Category Archives: Leaf

Evergreen Leafs: Celebrating 10 years of Nissan’s trailblazing EV

April 3, 2021Electric Cars, Leaf, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanRepost

A decade since its creation and into its second generation, the first mass-market electric car is established and here to stay. We drive an original and a new e+ and trace its development

Ten years ago, with then all-powerful Carlos Ghosn standing in the foreground to accept plaudits, Nissan revealed its revolutionary Leaf, a Ford Focus-sized hatchback and the world’s first modern mainstream EV.

Its design and development had cost about £4 billion, Nissan insiders boasted, which was around double what they would have had to spend on a similarly sized conventional car. But, they said, their view of the future made that outlay well and truly worthwhile – and so it has proved.

Reception of the Leaf was mixed. Futurists, early adopters and the eco-minded all admired the confidence of Ghosn and co in seeing where car engineering would need to go, but industry pragmatists were much less sure. Where were the customers for this car or the market forces that would make car buyers, always conservative, take it seriously? People rarely change their habits without powerful inducements, and there were none here.

It helped that the world’s motoring journalists were encouraging. Many hadn’t driven a decent electric car until their first go in a Leaf so had laboured under the delusion that an EV would be as sluggish and unresponsive as the proverbial milk float or golf buggy. (A delusion that took longer to shift among potential customers and still lingers today.)

They loved the Leaf’s simplicity, refinement and responsiveness, thus it was voted both Europe’s Car of the Year and World Car of the Year in 2011 – better recognition than even Ghosn and his most optimistic colleagues could have expected.

To underscore the Leaf’s decade of achievements, crowned by the fact that global sales of this UK-made car have now passed 500,000 in 59 countries (and a third of them in Europe), we decided to borrow both an original and a current model from Nissan to view and drive them – and, above all, to compare them for steadiness of concept. After all, many of Nissan’s decisions back in the 2000s, when it was deciding what EV owners would want, were essentially shots in the dark.

The early Leaf we found was a 30kWh ‘station car’ in near-perfect order because of a low mileage and a fastidious owner; the current car was an example of the recently launched Leaf e+, packing more than twice the power and range of that original, and with 0-62mph acceleration that shaved more than 3.0sec off the 2011 model’s perfectly respectable 9.9sec.

Such progress in a decade paints an interesting picture of the speed and direction of all EV development: the latest Leaf may be dynamically more capable but it also, despite growing very little in its exterior dimensions, adds handily to the original’s cabin and boot space.

In early 2011, the Leaf created immediate headlines by playing an unexpected but vital role in Japan’s recovery from a disastrous earthquake and consequent tsunami. With regular supplies knocked out, power from Leaf batteries provided much-needed electricity and light to assist Japan’s doctors to continue treating patients in some of the worst-affected areas. A total of 4.8 million households lost power; and Nissan provided 66 Leafs, grabbed back from early distribution, to power clinics and operating theatres.

This unique-to-Leaf contribution has been repeated several times since in Japan, which suffers 10% of the world’s earthquakes and experiences frequent typhoons.

Nissan has since made its EVs’ ability to ‘give something back’ a powerful selling point: working through a suitcase-sized power converter, a fully charged Leaf can power an average house for between two and four days, and when the power is expended, it can travel to an EV charger and return to do it all again. Small wonder that Nissan is a leader in efforts to portray EVs as lifesaving power sources as well as mere cars. The day is fast coming, says Nissan, when EVs will play a full-time role in powering households.

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These models are are still eligible for the £2,500 electric car grant after new updates

April 1, 2021e, Electric Cars, Honda, Leaf, MG, MG5, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Renault, Sales, ZOERepost

CAR GRANTS for those purchasing brand new fully-electric road cars have been dramatically cut from £3,000 to £2,500 under a new initiative from the Government.

Campaigners have attacked the proposals with many warning it could be families and those who need to purchase larger road cars who will be the most affected. The proposals also cap the scheme to models only priced below £35,000.

This means the UK’s most popular electric car, the Tesla Model 3 will no longer qualify as part of the plug-in grant discount.

With sales of brand new petrol and diesel road cars banned from 2040, drivers must switch.

But, road users can still secure a range of vehicles under the new measures including the popular Renault Zoe and Honda E.

Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is one of the longest-running electric vehicles on the market and is a popular option for those making the switch.

The Leaf is available for just over £27,000 while the Leaf + model can be purchased for around £33,000.

The classic Leaf is capable of up to a 168 miles of range on a single charge with the premium model said to manage up to 239 miles.

Nissan claims drivers who make the switch will also benefit from no congestion charge fees or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates.

Nissan also states the cars are eligible for zero percent Benefit in Kind rates meaning company car owners will pay even less.

MG5 EV
The Government has confirmed one of the most popular electric cars the MG5 EV will still be eligible for grant payments.

The model starts from just £25,495 but is capable of up to 163 miles on electric power.

However, the car is one of the best low-budget options and even has a five star Euro NCAP crash test for extra road safety.

Honda- e
The Honda-e is one of the more quirkier electric cars on the market offering a unique, compact design.

The model is one of the only cars on the market to be fitted without traditional wing mirrors in place of camera technology beamed to the cockpit.

The car is available for just £27,000 but has a small range compared to some equivalent models with just 130 miles guaranteed.

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Electric milestone reached as trail-blazing Nissan Leaf turns 10

November 21, 2020Electric Cars, Leaf, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, SalesRepost

Nissan is celebrating a decade-long history of the all-electric Leaf, which hit the streets in late 2010 becoming the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle.

The milestone anniversary has caused the company to take a moment to reflect upon the impact that the modest electric hatch has had upon the transition to zero emissions transport, as well as the upgrades the Japanese car makers has made to the Leaf during its 10 years.

“Over the past decade the journey of transformation with the Nissan Leaf represents the true innovation and advancements of EV development at Nissan,” said Helen Perry, head of electric vehicles at Nissan Europe.

With 500,000 Leafs now sold worldwide as of September, the unassuming electric hatch became a “debunker of myths and conceptions” that “kick-started” electric mobility, said Nissan.

Nissan has highlighted the increase in battery size and driving range, now up 160% and 120% respectively from the first year of release.

When the Leaf was first introduced in 2010, its 24kWh was rated for 117km driving range by the US-based EPA. Known as “ZE0”, the first generation Leaf had various system upgrades in 2014-2015 to achieve a slightly higher 135km driving range.

Nissan has since then greatly improved the battery size and hence also driving range. The “ZE1” second generation Leaf was the first to upgrade to a 40kWh battery with up to 240km driving range in 2018.

In 2019, Nissan announced it would also release a “long range” Leaf with 62kWh battery that could drive up to 364km on a single charge according to EPA “real world” figures.

“These increases have ultimately boosted customers’ confidence on the road,” says Nissan.

The company is also celebrating the Leaf’s claim as the first all-electric vehicle to win “World Car of the Year” title in the 47-year history of the prestigious awards.

In Australia, the Leaf made a return in 2019 after being pulled from the market in 2015, with then Nissan Australia managing director Richard Emery lamenting the lack of federal government support for EVs in Australia to help make electric vehicles more affordable.

While Australia is still waiting for a federal strategy on the adoption of electric vehicles, Nissan decided to re-introduce the new 40kWh Leaf in mid-2019 when it became one of few EVs on the local market priced under $50,000 before on-roads.

More recently, Nissan finally promised the long-range 62kWh Leaf e+ would be introduced locally in 2021 – but not before one couple imported their own privately under new grey import rules.

The Leaf is singular on the market in that it has bidirectional charging capabilities, and 51 Leafs are now being used in an ANU trial to assess their potential as mobile batteries to help smooth grid peaks and troughs.

It has been used in Japan to help provide power after natural disasters, and was recently re-imagined as an emergency vehicle by Nissan.

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Volkswagen ID 3 vs Nissan Leaf: Battle for the EV top spot

November 2, 2020Electric Cars, Leaf, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, SalesRepost

Volkswagen hopes its new EV can become the new face of a brand scarred by Dieselgate – upending the Leaf in the process

Brave new world, meet same old world. Electric cars once stood alone (dear early adopter, here is a vehicle unlike any other), but they certainly don’t any more. At the launch of the new Volkswagen ID 3, potential buyers could make a shortlist of several similarly priced, similarly specified battery-powered cars. As it is, we’ve chosen just the one to pitch it against.

Volkswagen says its new zero-emissions family hatchback heralds a third generation for the company, after the eras of the Beetle and Golf.

Like the Golf, the ID 3 is joining an established class. A legend of Volkswagen history, the Golf arrived with a transverse-front-mounted petrol engine, driven front wheels and MacPherson-strut/torsion-beam suspension – specifications that were considered sufficiently ‘so what?’ that the Citroën CX beat it to the 1975 European Car of the Year award. So joining a game rather than changing it is clearly no barrier to success.

Changing it can work too, mind, as Nissan has found since launching the Leaf in 2010. Built in Sunderland and now in its second generation, it has become the world’s most successful electric car to date. It also looks like it has acted as a strong benchmark for the ID 3. Hence it’s here, as the Nissan Leaf e+ 3.Zero (but I will just stick with Leaf, if that’s okay).

The specification sheets of the new Volkswagen and the familiar Nissan exhibit the kind of closeness that you would find in any other family car twin test. Power is about 200bhp apiece; the front seats, back seats, boot space and equipment levels are competitive with each other; and the price is £35,215 (ID 3) versus £36,970 (Leaf). This test isn’t an ‘EV thing’. It’s just car meets car.

And that’s all we can decide for now, by the way. It will take 20 years for us to know for sure whether the ID 3 has firmly established its own piece of Volkswagen heritage.

It looks new, though, yes? Beetle, designed by Ferdinand Porsche, Mk1 Golf, lines by Giorgetto Guigiaro, meet Klaus Zyciora’s ID 3: attractive, slightly familiar yet also strangely not so, as if somebody has made a squeaky dog toy of a Golf in 1:1 scale. I’m told that it’s quite aerodynamic.

Underneath is the kind of EV architecture that’s becoming familiar and has tremendous flexibility (of purpose, not structure). There’s a relatively long wheelbase for this Golf-sized hatchback, with a phalanx of batteries mounted low and level between the front and rear axles.

This 1st Edition of the ID 3 has a single motor at its rear, driving its rear wheels, but the platform can host one at the front instead or as well, and fewer or more batteries.

If and when EV batteries become solid-state, want less cooling and can be packaged differently, maybe engineers will move them around a bit, but for now this is the go-to layout. It places the cells (and they’re the heaviest hardware in an EV) low, which is at least the best thing you can do with them dynamically.

There are different battery packs available on both of these cars, but this ID 3 has a usable array of 58kWh of cells (the total capacity is 62kWh). WLTP range works out at 260 miles.

The e+ version of the Leaf also arrives with a 62kWh battery pack, so the usable bit of it will be a similar amount to in the ID 3 – one reason why its WLTP range is 239 miles.

However, despite this seemingly significant disparity, we saw very little difference between the range of the two cars while they were on test; both will manage 200 miles and a bit, depending on the weather.

The range of any EV will dip in winter. Start your day with a tingly warm battery fresh from an overnight tickle and it will increase. Both of these cars have a Type 2 charger for slow charging; the ID 3 gets a CCS charger for fast charging and can accept a rate of up to 100kW. The Leaf can theoretically reach 100kW too, although it has a Chademo socket, for which most public chargers are still 50kW – and when you do find a 100kW unit, the Leaf’s air-cooled battery will stay at the fastest rate for only a short time in order that it doesn’t overheat. I think there’s a Betamax/VHS thing going on (ask your dad) with these systems and that CCS is winning. Nissan will move its future EVs to CCS in Europe.

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Electric vehicle acronym guide: Know your BEVs from FCEVs from PHEVs from ULEVs

September 29, 2020330e PHEV, 530e PHEV, 740e, Electric Cars, i3, i3 120Ah, i3 94Ah, Leaf, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

When it comes to more sustainable driving, there is a whole host of options now and it can be confusing knowing what’s what. In the olden days you pretty much had the choice of diesel or petrol, but with the ever-evolving market of low-emission vehicles, there’s more choice than ever.

When it comes to “EVs,” you can choose from BEVs, PHEVs, HEVs, or FCEVS, all of which are classed as ULEVs. But what do all these acronyms actually mean?

If you need some quick pointers on what all these acronyms stand for and what they refer to specifically, look no further.

BEV
Let’s start with the most common type of EV, and the type of vehicle we usually refer to when we’re talking about EVs: the battery electric vehicle, or BEV.

As the name suggests, a BEV is an electric vehicle that uses batteries to store and deploy power which powers electric motors to drive the wheels. It’s also common to see words like “pure electric,” or “all-electric” when you read about battery electric vehicles.

Popular BEVs include cars like the Nissan Leaf, the whole range of Teslas, the Polestar 2, the BMW i3, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Soul EV, VW’s ID.3 and e-Golf, the Jaguar i-Pace — you get the idea.

PHEV and HEV
Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) are perhaps the most confusing of the partially-electric vehicle world. There’s one key difference, though: plug-in hybrids can be charged up like a battery electric vehicle by plugging-in to an EV charge point, regular hybrids cannot.

It gives you the flexibility to drive and use your PHEV like it was a BEV and not rely on the combustion engine, for very short journeys at least. They typically have very small batteries and are only capable of driving between 30 and 50 miles on all-electric mode.

Popular PHEVs include the Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Ioniq, MINI Countryman PHEV, and the Volvo XC60 T8.

Regular hybrid vehicles (HEVs), like the original Toyota Prius, can’t be plugged in and the only way to charge their batteries is from regenerative braking or by using the engine like a generator.

Some companies have even referred to these vehicles as “self-charging hybrids,” as if not having to plug them in is a benefit. That phrase has been branded as misleading, and Toyota and Lexus ads in EV loving Norway using the tag line have been banned for being misleading. In reality, to charge them, you need to fuel them with gasoline.

FCEV
FCEV stands for, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle. These are a small offshoot of EVs that use hydrogen fuel cells to create an electrical charge that’s used to power motors that drive the wheels.

Most FCEVs use a small battery or super capacitor to act as a buffer between the fuel cell and the motors to ensure power delivery is consistent and reliable.

Some tout fuel cell vehicles as a better option than batteries for the future of sustainable transport. They can be filled up in the same way as a combustion engine vehicle, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the world, and their only waste product is water vapor.

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France warns Renault could disappear; Nissan plans job cuts

June 4, 2020Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Renault, ZOERepost

PARIS/TOKYO (Reuters) – Europe’s car industry was put on alert for more job losses on Friday as a French minister warned Renault could disappear if it didn’t get help soon and a Japanese news report said partner Nissan was considering 20,000 layoffs, with many in Europe.

Renault (RENA.PA) and Nissan (7201.T) have been in a carmaking alliance for the past two decades and are due to announce a strategy update next Wednesday.

The plan was originally billed as a reset of their relationship, which was rocked by the November 2018 arrest in Japan of the alliance’s architect and long-time boss Carlos Ghosn on charges of financial misconduct, which he denies.

However, the update has taken on greater significance since the coronavirus pandemic hammered demand for vehicles and threw production into disarray.

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire, who is considering a 5 billion euro ($5.5 billion) loan for Renault to help it through the crisis, warned on Friday the company’s future was at stake.

“Yes, Renault could disappear,” he told Europe 1 radio.

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UK: Stealthy police use electric cars to hunt poachers

May 27, 2020Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanRepost

The Gloucestershire Constabulary is putting the country’s largest police fleet of electric cars to new tactical use.

On Twitter, they described their latest ops against illegal poachers with the electric vehicles being central to their strategy.

To catch unwanted hunters, the police on Gloucestershire tweeted that the officers lay waiting in “unmarked electric cars patrolling and listening for gunshots, utilising their quiet running”.

It is an unusual use for electric cars and followed a string of poaching incidents which left local deer shot but left alive. The police reports speak of “appalling acts of cruelty” leading them to come up with what we’d like to call Operation Smart Charge.

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The car firm will loan 100 free cars to NHS workers working on the frontline to battle coronavirus

May 1, 2020Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanRepost

Nissan has announced it will provide 100 free cars to NHS workers in need of mobility during the coronavirus pandemic.

The vehicles allocated for the initiative include the Micra, Juke, Qashqai and all-electric Leaf.

The initiative has been coordinated by Nissan GB to support frontline NHS workers, with more than 30 dealer sites taking part.

Originally shared by a member of deals site hotukdeals.com, the offer is ideal for NHS frontline workers who are avoiding public transport during the crisis. It will also help them get to the supermarket if they live far from their nearest store.

Each of the vehicles will be provided free of charge and include complimentary insurance and roadside assistance. The recipient only needs to cover the cost of fuel or charging.

For insurance cover, the NHS worker needs to be over 25 with less than six points on their license.

Those who are offered a Nissan Leaf will be given free access to a charging facility.

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Leasing customers look to snap up EVs before subsidies end

March 10, 2020Electric Cars, Leaf, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Sales, TeslaRepost

Personal leasing customers are rushing to electric vehicles (EVs) ahead of next month’s expiration of the £3,500 subsidy for plug-in vehicles.

Latest figures from Leasing.com show that pure EVs accounted for 5% of all leasing enquiries in January – almost twice that of their share of the overall new car market (2.7%).

The Nissan Leaf proved to be the most popular all-electric model in January. With a range of around 168 miles, the 110kW N-Connecta 40kWh Nissan Leaf derivative proved most popular, ahead of the Tesla Model 3.

The Plug-in Car Grant (PICG) is spread evenly across the term of the lease and can reduce the monthly cost of a 36-month contract by around 25%, or £100 a month, according to the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).

Leasing.com and the BVRLA are calling for the grant to be extended to continue to acceleration the uptake of zero-emission vehicles

Paul Harrison, head of strategic partnerships at Leasing.com, said: “Leasing customers are responsible for the purchase of tens of thousands of electric vehicles each year and the PICG is vital in helping more consumers make the transition from petrol or diesel to electric vehicles.”

“Now that hybrid vehicles appear to have been added to the government’s ban, and speculation it could happen as early as 2032, more urgently needs to be done to continue to incentivise the uptake of electric vehicles by consumers.”

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Nissan Leaf breaks UK record for longest self-driving car journey

February 24, 2020Autonomous Driving, Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanRepost

Autonomous model completes complex 230-mile trip from Bedfordshire to Sunderland

A self-navigating car has successfully driven itself for 230 miles, the longest and most complex journey undertaken so far on UK roads by an autonomous vehicle.

The Nissan Leaf, fitted with GPS, radar, Lidar laser measurement technology and cameras, travelled from Nissan’s technical centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, to the carmaker’s manufacturing plant in Sunderland, where the model is made.

Nissan Leaf collection in St Albans (Image: T. Larkum) — Nissan Leaf (Image: T. Larkum)

Nissan says the vehicle’s advanced positioning technology allows it to assess its surroundings and make decisions about how to navigate roads and obstacles.

During the journey, named the GrandDrive, the car travelled on a range of roads alongside traffic, from country lanes to the M1 motorway. The autonomous technology activated along the route whenever the vehicle needed to stop, start or change lanes.

The £13.5m HumanDrive project is jointly funded by the British government and an industry consortium of nine partners including Nissan and Hitachi. Its goal is to develop an autonomous vehicle control system that resembles a natural, human driving style. The vehicles have also been driven on test tracks as part of the project.

Bob Bateman, the project manager for Nissan’s Europe technical centre, said:

“The HumanDrive project allowed us to develop an autonomous vehicle that can tackle challenges encountered on UK roads that are unique to this part of the world, such as complex roundabouts and high-speed country lanes with no road markings, white lines or kerbs.”

Two engineers remained in the car throughout the journey, which achieved its target of 99% self-navigation. Human drivers briefly took over the controls when the car pulled in at four service stations en route for checks and charging.

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