I don't think there is any physical space in the Leaf where you can add another battery pack to double the range. They might be able to offer a totally different car with 180-200 miles of range, but not the Leaf.

Usually price improvements in batteries come from density improvements in the cells (cell cost tends to stay fixed, although probably not so new batteries like Nissan's). So I'm expecting the ~200 mile pack to come in significantly smaller than 2x of the current pack.

EVNow · May 27, 2010

JRP3 said:
I could pack that baby full of cells for plenty of range :biggrin:

That is true. The trunk is deep and can easily be used for some more cells.

BTW, in some reports out of Smyrna, they are saying 10% improvement in battery per year. So, a doubling of energy density would come in about 7 years.

vfx · May 28, 2010

A trusted source gave this report on the LEAF.

The DC fast charge port is supposedly an extra $1,000 and is only
available on the more expensive model leaf. If you qualify for the
ecotality program (first 1,000 in san Diego, among other requirements)
The cost of the DC charge port as well as your EVSE will be covered.

In addition to the 1,000 residential EVSEs, ecotality will be
sponsoring 1,450 commercial EVSEs, at least 150 of these will be
publicly accessible. It will be up to the business owner whether these
are to be monetized or not. Nissan still does not have 1,000 qualified
customers in San Diego. They are not "sold out for the year" like the
NYT article said. If you qualify for the ecotality incentives, you can
definitely still get a leaf.

60 DC fast chargers will be deployed within San Diego county.

The solar panel on the back of the more expensive leaf trickle charges
the 12V battery. (I didn't know this)

TEG · May 28, 2010

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn Explains His Electric Car 'Ah Hah' Moment

TEG · May 29, 2010

Details on Nissan Leaf battery pack, including how recharging speed affects battery life

...How you recharge the pack will affect its life. Nissan has said it expects to Leaf drivers to have around 70 to 80 percent capacity left in the pack after ten years. What will get drivers to the upper or lower end of that range? The amount of fast charging one does. With regular Level 2 charging, drivers should expect 80 percent live left in the battery. With a lot of Level 3 charging – two or three times a day – the pack will only be at the 70 percent level. Level 3 charging is appealing because it can get the battery from zero to 80 percent full in under 30 minutes, but there is a very clear drawback if it becomes a habit. Perry said that most people will be happy with 240V home charging...

vfx · May 29, 2010

[youtube]PaHsdJOZMNg[/youtube]

JRP3 · May 30, 2010

Does anyone else have a problem with that blob of hair on his forehead? I can't take my eyes off it

Comb it, cut it, something. Maybe it's just a Nike swoop logo gone wrong.

ChargeIt! · May 30, 2010

JRP3 said:
Does anyone else have a problem with that blob of hair on his forehead? I can't take my eyes off it Comb it, cut it, something. Maybe it's just a Nike swoop logo gone wrong.

"Helmet hair" ? Aerodynamic styling (air flow in the helmet not obstructed while riding (in the video) ? Never mind ... I'm not trying to defend it ... :tongue: and yes, it's a little distracting to me too, but far from obnoxious.

TEG · Jun 3, 2010

Nissan LEAF Will Include Fast Charge Capability and Emergency Charging Cable at Launch

stopcrazypp · Jun 3, 2010

TEG said:
Nissan LEAF Will Include Fast Charge Capability and Emergency Charging Cable at Launch
Another interesting tidbit to come out of my meeting with Mark Perry clarified why the LEAF will take 8 hours to charge its 24 kWh battery even when a Level 2 charger is rated at an average of 6 kW, although it can get up to 14.4 kW. At 6 kW you’d expect a 24 kWh battery to take 4 hours to fully charge. However, as Perry explained it, the LEAF battery will be throttled by its onboard Battery Management System to 3.3 kW… hence the approximately 8 hour charge time.

I'm sure this was mentioned at some point, but it bears mention again. The charging speed of the Leaf is limited by the onboard charger, not by the charging box installed in the garage. I wonder if Nissan will provide an upgrade in the future for the onboard charger.

edo · Jun 5, 2010

stopcrazypp said:
I'm sure this was mentioned at some point, but it bears mention again. The charging speed of the Leaf is limited by the onboard charger, not by the charging box installed in the garage. I wonder if Nissan will provide an upgrade in the future for the onboard charger.

Does the level 3 charging standard have throttling like level2 does? If so, one could make a level2 to level3 adaptor, and James could be really busy (again):wink:

vfx · Jun 6, 2010

Now you can buy yourself a Quick charger for $15K:

http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2010/_STORY/100521-01-e.html

<Specifications>
Standard Hot-climate Cold-climate
Model No. NSQC-44-A-1 NSQC-44-B-1 NSQS-44-C-1
Rated input 49kW three-phase 200VAC
Output voltage to 500VDC
Output current to 125A
Power supply connector Compatible with JEVS G 105-1993 (*2)
Dimensions (HxWxD mm) 1,700x750x640 1,700x1,050x640 1,700x750x710
Optimal operating temperature range, -10～40deg(C) -10～50deg(C) -20～40deg(C)
Special features ・Cooling system ・Heater and cold-safe cable
Manufacturer's preferred retail price (excludes tax and installation) (unit: yen)
Standard Hot-climate Cold-climate
Price 1,470,000 1,732,500 1,543,500
One-year manufacturer warranty included

dpeilow · Jun 7, 2010

Steve Jobs live from WWDC 2010

11:25AM "I pulled one ad in process which was a Nissan ad. They're going to use it to advertise their electric car, the Leaf. They were hesitant to have me show you, but I convinced them."