My bet is that it's all styling.
The explanation of a "splitter" sounds like hokum to me.
Quote:
Predictably, they serve a functional purpose. When Nissan was testing the
Leaf, they noticed a fair amount of wind noise coming off the side mirrors.
And with any EV, exterior noise is amplified due to the lack of racket
emanating from under-hood. So the lights were redesigned to split the air
leading towards the mirrors, eliminating buffeting and drawing a clear line
through the atmosphere...
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"Predictably"? Uh, whatever.
I think it's "marketing" A way to give people a reason to like the bulgy fisheye look which seems to go with the fishmouth bumper.
They should have called it the Nissan Catfish.
I do wish it every success. If I had the cash and the Aptera wasn't coming (please) I'd buy one.
I noticed a big difference in a-pillar wind noise when I installed a 6" windshield wiper / cowl cover on the Prius. I'm guessing that Turbulent air was bleeding off the corner of the cowl and separating as it went over the pillar. The cover smoothed all that out. The leaf has a very different front that looks like it has minimal a-pillar separation.
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Vortex generators are old tech. My new and improved vortex alternators are unstoppable.
"It’s easy to explain how rockets work but explaining the aerodynamics of a wing takes a rocket scientist.
