Late Thursday night, the very first LEAF was being assembled in Oppama, Japan. It rolled down the line, much like any other car. In fact, just like the Chevy Volt which will be built in Michigan, the LEAF occupies the same production space as some of its peers, in this case the Nissan Cube, and the unexpectedly very hot (even to Nissan), the Juke.
A good portion of the assembly line has been converted for the LEAF’s special needs. For instance, the stage of production where the Cube would be getting its fuel tank installed, the first LEAF was diverted to mount the battery pack; and where the engine is being installed in the Juke, the LEAF made a slight detour to get its own motors and inverters put in place. (Video of the entire production process is below)
Incidentally, Nissan has configured the engine bay of the LEAF to still give the familiar appearance of a small 4 cylinder engine to customers when they pop the hood.
Nissan LEAF 'Engine' Bay
As the first LEAF reached the end of the line, it picked up Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and ushered him out to an audience of his workers (all very uniformly dressed as you would expect in a Japanese auto factory-navy shirts and gray slacks for everyone!).
Mr. Ghosn made a quick, previously memorized speech in Japanese, first praising the workers and saying that the “Oppama plant will serve as the mother plant for pure EVs in our global production network” (LEAF production comes to Smyrna, TN in 2012 and Sunderland UK in 2013), before moving onto the significance of the event itself, “This is a significant milestone, not only for Nissan and the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but also for the entire automotive industry.”
In that regard, he is correct. The significance is not in the ‘where’ it was built, or in the ‘how’ it was built, the significance is that it ‘was’ built at all.
Despite the fact that this LEAF was born in Japan, it represents (as does the upcoming Volt ’Job 1′ in Michigan in about 3 weeks time) many nations intense desire to rely less on oil, and to make a decisive effort to have a healthier environment in which to live.
So at least for today with the LEAF-built by Nissan…and soon with the Volt-built by GM, we should celebrate the fact that for the first time since the mid-1930s, true mass production of the electric vehicle has returned to these institutions. And there is still plenty of room for many other visions of what the electric car should be.
Let there be wars between the Mustang and Camaro, and the Corolla and the Civic for ultimate supremacy. For now, lets give anyone who has the fortitude to produce a electric car whatever support we can, and let the wars begin when petrol vehicles are in retreat.
/in my driveway, there is room for both a LEAF and a Volt
(Nissan)
Editor’s note: Statik aka Jay Cole, writes and is the founder of Nissan-LEAF.net.
I test drove an early Ford Focus Electric prototype at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. At that time and for most of the time since, Ford has said it would bring the car into production in 2011, lagging slightly behind the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF. Ford also said it would begin producing a plug-in hybrid SUV in 2012, and low volumes of an electric Transit Connect utility van late this year.
Not a day goes by that one can’t find a flurry of news and media about the Nissan LEAF. Ford not so much.
In fact the automaker recently confirmed that the Focus Electric launch would be delayed for all practical purposes until 2012.
“We had always said 2011, which we’ll still do, but I think you’ll see more of the concentrated volume in 2012,” Sue Cischke, Ford VP of Environemnet told the Detroit News. “Right now, we’re getting ready to provide a little bit slower entry.”
She would not specify the exact number of cars that would hit the roads in 2011 except to say “some.”
Cischke also said Ford intended to meet the same production volume as the Volt and LEAF in 2012. GM will build 15,000 Volts in 2011 and Nissan will build 20,000 LEAFs. “I think it’s going to be somewhere between the two when we first start out,” she said.
She did note that Ford could ramp up from there if demand called for it. “Certainly, if it was very popular, we’d be able to get more batteries and do what we need to do,” she said.
The Ford Focus Electric is expected to get a nominal 100 miles of range, same as the LEAF, though she did admit ranges would be less and there will be problems in cold climates. ”The Northern states are going to be more of a challenge — just because of the cold weather,” she said.
Cischke weighed in on the recent “Voltgate” transmission details saying the Volt “is basically a plug-in hybrid.”
She did admit Ford will take the slower lane to EV’s in part to see how the first wave of Volts and LEAFs fare. “We’ll learn from what they are doing and how they are marketing it,” Cischke said.
On a rainy October day in New York City I had my first chance to drive a production version of the Nissan LEAF electric car. While it certainly wasn’t the first media drive of the car, it was my first, and it was the first time one had been driven in the streets of Manhattan. And for another first I am one of the only few people on earth who drove both a VOLT and a LEAF in the same week!
When I first approached the car I was impressed by its appearance. It stood out from the crowd on the street in front of Mickey Mantle’s place on Central Park South. It was a light silver color, not the traditional sky blue we’re used to seeing. It felt to me like meeting a celebrity in person.
It seemed sizable on the road, and was very similar in height and stance to the Versa. Its design was striking, most notable was the curley-Q wide rear flanks and tail and the large bulbous sharp headlights. Nissan point out these unusual headlights were designed to move wind away from the rear view mirrors to both reduce wind noise and drag. Looking at those headlight head-on, which incidentally use 60% more efficient LED bulbs, and one is greeted by a sharp vertical edge. Odd maybe, unusual certainly, cool…maybe.
I got to drive the car for a 10 minute jaunt around and through the lower end of Central Park, about 5 miles. There was ample room for some spirited acceleration and twisty turns though not highway speeds. I was accompanied by Paul Hawson who is Nissan’s EV product planning manager.
The LEAF is close to getting its official curb weight and coefficient of drag which is 3500 pounds, and 0.28 respectively. The same drag incidentally as the VOLT.
The car has a nominal 100 mile range delivered by a 24 kwh lithium ion battery pack. Hawson explained the lithium polymer cells are each about four CD cases thick and about the size of a sheet of paper. There are four per module, and 48 modules for a total of 192 cells. The 600 pound steel-encased pack sits at the floor of the car and adds to handling ability, low center of gravity, and of course weight. The battery is warrantied for 8 years/100,000 miles, but Nissan admits it will drop to a nominal 80 miles after 5 years due to battery degradation. This will be more problematic for the air-cooled pack in very hot baking climates. He said Nissan is working on the next generation of better battery packs which owners could opt to exchange for the old pack in the future. Nissan will move those to a secondary energy storage market.
The on-board charger is limited to 3.3 kw, same as the VOLT, or 240-v and 20 amps. At that rate a full recharge will take 8 hours. The charger is capable of a faster rate, but Hawson says most customers’ homes won’t tolerate more than 20 amp 240-v service.
On to the drive.
The car is compact but seems a little bit more spacious than that inside. Egress is more than adequate both rear and front, and the headroom inside was very ample. I found the driver seat quite comfortable and had plenty of hip room. I noticed the cloth material was very soft and comfortable, though cheerful it had a bit of a drab grayish color that might not wear well. Hawson pointed out the material was made from recycled plastic bottles. In fact 99% of the interior was made from recycled materials. This grayish tone is repeated throughout the interior. It gave a high tech impression though couldn’t be considered luxurious, it seemed more to reflect the aura of of an economy car. There are no color or leather options, though I pointed out to laughter cattle can be recycled too.
The center stack was a gray-black rectangle. In the center was a rich LCD touch screen informational display which could be cycled through several screens. The most compelling was the efficiency information screen showing the current electric range remaining and energy consumption. There was also a screen which could show the nearest public charging stations and how far you are from them.
Nissan embedded cell-phone technology in the car that allows it to communicate with that data. It also allows drivers to communicate to the car via smartphone apps or the web. Charging status can be checked, stopped and started, and the cabin pre-conditioned using grid energy. Alerts can be issued for forgetting to plug-in.
Behind the steering wheel was a somewhat more conventional gauge showing speed, battery temperature, and battery state of charge. There was also a band of bright circles that served as an efficiency gauge; moving to the right indicated increased energy draw, and to the left regen. The idea was to keep the light in the center circle.
Once in the car, in possession of the key fob and with one’s foot on the brake, the start button could be activated. This led to an obvious powering up of the dash and a series of pleasant optimistic, video-game like tones, which indicated in no uncertain terms the car was on and ready to go.
The car drove is a nimble light, airy and responsive fashion.
The pureness of the electric dive was unmistakable. It handled rather well and seemed far lighter than its stated weight, presumably due to the low center of gravity of the battery, and speed-sensitive tuning in the power steering. This also allowed for excellent hugging handling around curves. Acceleration was very spirited and put the current Prius or Insight to shame. It felt a lot like the MINI E in terms of sheer acceleration though perhaps a notch slower, but yet also much more refined and as expected very linear.
The regenerative brake drag was minimal and the car coasted approximately the same a a gas car would. If, however, the drive button/shift lever was hit again the car went into ECO-mode. This allowed about 10% more overall range. It caused acceleration to be muted and increased the regenerative drag of the brakes.
The pedestrian friendly sounds were only minimally notable from inside the car, and could easily be missed. There was a button to the driver’s left that allowed the sound to be turned off anyway.
Rear seat room was a bit crowded and three large males would definitely be uncomfortable back there, though it could be done if necessary.
I felt the C-pillar was a bit wide and the rear window a bit small leading to some minor rear visibility issues when backing up. An optional rear view camera, however, is available.
The hatch back trunk space was very sufficient and the rear seat folded down for large cargo. The engine compartment was designed to look like that of a traditional gas car.
Considering this vehicle is $25,780 after the federal tax credit and the fact that it is purely electric, I have to hand it to Nissan for a very compelling and successful product. Though range anxiety may be an issue for some it would not be an issue as a second car, or fixed commuter car. Nissan points out 95% of Americans travel less than 100 miles per day, and I could see achieving 100 miles of range would be very doable with this superefficent, refined, tasteful, economical and pleasant electric car.
The Volt is weeks away from its consumer launch, with the first retail production car expected to roll off the assembly line on November 11th. GM has announced they expect to begin an advertising blitz for the car which will start during the World Series.
Though GM has made it clear form the beginning , the purpose of the Volt is freedom form range anxiety, and it is clearly the major focus of their US marketing efforts, the automaker is quietly leveraging its global reach to develop a pure EV program as well.
So far we have heard of a fleet of Cruze EVs undergoing tests in Korea, and a pure electric Chevrolet New Sail for production in China next year.
Earlier this week GM Europe announced it was beginning a small scale test fleet of electric crossovers. The vehicles are based on the Opel Meriva which is a small MPV in production in Europe. The test fleet has been developed by GM/Opel in conjunction with MeRegioMobil which is an e-mobility project, and is funded in part by the German government.
The fleet consists of three of electrified Merivas and is indented to study the effects of 4o0-v fast charging and the ability of the vehicle to participate in vehicle-to-grid technology. This is the scenario where the car itself acts as an energy buffer, allowing energy to flow back into the grid when demand calls for it, and the driver doesn’t need it.
The vehicle uses a Volt-sized 16 kwh lithium-ion battery pack and an 80 kw electric motor. The motor is dampened to 60 kw in eco-mode. It has a maximum range of 40 miles and a 0 to 60 time of 11 seconds.
The 400-v fast charger can refill the battery in 1 hour.
“These demonstration vehicles, along with others GM has announced in other markets, will be used to study the practicality, user friendliness, and acceptance of electric vehicles among consumers. With our demonstration, we are making an important contribution to the definition of European standards for energy infrastructure, electricity saving technology and data communications,” said Opel Vice President of Engineering Rita Forst.
Though obviously low in volume this fleet illustrates how GM is leveraging global opportunities to simultaneously study several key aspects of electric cars, in this case fast charging and V2G. When the market calls for it, GM will be more than ready to launch a pure electric for global sale.
“Electric mobility opens for Opel and the entire automotive industry the door to greater independence from fossil fuels and can deliver transportation with zero vehicle emissions.” said Forst. “Our contribution to MeRegioMobil is embedded in GM’s global corporate strategy of developing and demonstrating electric vehicles in daily use.”
Today GM announced it would begin a pilot program to test an all electric version of its popular compact car the Chevrolet Cruze. The Cruze EV demo fleet will be deployed in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
The fleet will actually consist of both electric Cruzes and electric Daewoo Lacetti Premieres. The lithium ion batteries will be supplied by LG Chem and propulsion systems will be supplied by LG Electronics.
The Cruze EV will contain a 31 kwh lithium ion battery which is floor-mounted, leaving the trunk space unaffected. It will have a 150 kw motor allowing the car to accelerate from 0 to 60 in 8.2 seconds. Top speed is 102 mph and electric range will be 100 miles.
This test fleet deployment is a key component of GMs global electrification strategy and compliments the Chevy Volt commercial production program. The trial will allow GM to approve its core competencies in vehicular electrification and will provide real world feedback to use in future projects.
“This Cruze EV demonstration project reinforces GM’s commitment to being a leader in the development of electric vehicles and green technologies, building on our portfolio of hybrids and the Chevrolet Volt,” said Karl Stracke, vice president, GM Global Vehicle Engineering. ”We’ll apply the learnings from this and our other demo projects to help us deliver the world’s best vehicles for our customers.”
The Cruze EV can be recharged at 220-v in 8 to 10 hours, and the vehicles will be equipped with quick-charge capability.
The program is set to begin next month.
“Although there is much more work to be done, our ability to develop this vehicle in less than a year offers a peek at the very promising plans we have for our customers in Korea and around the world,” said Mike Arcamone, GM Daewoo President and CEO.
GM has been planning a global EV deployment program. A pure electric Chevrolet New Sale is also under development in China, and a pure electric Chevrolet Spark is being developed for India. Additional EV fleets throughout the world will be announced later this year.
GM still intends for the Chevrolet Volt to remain its key electric vehicle for the US market but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a US-based pure electric urban car in the future.
Remember Saab? That’s right, they used to be one of GM’s brands before they were sold off to Spyker and the Swedish government in bankruptcy proceedings.
Now in an ironic twist of sorts, the new Saab has announced its own pure electric car.
It is called the Saab 9-3 ePower and as Saab reports is “the first practical family estate with all-electric propulsion.” It will debut in the flesh at the upcoming Paris Motor Show
Saab will build a limited production run of 70 of these vehicles for a test fleet to be used in Sweden from 2011-2012. The car is a result of a co-operation between Saab Automobile, Boston Power (batteries), Electroengine in Sweden AB (electric power trains), Innovatum (project management) and Power Circle (Sweden’s electric power industry trade organization).
The vehicle will sit atop the “Phoenix Architecture” platform which will also underpin the next gen 9-3 and 9-5. These prototypes will eventually lead the way to future all electric medium and large sized sedans.
The ePower has a 35.5 kwh lithium ion battery pack designed to operate in especially old climates down to minus 30 degrees C, “at least 10 degrees C below the operating level of other battery packs on the market,” claims Saab. It is air rather than liquid cooled, something Saab calls a “key benefit” by reducing weight and cost. The pack is designed to last for 10 years of regular use and can be recharged from 3 to 6 hours. Saab claims the range will be 124 miles (200 km).
The battery sits in a tunnel in the floor of the car filling the space normally occupied by the fuel tank and exhaust system. Motivation is provided by a 135 kW/184 hp electric motor driving the front wheels through a single speed transmission. This configuration will allow a zero to 60 time of about 8,5 seconds and a top speed of 93 mph.
Hundreds of drivers and their families throughout Sweden will be enlisted to drive the 70 cars across a variety of real-world conditions, making the program similar to a smaller version of BMW’s MINI E trial.
“This program is designed to evaluate the potential for developing a high performance, zero emission electric vehicle and is an important next-step in the extension of our EcoPower propulsion strategy,” says Mats Fägerhag, Executive Director, Vehicle Engineering at Saab Automobile. “This includes engine rightsizing, which exploits Saab expertise in turbocharging, as well as the use of alternative fuel, such as bio-ethanol through Saab BioPower technology.”
“By 2015, annual global sales of electric vehicles are expected to reach 500,000 units and Saab is determined to be represented in this important, growing segment,” adds Jan Åke Jonsson, Saab Automobile’s CEO adds. “The 9-3 ePower program is our first step towards developing a potential production vehicle that will deliver the sort of advanced performance our customers expect. We now look forward to working with our technical partners in developing such a product.”
