New Cars Articles

The Nissan LEAF is the first mass production electric vehicle in the world. Nissan boasts that this electric car gets 100 miles between charges and can be quick charged to up to 80% of its complete capacity in under a half hour using a quick charger. It's estimated that using a 200 volt home outlet will charge the battery to 100% in around 8 hours.

Unlike non-electric vehicles the Nissan LEAF has no tail pipe and no emissions. A combination of regenerative braking; where heat is converted from the brakes and is distributed back to compact lithium-ion battery packs, give the LEAF a driving range of 100 miles on a full charge.

The LEAF has three different driving settings, power, normal and eco. For longer battery life you can switch the car into eco-mode. This however cuts the motor output by half, dulls the throttle and kills the air conditioning.

This zero emission electric vehicle has had a lot of research and hard work sunk into it's creation to ensure a smooth driving experience. So much so that they even shaped the headlights in such a way as to carve up the air around the side mirror. This reduces resistance noise which is glaringly obvious while driving a car that's almost completely silent.

The engine is non existent and in its place is an electric motor that delivers 80kW/280Nm. The electric motor has been designed in a way to look like the traditional combustion engine. This way drivers used to a regular gas engine won't feel alienated when they pop the hood.

The Nissan LEAF uses an advanced IT system that's embedded in the dash. The system is connected to a data center that supplies entertainment, support and other information 24 hours a day. The in-dash display shows remaining power or, "reachable area", as well as nearby places you can go to charge your vehicle. Other cutting edge features include the ability to turn on the air conditioner or set charging times of your batteries from your mobile phone.

That being said I think this car is garish and far too impractical. The Nissan LEAF is a commuter car. It can't be used for long trips. With a recharge time for another 100 miles you have to wait 8 hours? And that's if you can find a power station.

Not only that, but what does it cost to replace the lithium-ion batteries? Best estimates I've seen online are anywhere between $5000 to $7000 dollars. And not to mention what happens when you run out of juice miles from an electric outlet.

As far as storage goes the LEAF being a small car has little in the way of trunk space. If you're like me you want as much space as you can get in vehicle. I understand making the car as light and small as possible. I'm sure it's one of the reasons for the 100 mile drive range.

Aside from how great having an electric zero emission vehicle would be and it's impressive in-dash IT system the LEAF seems far too impractical for most people. This being the first the mass production electric vehicle it has a long way to go before it will be widely adopted. It looks like Nissan is heading in the right direction. They're just not there yet.