Nissan Leaf

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Grim

He would actually like a big flat cargo area of a hatch back for his dogs

Inside or outside cargo area?

Outside has been done already:


From: World's First Nissan Leaf Electric Pickup Truck, For Shop Use Only (Video)

Inside? Take out the rear seats and do a little carpentry to make a platform. Carpet it and voila.

[freebeard]

My car's interior is a single seat and an L-shaped plywood deck at the level of the top of the center tunnel. It has 1+1 seating, with a removable stadium seat under the left rear seatbelt. aerohead took a ride in it.

Also, 0.32/0.21 is 65% so that sounds legit.

Any hint which direction this new battery is coming at us from?

[Grim]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

The Leaf is similar to the Versa, but they are not the same platform. The wheelbase and track dimensions are significantly different, and the battery being in the floorpan make it completely different.

By the time the second gen Leaf comes out (2016? 2017?) it will be "due" a major refresh, so retooling is already on the table, I think. And since it is the first true production electric car, I would have to assume that Nissan was counting on a major redesign.

I think they are strongly hinting (as is Tesla, and VW, too) that this next gen EV will have a breakthrough battery, and hopefully, they make the design significantly better car to take full advantage of the new battery.

Really? I guess I stand corrected.

I had heard that the leaf was on nissan B platform that was shared with the Versa, cube and juke. The leaf pushed the rear axle back to make room for the battery but still shared a lot for front suspension and steering components.

Now I'm trying to remember where I heard that.

I hope that they get close to the Tesla range with the new model. The range now covers most needs and makes it a good local car in a two car family.
My youngest is only a couple years from a drivers license and will hopefully spend her first couple years getting core classes out of the way at the college 4 miles away saving dear old dad a ton of cash. That would be a good car for the needs we will have. 😁

[MetroMPG]

Now I'm trying to remember where I heard that.

Possibly because they used a Versa hatchback as a mule when developing the Leaf's drivetrain. I saw quite a few photos of a funny looking Versa. Very "cop car-esque":



Source: Nissan Leaf - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[NeilBlanchard]

We will have to wait and see what batteries actually get produced, but it may be graphene (Tesla?) or solid state (VW) and Nissan has been rumored to be using LG sourced cells in the future. Which would be odd, since they are building their own now.

Versa wheelbase: 102.4"
front wheel track: 58.3"
rear wheel track: 58.5"

Leaf wheelbase: 106.3"
front wheel track: 60.6"
rear wheel track: 60.4"

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Versa front wheel track: 58.3"

Leaf front wheel track: 60.6"

The track stat just made me notice the wheel arch flares on the Versa mule to accomodate a wider track:

[NeilBlanchard]

It also looks like the rear doors are slightly longer, and the operable rear window is slightly wider; possible to account for the longer wheelbase?

[Cobb]

Nissan Leaf - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In June 2011 Nissan reported, based on data collected through the Leaf's advanced telematics system, that most Leaf owners in Japan and the United States drive distances less than 60 miles (100 km) per day.[60] Nissan also found that on average owners charge their electric cars for two hours a night, and occasionally some owners drive two days on one charge.[61] In October 2011 Nissan North America reported that based on a bigger sample of 7,500 Leafs on the U.S. roads, the typical driver averages 37 mi (60 km) a day and the average trip length is 7 mi (11 km), measured as the distance between power on and power off.[62]

[NeilBlanchard]

By the way, I am very happy with the Nokian Hakka R2's. They roll and roll and roll. And they are very quiet for winter tires, too.

[NeilBlanchard]

This is the information I was referring to on the longer range Leaf:

250-Mile Electric Car That's Affordable -- Nissan's In The Race