Nissan Leaf EV General Discussion

[deezle 0]

Nissan has apparently leapfrogged into the forefront of the electric car market as it unveils it's upcoming electric (not gas-electric hybrid) Leaf. This baby could be the worst thing that GM's Volt division has ever seen. Read more.

[Huronlad 186]

I like it! My only complaint would be, if they would just cut back on the performance a bit, the range would be much more impressive. A Versa sized car does not need over 200 lb-feet of torque. Or have two different motor choices, one for performance, one for range.

[MikeT 744]

It looks like a Dali impression of a Renault Mégane (of the last generation) from the back.....which is good enough, really. It seems like it will find a small niche for itself.Here's the thing. I could not have driven one of these to and from Victoria today as we did in the smart - a return trip of about 180 km. I think that the polyvalence of ICE cars makes them more attractive to the typical buyer, who just might want to drive to Tofino or whatever instead of their usual 24 km commute to and from work, and not have to own two or three different cars that specialise in different functions in order to make that happen. And the other thing is that carshares are probably not going to fill the gap to any large extent either because of how the automobile has become such an emotive object, which some think is reflective of their personality.The other thing is that no electric car is zero emission. Even in BC (there is an opportunity cost to the loss of forest to BC Hydro reservoirs). And once everyone gets an electric car, the Hydro rates will shoot up at night (right now, a low demand time, soon a high demand time), we'll be building nuke stations in BC because everything that can generate hydro power is already tapped......There is no silver bullet.I think if local travel in urban areas could be done by public transportation by penalising private car use like in London and making rural sprawl uneconomical and impossible, then the only cars people would need would be the ones for road trips or "fun" cars.

[Steve C. 0]

this article states it's coming to the U.S, it doesnt state North |America, or even Canada, so maybe we dont factor in for the 2010 model year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8180333.stm

[MikeT 744]

To focus on the car again, is there anyone else who thinks that "LEAF" is a lame assed name, even redolent of the world's worst pro hockey team?

edit: spelling

Edited August 4, 2009 by Mike T

[Huronlad 186]

They should have stuck with a letter and number designation.

[deezle 0]

I guess the expression 'Turn over a new leaf' could come to haunt owners of the vehicle.

[deezle 0]

This topic really has gone astray, and most of it belongs in the 'Eco-Matters' forum. I should probably split off most of the posts into another 'Merits of Electric Vehicles' topic in that forum.

Done. Please link to further discussion of the 'Merits of EV's' here.

Edited August 5, 2009 by deezle

[MikeT 744]

Maybe they should call it the Tinky-Winky or LaLa....Why do electric or even hybrid cars apparently have to:1) look strange; and2) have daft names?

[deezle 0]

Same with electric bikes and scooters. However, to me this one doesn't look too odd and the name is better than most of the weird and nearly unpronounceable names that are attached to import cars.A leaf does turn brown and get crumbly after a short time --- hopefully not the case with the Nissan.Watching the you-tube video in that link, I'm surprised how finished the car seems to be. Compare that to all the hype that GM churned out for the Volt for a year or so before anything resembling a working prototype was ever shown. I do realize that the Volt is a little more complex----- having onboard generation capability ---- but the whole publicity approach was over-the-top compared to this.

[deezle 0]

I had no idea that Nissan's experience with electric cars went back to this ultra-cool 1947 Tama: story and photo.

[MikeT 744]

Hmm, Peugeot did something even mildly smart like before that........actually during and despite the occupation: link..

Production began in June 1941, but only 377 were made.

[deezle 0]

Yeah, but that looks like it was one of those bumper cars at the fair ---- we were talking real street-capable cars.

[MikeT 744]

Hey, it is just as FAST (or slow) as that Japanese one! Street-capable it was!

[Francesco 71]

Renault-Nissan and BC announced a strategic alliance yesterday to introduce the Leaf along with infrastructure to accommodate it.

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/10/06/b...car-launch.html

[deezle 0]

Excellent news! This strikes me as the most sensible, real-world EV so far to appear on the horizon. Let's hope it's not just a piece of roadkill catching a glint of reflected sun.

[PrairieBoy 1]

The new Nissan Electric Car,now has it's own special web-site/page.Go to' Nissan Canada'.At the top of their front page,is a bunch of headlines.Click on the 'Future Vehicles' headline. A new webpage opens ,with LOTS of information on the Nissan Leaf.Everything you want to know,except prices. It's worth checking out! Enjoy!

[Nextourer 1]

lol.. this after I filled out their site surveying saying I couldn't find information on the Leaf (well i did but it was a one-pager.)

[PrairieBoy 1]

So what do you think of the car? I'd buy one,for use in the summer,if it's not TOO expensive.A person could drive something else in the winter.

[MikeT 744]

There is already a thread on the Leaf in the Auto Talk forum, moderator: merge please!

[Nextourer 1]

So what do you think of the car? I'd buy one,for use in the summer,if it's not TOO expensive.A person could drive something else in the winter.

I haven't seen it in person but everything I've read about it so far is impressive to me. I'm still unclear about the battery lease bit.I think it's stylish (ok the nose is a bit long and the rear is a bit... empty) but it's distinctive like the the smart and with a 160km range, that's plenty for a day's work (the most I've ever done in a day is 100km so even if you factor in A/C or heater usage and hills, I'm sure that 60km buffer is enough.Plus, it could be longer (the range) if I go home in btwn the trips so it's charging for the few hours I'm at home between errands.

[PrairieBoy 1]

I can't wait to see it in person. I'm not sure about them leasing the battery pack. It's another expense i wouldn't want to have,and so much for being 'maintenance free'.Might as well just buy gas instead.And yes, i know that the battery pack will have to be replaced,after 10 years or so.These are VERY expensive to replace.I have to wonder if it really would 'pay' to drive any electric car, if you factor in all these different things. Being 'Green',comes at a cost, i quess.

[Nextourer 1]

Why would they need to be replaced? I don't think they wear out that quickly.I spoke to a guy who has a RAV4 EV back in '07. He said he lost about 20 miles of range (120 to 100 miles) in the RAV4 EV but it's still going strong. I forgot his mileage but the battery is NiMH. Not bad for 5 years of use. Compare that to a regular hybrid that doesn't see full charge/discharge, the battery should last even longer. I assume if we did the same to the Leaf (rather than letting it run close to 0% then fully charging it), we might see longer lives.

[PrairieBoy 1]

Even the hybrids need to have their battery packs replaced after about 8 years.It costs MANY thousands of dollars too.I heard $5000.00or more.Maybe someone would know the exact amount.An all electric car,would be using the batteries 100% of the time, unlike some hybrids.

[MikeT 744]

Replace a battery after ten years, or your engine, choose your poison.