Nissan LEAF: 160km range production electric car
It’s finally here, the first of the production Nissan electric vehicles that they’ve been shouting about for the longest time now. The new Nissan Leaf is a mid-sized hatchback powered by a lithium-ion battery that can go about 160km on a full charge.
The name Leaf in relation to the car’s zero-emissions nature – according to Nissan: just as leaves purify the air in nature, the Leaf purifies mobility by taking emissions out of the driving experience.
The whole car has loads of blue themed in it. The introductory colour is called Aqua Globe. The interior (which at first sight looks Civic-like thanks to the format of the dual-level dash) features blue backlighting for the various displays. On the outside, the headlamps have a blue internal reflective design and are lit up by LED in order to be more energy efficient.
The Nissan Leaf’s lithium ion pack (installed under the passenger area under the seat and floor) produces 90kW and supplies power to the AC electric motor which produces 80kW (107 horsepower) and 280Nm of torque. It’s definitely not going to be a scorcher – it’s likely that due to gearing limitations, the top speed is limited to just over 140km/h and there is no 0 to 100km/h acceleration time given.
Different sockets for a regular wall plug and a quick charger
The 160km rated range is based on the US LA4 mode driving cycle. Nissan claims that this range satisfies the daily driving requirements of over 70% of the world’s drivers. At the end of the day, the Leaf can be charged overnight from a 200V power outlet in about 8 hours, or via a DC quick charger in under 30 minutes. The charging port is in front where the Nissan logo is.
Pricing for the new Nissan Leaf will only be announced later but according to Nissan, it will be priced about the same as a well-equipped C-segment car. The Leaf itself is well within the size of a typical C-segment hatch, with a wheelbase of 2,700mm. The Leaf is 4,445mm long, 1,770 mm wide and 1,550mm tall.
This means a Leaf could potentially be priced about the same as a Nissan Sylphy in Malaysia, which could put it well in reach for a sizeable amount of Malaysians, if only the government can revamp their various engine displacement based taxation systems.
Once that is settled there shouldn’t be a problem having one in Malaysia as Nissan has a right hand drive version pretty much ready. Look after the jump for a full photo gallery as well as 3 videos of the Nissan Leaf.
VIDEO: Nissan Leaf – Random Driving Footage
VIDEO: Nissan Leaf – Interior Shots
VIDEO: Nissan Leaf – Charging
August 2, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
Looks like a frog to me… LOLx
August 2, 2009 @ 7:38 pm
Im first…what a nice car btw..hope coming to this shore..
August 2, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
whoa what kind of gear shifter is that? how does it work?
August 2, 2009 @ 7:49 pm
Thats a very pretty interior, doubt we will get any of that here soon.
August 2, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Looks like BYD EV has been played down by media everywhere. I am very surprise sincE BYD EV already been sold in China and Nissan just started launch their car and every single media carry this news. Well, i think good for EV anyway. I am hoping to buy EV when the time comes for me to upgrade or buy my second car which is still years to come. It’s not about the environment to me, it’s about the smell of gasoline ler….hate it when i have to pump those smelly gasoline myself. The fume just makes me sick…hehehe….
August 2, 2009 @ 7:55 pm
If this car broke down, wondering where should we go to fix it…..the normal mechanic shop cant for sure….
will the maintanence cost is higher than normal car or compared to civic hybrid?????
August 2, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
Is this electric car or the hybrid car better for long run…???
August 2, 2009 @ 8:01 pm
Electric car…….!!!!
1. Must be zero emission
2. Must be more torquey
3. Must be feel light when accelerate
4. Must be feel light when driving in town
BUT…………………………………………………
5. Hard if want to take for long journey ( kL-Penang, kL-kelantan )
6. If charge at home, the bill will come %##$#%$^%$% !!!!!!
BTW…………………………………………………
7. It is nice car with free emission
August 2, 2009 @ 8:01 pm
NICE BLUeS
August 2, 2009 @ 8:02 pm
wow, so this is Nissan’s answer to the toyota prius and honda insight. but this takes it one step further, pure electric.
160km is abit short, but for most city dwellers, should be sufficient.
price wise…..the g should tax cars based on their emissions, like UK.
August 2, 2009 @ 8:14 pm
@Elvis You’re probably referring to the BYD e6. Could you please point out to us any source that shows it is indeed on sale anywhere in the world and not just showcased at a motorshow? Can’t seem to find it.
August 2, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
looks like a “terrapin” to me….
but its a nice try making their first step forward…
August 2, 2009 @ 11:56 pm
I have a feeling this is also the next Nissan Versa/Tiida Latio.
August 3, 2009 @ 12:27 am
read somewhere that the price is at a reachable range (without considering battery)
August 3, 2009 @ 2:35 am
Oh, thanks for noticing my comment Paul. I found it in wikipedia, actually its BYD F3DM, and its an eletric car with hybrid system. You can check it out on wikipedia by typing BYD F3DM. Thanks again..
August 3, 2009 @ 3:24 am
Abit hard to take a car that looks like an Altis+City+Sentra rip-off seriously
August 3, 2009 @ 3:33 am
Maybe that’s the reason why BYD didn’t make any news like Nissan EV, Mitshubishi etc….BYD F3DM bosses simply mix and match bodyparts from Toyota, Nissan and Honda…hahahaha..
August 3, 2009 @ 3:51 am
jar jar bigg…
August 3, 2009 @ 4:34 am
Now that you mention it, it does look a little like Jar Jar Binks head.
August 3, 2009 @ 9:04 am
Did you guys notice that there were no turning signals used in the video clips. Is this legal over here?
August 3, 2009 @ 9:04 am
Way to go Nissan , thanks for breaking into the EV barrier for peoples’ car.
please market it within the rakyats’ pocket and you will go far. This will be good for those who want to have a 2nd car for the wifey or young ones who want to go to the minimart , mmak store around our tamans.
P1 should employ CEO like Ghosn . well done
August 3, 2009 @ 9:17 am
eh, it’s really a good car…
but the 160km mileage quite short, instead nissan can build a smaller size car (as the car is purposely built for zigzag in city) hence can get more mileage.
for me, if the mileage can be 350~400km, then I think i can change to this car ( of course, the car must sell below 100k)
August 3, 2009 @ 9:27 am
the rear look reminds me of renault megane..with slightly curved
leaf? put green color la..
whoops…the beetle (VW) is on the leaf (Nissan)..joking XD
August 3, 2009 @ 10:20 am
if this looks like jar jar bink head.. i think if hybrid large suv or MPV, it shud looks like jaba the hut.. hohohoh
August 3, 2009 @ 12:19 pm
a blue-electric-frog…
hehehe…
btw, bravo to nissan 4 producing another electric car…
(can’t wait 4 electric car from proton..)
August 3, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
A new electric car awesome man .
really you change the world. actually i like its V shape.
August 3, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
BYD electric car very interesting b’cause it’s using BYD’s patented battery iron-phosphate(as i know) that the shelf-life is about 2-3 times of conventional lithium ion battery…because BYD known as battery manufacturer…once it’s commercialize the customer can only replace battery after 2000 cycles and about 600,000km looks very good and range about 160km to 300km per charge….the good about this car is just their battery maybe…the prob about EV is just the battery…50% the cost of EV is their battery…
Hahahaha
Maybe that’s why Warren Buffet keen to invest.. LOL
August 3, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
gosh…I saw ex-pm koizumi in one of the pictures ! what the hell he’s doing there…now become advisor to nissan aaa…
August 3, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
They have play their part and produced a mass EV. Now we have to play our part. Any higher ranked government servant reading this please forward.
Don’t, please, don’t tax the car too much (e.g Prius = 170k). I dont care whether it was tax or duty or hell but that is too expensive.
Yes we want to protect Proton, Perodua, Naza or crap but by imposing high tax to this technologically advanced car, we are moving backward.
The best is to have Nissan locally assemble this car here for southeast asia market. This is the next generation of car as a whole after 100 years manipulating internal combustion. This kind of technology is very important and by getting it assemble here, the transfer of technology will be massive.
The whole industry will evolve. We have to face and prepare fot it; in the positive manner. Not by taking shortcut and getting more money through high tax. We will have employees learn the knowledge, gain experiences and later become experts; improving human resource. The chain of supply for EV car parts will significantly improve, giving a wide opportunity for Proton for sourcing. Proton can, and of course will do reverse-engineering on this car and learn a thing or two.
160km range for this first article i consider excellent. Will gradually increased very soon.
Ultimately, the goal is environment. More ‘0′ emission car will be used in Malaysia. The greener the better. Good environment surely will produce good countrymen.
August 3, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
It will be impossible for the person who is living in flat or condo to own this car where the car park lot does not have a power socket.
August 3, 2009 @ 4:56 pm
Paul.
Any indication how much will the battery costs?
If its expensive, then it still remains like a chicken-egg scenario. The Civic hybrid doesnt sells well because of this issue despite the price reduction, IMHO.
August 3, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
Warren Buffet is no idiot. He’s the richest man in the world because he invested in long lasting businesses. Obviously he saw the future in electric cars and why he pick BYD is because of the battery component. There a story how the CEO of BYD drank the liquid of his battery just to show that it is not harmful to human or environment. And BYD also manufactured the Ipod and Iphone i think. Actually, Warren Buffet would like to buy over the BYD but the founder of BYD insist that Warren Buffet bought only certain percentage. And i wonder why Warren didnt invest in US firms like Aptera, Tesla or even GM? Then again he is a genius in investing the right firms so we wait and see whether this BYD live up to expectation.
August 3, 2009 @ 9:32 pm
perfect for my daily commute. 30km two-way smooth ride without toll, kadang2 saja jam in case of accident. nice. can wait to have a silent click and smooth acceleration of an EV….
long distance like balik kampung, i can buy one 2nd hand naza ria for that.
August 3, 2009 @ 9:49 pm
Mr. Paul Tan,
What do you think if this car have solar panel roof top? The car can be charged itself while on the move!
Great aesthetic design…
August 4, 2009 @ 12:30 am
Paul,
Did you mentioned that the battery pack has a 24kWh capacity?
Recharging it could potentially cost more then RM5.23 – RM10.70 plus charging inefficiency. But then, with the highest domestic TNB rate, it still runs at less then RM0.07 per KM.
Is the “price comparable to a well equipped petrol car” include battery? If it is, thats a pretty good deal!
If say the battery replacement is some RM20,000 and we will need to travel some 100k KM to justify the cost. That would mean some 3-4 years of driving. By then, you might need to replace your battery again, if that is true, it is more or less like driving a normal petrol car, minus the smoke from your tail pipe.
And if
– the battery can last more then 4 years.
– the maintenance on the electric engine is cheaper then normal petrol engine
it will be a big plus
Very funny big plug and small plug, hahaha.
August 4, 2009 @ 8:15 am
wife wakes husband up at 2am…..
wife: hubby, my water broke
hubby: ALAMAK! i lupa charge kereta!
August 4, 2009 @ 11:17 am
Its reported about $15,000 = RM 55,000. I will pay for this man compare to a RM175K hybrid car launched recently. Totally eating consumer up. Hope it achieve zero sale man. Stupid pricing of the T brand.
August 4, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
UGLY FACE LOOK. LIKE A CICAK KOBENG
August 4, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
good technology, but i guess i’ll wait till ev cars can go long distance.
August 4, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
proton is the future of electric cars and can do way better
August 5, 2009 @ 7:54 am
Is this car practical?
1. Nowadays, it take around 2 hours to travel from KL to Ipoh. With this car, it will take 2 DAYS!! Why – after 160km, I have spent one nite in a motel, let the battery charge for 8 hours before continue my journey.
2. You may say “This is a city car”… therefore, I need to have one car for driving in the city and another one for travelling long distance.
3. Today, when we are low in petrol, we can easily re-fill at a nearby petrol station. Mmmm.. what happen when we are low in “Battery”. How long do we have to stop before we can continue with our journey?
August 5, 2009 @ 10:30 am
TY2LS, that’s why there’s Better Days in Israel. Better Days is just like petrol station where you just drive through while their change your car batteries under your chasis. You can check Better Days wedsite or youtube on idea how this is done. Don’t worrylah, you drive long distant once in blue moon only just like the rest of us unless you are involved in logistic business then got problem….
August 5, 2009 @ 10:53 am
TY2LS,
At the very beginning of this first production car, it is already very promising and quite practical to use.
With 160 KM range, I can work in Klang from Balakong, plus a little grocery run before my low batt signal is on.
1. This is a city car. And Nissan never said this car can meet 100% of your needs. Look at the potential of it. Imagine if you double up the battery pack by using up half of the boot, you would get over 300km range, or KL – JB trip.
2. Most of the families nowadays have more then 1 car.
3. There is a 30 minutes quick charge option, you may argue that there is none charging stating available, but then, I would believe that a quick charge station would be much more cheaper then NGV station, as laying electric cables required much less work and less risk compare to high pressure natural gas pipelines.
August 10, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
I love almost every features of the car, except the look. I tried to stare at it very long , try to let it grow on me a little, but it just looks too bad to me.
Nissan can do great designs like the older Murano, new GTR, Fairlady, and the Latio (Rear part only, front still hard to swallow), now, how could they approve the design of this car?? Let me look at it again… ya, Still very fugly.
August 10, 2009 @ 6:42 pm
At least almost everybody here agree on one thing…this car got the fugly look…
September 16, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
I love its interior an its bluish color only… Don’t you think they use a duck as an inspiration to design its exterior??…..
October 24, 2009 @ 8:41 pm
Damn, after a couple more look at it in other angles and thru other media, Its look is acceptable now. But it take 2 months warm me up. Anybody know when will Malaysian start charging our Leaf?