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Nissan’s new LE F – On June 15, the much-anticipated Nissan LEAF 100% electric vehicle went on sale in Australia. Not co-incidentally, this was also the day it was introduced to the media – including SILICON CHIP. We had a good look at the LEAF and took it for a reasonable (if all-too-short) drive. Were we a little impressed? No way! We were very impressed! Review by Ross Tester W e’re going to resist the puns like “turning over a new leaf” and so on – we’ll leave those to other media. We were more interested in the technology behind this vehicle and just how it can fit in to our readers’ lives. According to Nissan Australia’s Managing Director, the LEAF will be slow to take off (they’re only expecting to sell “hundreds of units” in the first year, compared to thousands of their conventionally-powered models) but eventually it, or its successors, will become the mainstream motor vehicle for many, perhaps even most, urban Australians. This forecast mirrors the LEAF experience in the US, where it has been on sale since late 2010. First month sales were just 19, with 9674 sold in 2011 and 2613 sold between January and May 2012. We’re talking years away of course. Like any new technology, there will be the “early adopters” but convincing 12  Silicon Chip the average Australian driver to accept electric vehicles is not going to be an easy sell. Especially as they are significantly more expensive than petrol or Diesel-powered counterparts. But first, we’re going to nip some anticipated criticism in the bud. When we reviewed the Toyota Prius/Honda Insight hybrids and more importantly the Mitsubishi i-MIEV (December 2001 and February 2011 respectively) we received some rather scathing correspondence, not criticising our reviews as much as the technology itself. There were two sides to that cricitism and by extension, we believe some readers will apply them to the LEAF as well. Green machine? First was the condemnation of the electric vehicle’s “green” credentials but most strident was the criticism siliconchip.com.au – 100% EV of their range. “Who would want a vehicle which only travelled 100+ kilometres before needing recharging and even then had trouble keeping up with traffic on a freeway,” they asked. Let’s answer that question first: Considerable research by various bodies around the world has shown that the vast majority – 80% in fact – of urban commuters drive less than 100km each day. That includes Saturdays and Sundays, when they might be running the kids to sport, going on a picnic, to church, etc. Indeed, Nissan’s “actual use” figures from 7,500 LEAFs in use in the USA reveal the average vehicle drove 60km per day with the average trip 11km in length. (We’ll look at just how Nissan gathered those figures shortly). Therefore, contrary to the naysayers, electric vehicles are very well suited to the vast majority of urban commuters! Nissan’s Australia’s CEO Bill Peffer put it best: “When you come home from work, you plug in your mobile phone to charge it overnight. Nissan LEAF owners will also plug in their electric car to charge it overnight . . .” And don’t worry about keeping up with the other traffic – with a top speed of 140km/h and great acceleration, you’d be passing most of it. Just watch out you don’t get pinged for speeding! Then comes the next (inevitable!) somewhat derisory question: “What happens when you want to go on holidays. You’re going to need a very long extension cord, ha ha!” Again, this demonstrates a total lack of understanding of typical Australians’ changing holiday habits. These days, they’re much more likely to fly to their destination and if needed, hire a car, 4WD, or whatever. You’d hardly want to cram all the kids, luggage and so on into what amounts to a small car to travel from Melbourne or Sydney to the Gold Coast, petrol or electric powered. If you really must drive distances, then an electric car is probably not for you (at least yet!). As far as size goes, think Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla and add a little. Green power Correspondents also challenged us on the green credentials of electric vehicles on a number of fronts: the energy required to produce the batteries, motor and so on (of course, no energy at all is required to produce an internal combustion engine) and again, more important to some, the greenhouse gases produced in making the electricity to charge the batteries. To be brutally frank, we dismiss these criticisms out of hand. Despite our current government’s insistence that we humans are nasty people for daring to use coal-dependent electricity, we all know that electricity must be produced this way for the foreseeable future (we’re talking decades here at least) for the vast majority of “base load” power. Turning back to charging electric vehicles, it is antici- Inside the LEAF it looks much like any modern 5-door hatch . . . until you start looking a bit closer. Things like that “gearstick”, for example. And then if you look at the instrument panel and centre console display, you really start to see some differences! siliconchip.com.au August 2012  13 A cut-away of the LEAF showing the charging ports (front) with the motor immediately behind, the under-floor batteries and the 3-phase controller immediately behind. On top is the solar panel which keeps the 12V system battery charged. pated (as mentioned before) that the vast majority will be charged overnight, using predominantly off-peak power. Incidentally, Nissan have gone out of their way to make the LEAF as environmentally friendly as possible, with recycled material used extensively in manufacture and the vast majority of the vehicle is itself recyclable. OK, let’s look at the LEAF First of all, that name: it apparently stands for Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car (though you won’t find that in Nissan literature). It’s not Nissan’s first electric car – in fact, they’re quick to point out that the company’s electric vehicle pedigree goes right back to post-WWII Japan with its oil shortages. In the intervening 65 years various electric vehicles have been made, including some concept cars which never saw the production line. Nissan claim the LEAF is the world’s first purpose-built, mass-produced all-electric car (one wonders where they place the Mitsubishi i-Miev which predates the leaf by many months). It’s 100% electric, unlike several hybrids (electric cars with petrol engines also supplying power) and others like the soon-to-be-released Holden (Chevrolet) VOLT – an electric car with back-up petrol generator. As such it can boast not low emissions, but ZERO emissions. There is no tailpipe/muffler because there is no engine exhaust. It’s a five-door hatch, not too dissimilar to many other petrol hatchbacks on the road today. But there are also subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences. Again, Nissan point out that the LEAF was designed “from the ground up” to be an electric car, not an adaptation of an existing petrol/ Diesel-powered vehicle. It’s claimed to have room for five people but in our test drives we sometimes had four adults in the car – and the fifth person would have had to be a leprechaun. It might just fit two adults and three kids, but you wouldn’t want 14  Silicon Chip to drive for too long. Oh, you can’t anyway! There is no gearbox as you are used to. You simply have the choice of forward and reverse, selected by a computer mouse-inspired control knob. There is also no ignition switch – as long as you have the RFID “key” in the car (eg, in your pocket) all you do is push the engine start button and the vehicle energises after a second or so with suitable chimes and so on. The engine doesn’t exactly start – it’s ready as soon as you apply the accelerator in the conventional manner. And what acceleration! As you probably know, electric motors develop maximum torque at virtually zero RPM. So if you’re looking for get-up-and-go, the LEAF certainly gets-up-and-goes. Performance has been equated with that of a typical 3-litre V6 petrol-engined car. In the drive, which took me from the launch at Little Bay (SE suburbs) up towards Sydney city and back again, I had no trouble at all in keeping up with other traffic – and could easily overtake when I wanted to. While on the subject of the drive, I have to admit that I found the lack of engine noise somewhat disconcerting for the first few minutes but then it was ignored. I noticed it again (or lack of it!) when stopped at traffic lights but I’d suggest this problem is one I’d easily get used to. Wind noise was perhaps more noticeable than in most cars but this was arguably because there was less engine noise. But it’s not something I found annoying or even intrusive. An aside: the Nissan technical guru who accompanied me on the drive explained that the headlights were especially sited to break the laminar wind-flow so that it went around the external rear-vision mirrors, thus reducing their noise! While a small-ish car, it has a healthy 2700mm wheelbase so it certainly doesn’t jump around like a jackrabbit. Overall length is 4445mm, width 1770mm while the height is a quite low 1550mm. Nissan explained the design has been optimised for low drag coefficient in order to get siliconchip.com.au the maximum range from each charge. As such, the front is quite low and ground clearance also relative low at 160mm. It’s heavy for a small car at over 1500kg, explained to a large extent by the weight of the batteries and motor. Maximum payload is just on 400kg. Batteries and motor Nissan and its partners have spent most of the development time of the LEAF in researching and producing batteries. The LEAF is a far cry from their post-war “Tama” electric car – it used lead-acid batteries, had a range of 65km and a top speed of 35km/h. By contrast, the LEAF uses a purpose-built 24kWh Li-ion battery comprising 48 modules, each of four cells. Each person I asked at the LEAF launch gave me a different battery voltage and no-one could tell me how the cells were connected but I’m guessing that they are arranged as two paralleled banks of 24 cells, giving the total battery voltage about 360V (ie, 4 x 24 x 3.75V = 360V). In contrast to most other electric or hybrid vehicles, which often have the batteries in the boot space or under the rear seat, because the LEAF was an all-new vehicle Nissan had the luxury of placing the batteries wherever was best suited. This turned out to be underneath the floor, right in the middle of the vehicle. It was made even easier with no prop shaft or exhaust pipe to worry about. Battery life There’s been a lot of (mis)information on many websites and even some media about battery life of electric vehicles. “Expect to replace the batteries in 3-5 years” was a comment I read more than once. When queried, Nissan maintain they expect the LEAF batteries to have a life of at least 8-10 years and were anticipating even more – perhaps 15 or so. In fact, the LEAF in the USA has an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the batteries and they wouldn’t do that if they weren’t confident of their life predictions. I’m presuming it will have the same warranty here. Battery life depends on how you drive and most importantly, how you charge. If you continually rely on the fast chargers that are (very) slowly springing up around major cities, your battery life could be significantly curtailed. But if you use the relatively slow charge from a 230V/15A outlet, drive smoothly and not discharge the batteries too far before charging, then you could easily meet or exceed Nissan’s expectations. If and when required, a battery changeover would set you back somewhere around $10,000 at current rates but given the state of battery development and increasing volumes of production, could be significantly lower in ten years or so. Before concluding the discussion on the batteries, it’s interesting to note that the LEAF also has a 12V lead-acid battery in the engine bay which supplies power to all the low-voltage vehicle peripherals. We have to assume that it is also kept charged via the main HV battery but the Australian version of the LEAF also has an integral solar panel in the rear spoiler which also charges the LV battery when the vehicle is parked outside in daylight. The motor A 3-phase 80kW synchronous AC electric motor provides siliconchip.com.au THE CURRENT STATE OF EV PLAY True EV (ie, 100% electric vehicle) Mitsubishi iMiev – $48,800 Available in Australia now (limited dealerships) Nissan LEAF – $51,500 Available in Australia now (limited dealerships) Tesla – up to $205,000+ Various models available USA, Japan, Europe now. Limited availability in Australia Renault Fluence ZE – $TBA To be launched late this year (has swappable battery). Ford Focus EV – $TBA Limited availability in USA now, Australia “probably 2014” Hybrids (ie, combined electric/petrol) Toyota Prius – 3rd version now available in Aust. EV version now available in the US. Toyota Camry – Available in Australia now Lexus Hybrid – Available in Australia now Honda (Insight, Civic, CR-Z) – Available in Australia now Holden Volt (HEV) – Available in USA (Chevrolet Volt) since Dec 2010; Australia scheduled release Oct/Nov 2012 front-wheel-only propulsion with 280Nm of torque. This is powered from the battery bank by a DC/AC inverter with computer control. The motor is not too dissimilar in size to a 4-cylinder petrol engine (see photo) and occupies the majority of the engine bay. The motor spins out to a maximum 10,390 RPM with a single-speed gearbox ratio of 7.9377:1 Charging Two charging points are provided on the front of the LEAF. One is for a standard 230VAC 15A outlet (which results in a 14 hour full charge) and the other for a 400V “fast charge” (four hours). The car itself has both a 3.3kW normal and 50kW fast charger on board. The fast charger will charge the battery to 80% full within 30 minutes. At the time of writing, there were 16 fast-charge points around Sydney (and the car will tell you where they are). Normally there is a small charge (I believe between $2 and $10) to “fill” the car – a lot less than the $50-$70+ it now takes to fill an average small car petrol tank. However, in the US, where the LEAF (and other electric cars) have been available now for over a year, many shopping centres and other venues have been putting in fast-charge points and/or standard power outlets (with appropriate electric-vehicle-only spaces) which are free – they figure the longer they can keep you there the more you’ll spend inside! August 2012  15 You can get a fast charger for your home – estimated price including installation would be around $2200 or so but I understand 3-phase power is required. If you need a 15A outlet and dedicated circuit installed, that would probably cost you about $250. According to Origin Energy, the NSW electricity supplier whom Nissan have teamed with for LEAF energy supply, many businesses have, or are considering converting their local fleets to EV and are installing charging points for LEAF - ZE0 – Specifications Elec. Motor type 3-phase AC synchronous employees to use (again, free of charge). The LEAF also features “electrically-driven intelligent braking” which is known to you and I as regenerative braking. Travelling downhill, energy is recovered from the engine to recharge the batteries. It’s progressive – it wasn’t easy to tell when regenerative braking kicked in nor, when I applied the footbrake, when it changed from regenerative to power-assisted mechanical. Up to 80% of the energy of braking, normally lost as heat, is recovered. Electronic “smarts” Kerb weight min./max 1525/1567kg Gross vehicle Weight 1965kg Maximum payload 395kg Maximum axle load FR 1020kg The LEAF is much more than a battery powering an electric motor to drive wheels. No-one at the launch could tell me how many CPUs there were in the car but my guess would be dozens – much more than in a conventional vehicle. First of all, there is all the battery monitoring and range computing. It can not only tell you the state of battery charge (a la the petrol fuel gauge) but from this, and the way you are driving, tell you how far you can go on that charge – and how much further you can go if you switch to the “eco” mode. In this mode, acceleration is not quite as brisk (although plenty for 99% of circumstances). But if you happen to see an 18-wheeler barrelling through the intersection towards you, plant your foot and the mode changes back immediately. Battery monitoring also controls how the car will drive. At normal levels, you get normal control but when it drops down to about 40%, the car starts progressively shutting down power hungry devices such as the air conditioner/ heater. You also start to get warning messages via the console. Ignore them and at a much lower charge (5%?) the car enters limp-home mode which (hopefully) will get you to a charging station (or home). Keep driving, and the point is reached where the battery is regarded as flat. The car will keep going a short distance but at a dramatically reduced speed – it’s intended to allow you to get off the road and perhaps around a corner before giving up the ghost completely. If you’re stupid enough to get this far (which is about the same as running out of petrol in the middle of the Harbour Bridge!) you’re not going to be able to hitch a ride to a servo and fill up a can. You’re going to need a tow truck unless you can find a 15A outlet very close and wait for a charge. Maximum axle load RR 995kg The amazing dash display Max. engine power Max. torque 80kW / 2730-9800 RPM (min) 280Nm / 0-2730 RPM Max RPM 10,390 Battery Type Laminated lithium ion Battery Voltage 360V Battery Capacity 24kWh Number of cells 192 On-board chargers Gearbox 3.3kW and 50kW Single Speed Gear Reduction Final drive ratio 7.9377 Driven wheels Front Suspension front rear Steering Braking system Independent Macpherson strut Torsion beam axle Electric power assisted Regenerative - FR Ventilated Disc Overall length 4445mm Overall width 1770mm Overall height 1550mm Wheelbase 2700mm Track front 1535mm Track rear 1535mm Electricity consumption Range Maximum speed Acceleration 0 - 100 km/h 16  Silicon Chip Integrated into the dash is a multi-function display which has many levels of menu selection to set, well, you name it! 173Wh/km 175km 145km/h 11.9s Built into the rear spoiler is a solar panel which keeps the 12V aux battery charged when the car is parked in sunlight. siliconchip.com.au A cutaway diagram of the 360V battery pack especially developed for the LEAF. At right is the 80kW electric motor, also purpose-built. I noted a speedo/odometer, battery power meter, battery temperature, remaining energy gauge, capacity level gauge, distance to empty display (2 modes), Eco indicator and even an outside temperature readout. (I’m sure there are more!). It incorporates the 6-speaker entertainment system – again, all touch-controlled – along with the integrated GPS which allows the car to not only do all the things any “normal” GPS does but also uses the info to map rangebefore-recharge in both normal and eco mode. It also displays the rear-view camera which is fitted with intuitive parking guides – lines which show you the vehicle’s path (and obstacles) according to the direction of the steering wheel. Parking is therefore dead easy – not automatic, as in some cars these days (including some other Nissan models) but easy nevertheless. And it also provides access to data to and from Nissan Carwings. Nissan Carwings The Nissan LEAF is fitted with what amounts to a mobile data phone, inaccessible to the owner (except for some incoming command “calls”, as we shall see) but with its own SIM card and number. It cannot take or receive voice calls. Every day, or every journey, this module “calls” the very secure Nissan International Data Centre in Japan and transmits data on the car’s operation – the distance it has driven, vehicle parameters including state of charge, etc. This information gives Nissan real-time data on every LEAF sold anywhere in the world – hence the ability of Nissan to be able to state, categorically, the average daily travelling of all LEAFs in the USA (see above). But it also has the potential to alert Nissan to any vehicle problems long before the driver knows about them. Or it can, for example, suggest to a driver that their style of driving might result in shorter battery life! This “service”, arranged through Telstra, has a subscription which is free of charge to the owner for the first three years of ownership. But there’s much more this data module can do. For instance, it can enable the owner to remotely (via a mobile phone app) tell the vehicle to start charging when electricity tariffs are lowest (who wants to get out of a warm bed to turn the power switch on in the early morning?). This can also be programmed via the extensive menu on the dashboard LCD. It can also be used to start the air conditioning at a certain time so the driver gets into a warm (or cool) car – this while siliconchip.com.au still plugged in to the home charging circuit, so it doesn’t use any vital battery charge. Again, you simply use the app on your mobile phone. Of course, at the same time, climate control is totally accessible from the centre console display. About the only thing it doesn’t do (which to me was a disappointment) was allow the ability to let the owner know where the car was – for instance, if it had been stolen. With the fully integrated GPS and the ability to communicate via the phone network I thought this would be a natural – but the Nissan representative told me that they had argued very long and very hard with the Privacy Law authorities who continually kept putting roadblocks in the way. Driving it All I can say is that it was a real pleasure. Comfortable seats, smooth acceleration and braking (regenerative, of course!) with cruise control, Bluetooth phone interface if I wanted it and a driving position that allowed a superb all-round view. As I mentioned earlier, there was no problem keeping up with city traffic on a variety of road types – about the only criticism I had here was trying to take in all the wizardry of the car while keeping an eye on the road! It’s comforting to know that it has achieved the highest level of car safety (five star, the first electric vehicle to do so) and has extensive safety measures built into the battery pack to isolate it in case of collision. Would I buy one? If I had a lazy fifty grand or so lying around, I’d certainly consider it. Unfortunately, I don’t! SC Two charging ports are provided, one for 230V/15A home charging and the other for 400V fast charging August 2012  17