The first affordable electric car on the market?

Just how awesome would it be to never have to pull up to a smelly, overpriced gas station again?



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Nissan Leaf electric car unveiled
Aug. 2, 2009

Nissan on Saturday introduced an electric car prototype it calls LEAF. The automaker says the hatchback will be the first readily affordable fully electric car on the market when it arrives in showrooms next year. The car is highway capable and offers a range of 100 miles. Nissan says the car will be priced competitively against regular gasoline-powered cars of the same size and class.

Slated for launch in late 2010 in Japan, the United States, and Europe, the car will arrive on the market around the same time as the Chevrolet Volt.

Powered by a 24 kWh lithium ion battery pack mounted under the car’s floor, LEAF is based on a new pure-electric platform developed around the Tiida/Versa chassis. For reference, LEAF’s battery pack has roughly 40% the capacity of the one used in Tesla’s $100,000 Roadster.

LEAF can be charged up to 80 percent of its full capacity in just under 30 minutes via a quick charging station. Charging at home through a regular 220-volt outlet is estimated to take approximately eight hours. The vehicle’s motor is believed to deliver 107-horsepower and 206 pound-feet of torque...

www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-leaf.html

I like the color too. :-)

it reminds me of a little puppy.
when you see it, you want to take it home with you.

they're on the right track. k&r

Once we all have electric cars, there will be fast charging stations, where you can charge at lunchbreak!

that will be a good day. Turn some of the gas stations into charging stations.

How many of us just go from home->work, and work->home. School in my case. Would work great for me. 'cept my apt complex doesn't have any plugs for a car.

I would definitely buy one :)

Looks sleek.

down? In other words, can it 'reverse the leads' on the motor to get a charging action when decelerating? That would presumably make the range a lot longer for city (mostly stop-and-go) driving, it seems to me. The ads and press-releases never seem to address this important feature (or lack thereof).

I don't know for certain, but I'd assume so. Whether the 100 mile range assumes much us of that? I dunno.

I'd be highly interested in a car like this. 100 miles would easily handle my daily commute twice over. But I do wonder if the 100 miles is highway or city miles? Highway steady speed cruise, or stop and go at moderate speeds and utilizing regenerative braking. Those differences can make big differences.

Target of $28K in the US.

I hope they can do it:

http://www.obvio.ind.br/obviona/012.htm

"Chevy Volt Plug-In Hybrid Car
The GM Volt plug-in hybrid was supposed to hit showrooms in 2010 for $30,000. Well, apparently it's not that easy to redesign wipers, stereos and other electrical accessories so they drain as little juice as possible from the battery. GM has announced that the first generation Volt will be "closer to $35,000". The good news is that the late 2010 deadline hasn't been officially pushed back, though GM says that if it can't make it, the car might be delayed until the Spring of 2011."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/chevrolet_gm_volt_price_goes_up_wipers_stereo.php

LOL treehugger website. Still I can see how the cost of both vehicles will rise. The Nissan hopefully won't hit $30,000. Even $28,000 is out of range for a lot of people.

Specs here
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/01/2010-nissan-leaf-electric-car-in-person-in-depth-and-u-s-b/

NISSAN LEAF Specs

Dimensions
Length: 4445 mm / 175.0 in.
Width: 1770 mm / 69.7 in.
Height : 1550 mm / 61.0 in.
Wheelbase: 2700 mm / 106.3 in.

Performance
Driving range over: 160km/100miles (US LA4 mode)
Max speed (km/h): over 140km/h (over 87 mph)

Motor
Type: AC motor
Max power (kW): 80kW
Max torque (Nm): 280Nm

Battery
Type: laminated lithium-ion battery
Total capacity (kWh): 24
Power output (kW): over 90
Energy density (Wh/kg): 140
Power density (kW/kg): 2.5
Number of modules: 48
Charging times: quick charger DC 50kW (0 to 80%): less than 30 min; home-use AC200V charger: less than 8 hrs
Battery layout: Under seat & floor

And the AC @ +95°F. What is is the range then?
What is the range with the windshield wipers going? I don't live in southern California.
It would make a cute second car to run errands in around town if you are that kind of rich.

from what I've been reading the Tesla doesn't seem to have any cold weather issues. the car comes with a built-in battery warmer for cold weather. The Nissan uses the same type of Li-ion battery as the Tesla.

It is the needed people warmer! Windshield defroster so you can see where you are going. Without heat, that car would be useless up here for six months out of the year.
It also rains here, sometimes all day.

Questions about the Leaf:

www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/?intcmp=Electric_Car.Promo.Homepage.Home.P3