I am responding to the Five Critical Changes post on Plugin Cars:
Five Critical Changes for the Next Nissan LEAF | PluginCars.com
My list of 5 improvements for the Leaf (or any EV!):
1) Lower aerodynamic drag, by lowering the Cd from 0.28 (claimed, or 0.32 measured by Car&Driver:
Drag Queens: Aerodynamics Compared – Comparison Test – Car and Driver ) down to 0.21-0.23. This is entirely possible with the same general chassis for, as shown by the Renault Eolab. Make the active elements fixed in their lower drag positions, and the range of the Leaf would be increased.
A lot. Possibly as much as 2X what it is now.
This can be done by moving the cabin forward, and making the back a bit longer - and taper the top and sides (and the underside) so the air is able to flow back into the place it was before the car punched its way through. The rear wheel track needs to be (slightly) narrower than the front - when the car is lower drag - it coasts much better. (See #4 below.)
2) Direct heating windshield defroster. This would make the penalty of running the defroster almost negligible.
3) Reconfigure the battery pack to provide more rear seat legroom. Put some additional modules under the hood, and under the hatch floor.
Make the seats much slimmer - if they are well designed, they will be more comfortable, weigh less, and take up a lot less room inside the car - making that space available for the people in the car.
4) Make coasting the default, and add 3 levels (or continuously variable of) regen controlled by the shifter, or paddles on the steering wheel. This would encourage ecodriving, and increase the range by using the kinetic energy of the moving car the most efficient way possible - by using it to move the car forward.
Regen is great - for slowing the car.
5) Use video mirrors. (And if required, put tiny optical mirrors, as well.) This will reduce the frontal area and the Cd - and it will eliminate the need for the bulging headlights. I have been driving with video mirrors for about 6 years now, and they work very well, and they are better than optical mirrors in many ways. Mine are inexpensive backup cameras, so with better "F stop" controls, they will be better than optical mirrors in virtually every way.
I think these changes will make the range with the
same battery it has today much longer than it is now. If/when we get a better battery, then the range gets
even longer and/or the
price comes down.
It's all good.