Nissan LEAF 2012 News

The five-seater Nissan Leaf has gone on sale with the promise of 170km range from a full 24kWh battery charge – which means a cost from around 2c per kilometre in fuel compared to 11c/km for a comparable petrol car.The five-seater is priced from $51,500, with a charging station adding from $2800 extra for those who want to cut the juice-up time back to about four hours, rather than the 16 hours needed for a 15amp domestic supply to ‘juice up’ the underfloor battery pack.A cutting edge telematics system connected to a global data centre allows the driver’s smartphone to remotely set charge options, including taking advantage of off-peak rates. However, the Leaf is launching head-on into the carbon tax -- which will raise electricity costs after July 1.“The general view is that carbon tax will lead to electricity prices going up around eight per cent,” says Chris Giaoris of Origin Energy, which is supplying the Leaf charge points.The car also faces an acknowledged resistance to the new technology and concern about plug-in range.“There is some reluctance, not just in Australia, but in every country,” Nissan’s global head of product strategy and advanced planning, Francois Bancon said at the launch in Sydney yesterday (SUBS: Friday).“We are improving the technology, we are targeting better economy and we plan to double the range in another four or five years.“The answer is in the infrastructure, where you can one day drive from one city to another and along the way pull into a station and charge in 10 minutes while you have a cup of coffee.“But the government has to support this approach and in Australia it has not so far.”Nissan doesn’t expect the Leaf to do massive sales, saying it is spearheading a push for the range of models coming behind it.“We’re talking about just hundreds a year,” Nissan spokesman Jeff Fisher said. “At the moment it’s about the whole electric car awareness, so we want to take one step at a time.“This is basically the thin end of the wedge. We’ve always talked about having a suite of electric vehicles: a family hatch, we talked about a two-seater city runabout, a luxury version that could be under the Infiniti brand for example. We talked about a commercial vehicle… all of those are out there.” 

With the Nissan Leaf electric hatchback about to be launched here, sales of second-hand electric cars are showing early indications of low retained values. Brisbane City Council recently sold one of two electric cars at less than a third of its cost price after just two years and about 4000km. The other one failed to sell at auction, but is available at about $16,000 through Manheim auctions.  The Australian-made Blade Electron Mark V cost about $48,000 and is based on the petrol-powered equivalent Getz that last sold in 2011 for $13,990-$16,990. Glass's Guide research analyst Rushad Parkar says retained values for a two-year-old petrol-powered Getz are 84 per cent retail and 52 per cent trade for much higher kilometres travelled. "We at Glass's as of now do not have a policy outlined to determine used values for electric cars,'' he says. "However ... we believe the residual value will follow a path similar to that of the hybrid cars. The market is generally not showing acceptance towards them and the high price across the segment is also a major factor that hampers sales. "Also the lack of available samples ... is a major reason why we have no pricing on these vehicles.'' Brisbane City Council usually keeps vehicles for three years or 60,000km, but disposed of their Victorian-made electric vehicles after only two years and 4000km. Council refused to comment on the use of the electric vehicles but it is believed they will buy two of the new Leaf electric vehicles, costing $51,500. Nissan corporate affairs manager Jeff Fisher says 13 dealers have been selected to sell the Leaf EV, out of their 190 dealers. "Obviously we are looking firstly at city/urban-based dealers rather than country dealers,'' he says. "Since we launched it globally, we have had 3000 showing an initial interest and we are pursuing them to see if they are maintaining an interest as the car gets closer to sale. "Most of those are private buyers. "As with a lot of hi-tech vehicles, our customers will come from early adaptors, socially aware individuals, usually inner city dwellers and most likely as a second car. "Our fleet sales team has also been going around the country exposing decision-makers to the car, so we'll expect some feedback on their level of interest.'' Nissan Australia has joined with Origin Energy to assess a home recharging system. "We are underwriting an assessment of people's homes for recharging points,'' he says. "We've got a little bit more than 100 of those in the pipeline who might be Leaf owners in the future. The car which arrives in June will be available in one trim level. "We see it as a premium model which has everything that is available,'' Fisher says.  

Origin says it will provide eastern states customers access to electricity from sustainable sources, home and office charging equipment, electricity management and advice in its key eastern states markets. The partnership is designed to make public and fleet purchase of electric vehicles easy and cost effective, says Origin spokesman Phil Craig. "We will give options for electric vehicle owners on the type of charging station and where the electricity is sourced,'' he says. "Users can specify 100 per cent of the electricity from sustainable sources, or 50 per cent or 25 per cent. Opting for 25 per cent sustainable electricity only adds about $1 a week to the bill.'' Mr Craig says the agreement will help establish electric vehicles as a viable, convenient and more sustainable alternative to fossil-fuelled vehicles. Origin has four all-electric cars - two Mitsubishi i-MiEVs and two Leafs - and will increase its electric fleet vehicles when the Leaf goes on sale in Australia in June. Mr Craig says the agreement with Nissan was not exclusive and Origin would be open to provide green services with future electric-car makers in Australia. Renault will later this year introduce its all-electric Fluence ZE sedan.  Nissan's outgoing CEO, Dan Thompson, said the Leaf has the potential to change the shape of urban and suburban motoring in Australia. "This agreement with Origin gives us a major strategic competitive advantage,'' he says. "It is this shared awareness of and advocacy for cleaner forms of energy that makes the Nissan and Origin agreement such a fitting and promising one.''  More than 25,000 Nissan Leafs are already on the roads around the world.

It also has the compact Almera, a Diesel Dualis, and the battery-powered Leaf, as well as another sharpening tweak to the GT-R supercar to fold into a richer product mix. Then there are four upscale Infiniti models in a big brand stretch at the top end of the Nissan family. The flood of new models is intended to get Nissan onto many more Australian shopping lists, as the company looks to overtake Hyundai and Mazda to become the country's favourite pure import brand."We will be putting eight new products into the market in the next 12 months. We have four on the Nissan side and four from Infiniti," says Dan Thompson, managing director of Nissan Australia. "There are also the regular updates across the other models like the 370Z. It's all coming together within two years. It's great." Thompson is nearing the end of his time in Australia before taking up a promotion in Europe in April, but is clearly still committed to a product update that's easily the biggest since Nissan closed its local manufacturing operation in Australia. "We've got a lot happening. Leaf is in June, that's the next one to come," Thompson says. "Then Almera, then Patrol, then Pulsar. It's all in the next 12 months. Probably the biggest challenge is probably prioritising things. It's going to be a busy, busy period."Thompson says the return of the Pulsar nameplate - which was dumped byJapanese management in favour of the Tiida - is a big event. "We've got big plans for the Pulsar and there is a lot of good stuff we're going to do, especially with the hatch," he says. Right now, he says Nissan is working towards the end of the Japanese financial year and its target of overtaking Mitsubishi in Australia. "We're also up there again in the top three fastest-growing brands. We're starting to get there. We've had seven percent-plus market share for a while now."But Thompson says it's the new cars that are going to make the biggest difference. "We've got the new GT-R landing this month. And that's a pretty big update for just a running change. "We've got the update to the Z, which is the US cycle. We've got Dualis diesel coming towards the end of the year. And we have some other big stuff. "We've got lots of good little running changes for all the core product. We've got a new Navara product coming this month out of spain. With the capacity constraints in Thailand we moved the ST, our best selling variant, to Spain. We're scrambling to find capacity."

ChargePoint CEO James Brown says they have installed more than 50 public charging stations since their first was installed on May 24, 2010. "Since then we have installed points from Townsville to the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand," he says. This comes as the company has become the first in Australia to feature on satnav units, thanks to a collaboration with digital mapping company NAVTEQ. "Integration into the NAVTEQ map means drivers can easily navigate to their nearest electric vehicle charge points with a minimum of effort," he says. The navigation software will also allow motorists to unlock the charging stations ready for the recharge before they pull up at the outlet. "We would see the viability of our business going hand in hand with the introduction of more electric vehicle models this year," he says. "2012 will be a watershed year and profitability will come in a couple of years when the scale of electric cars on the road takes hold. At the moment we are still in that investment period." Brown says the next step is a rollout of stations into regional areas. "It's like an octopus with tentacles lowly spreading," he says. "We would anticipate upwards of 3000 ChargePoint charging stations within three years." ChargePoint has more than 300 users even though the number of manufacturer model EVs is only about 150 because most EVs have several registered users. ChargePoint customers can sign up via the internet or phone for free. The charging stations take about four hours to fully charge a 15amp EV such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV or the coming Nissan Leaf. Brown says a full charge from flat would cost about $3 and provide more than 100km of range, compared with more than three times that cost for a petrol-powered car. While ChargePoint does not yet have quick-charge stations that can recharge an EV in as little as 20 minutes, Brown says they are "working on getting quick charge stations now".

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show. It takes a step beyond the NV200 that will be sold in the US as a small commercial with taxi prospects, and also is likely to go on sale, but probably not until 2014. The petrol NV200 has previously been announced as New York's 'Cab of the Future' and the electric version has already undergone a trial program with Japan Post and is scheduled for a future one with FedEx in London. Like the Leaf, the e-NV200 uses a 80kW/280Nm electric motor powered by a 24kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the van floor. A single-speed transmission drives the front wheels, and -- again similarly to the Leaf -- Nissan claims it would probably get around 160km of range. While the design strongly follows the NV200 in concentrating on payload space, the electric concept gains the Leaf's charge point hatch on the grille, and adds a bit of tech-esque bling in the form of blue-tinted headlights and taillights. There's also a geek chic feel to the cabin concept, with a flat instrument display obviously modelled to mimic a tablet. With the current race to stuff ever more novel gadgets into cabins, the tablet display could conceivably survive into the production model. But it's hard to see the same luck for the two-tone blue alloy wheels on the concept.

... networked EV charging stations now installed in all our mainland capital cities. EV infrastructure provider ChargePoint has just completed two public charging outlets in Perth, adding to existing sites in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Townsville, the Sunshine Coast and Adelaide and bringing the total number of the company's charging outlets up to 50. The move precedes this year's (2012) local introduction of electric vehicles ranging from the Nissan Leaf and Renault Fluence ZE. CEO James Brown says it is a sign of things to come. "With major car manufacturers moving rapidly to bring EVs on line, the country needs state-of-the-art infrastructure to support them and we are providing that," he says. "It is anticipated that several thousand charging stations will be located throughout Australia over the next three years as electric vehicles gain market share". ChargePoint says operating the open access charging stations is straightforward and only requires use of a free network card, available from ChargePoint (either online from www.chargepoint.com.au or by phoning 1300 300 885).

A household wiring inspection will be part of the package for private owners of the first family-sized electric car when it hits the showroom floor. Nissan announced pricing for the Leaf as it prepares to start selling the car to fleet operators and taking customer inquiries. Private buyers will have their homes' wiring assessed to ensure it is capable of taking the 10-amp draw required to charge the Leaf on a "level one" basis. Nissan is also recommending they upgrade to a 15-amp recharge facility - but can't yet give a price on what the "level two" charging point will cost. Nissan Australia brand manager Darren Holland said recharging via a 15-amp supply would take about eight hours if the battery was flat - and most owners won't come close to using the 140km "real world" range during their daily commute. "Level three" public charging stations will charge the battery to 80 per cent capacity in around 30 minutes. The Leaf will be the second fully electric mass-produced vehicle available for sale in Australia. Mitsubishi is already selling the smaller i-MiEV for $48,800. Nissan Australia CEO Dan Thompson predicted sales "will be in the hundreds" in the vehicle's first six months on the road. "We've already had huge interest from fleet managers ... this is a genuine five-seat electric vehicle that doesn't compromise space, comfort or practicality," he said. Unlike the Renault Fluence ZE that is also due to go on sale mid-year, the Leaf is not designed for battery swaps. The car is a powered by an 80kW/280Nm electric motor and the inbuilt satnav system shows the range the vehicle can travel on its battery charge. The Leaf scored the top five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests.

The battery-powered compact, which is set for Australia in 2012, has just claimed the Japanese Car of the Year contest to complete a triple treat in 2011. It is also the winner of the World Car of the Year and European Car of the Year awards. The Nissan Leaf's victory makes a three-year run for green cars in the Japan COTY judging, as the Honda CR-Z won the top prize in 2010 after the latest Toyota Prius was champion in 2009 - repeating the car's success in 1997. This year's Import COTY winner in Japan is the Mercedes-Benz C Class, which claimed the crown from Volkswagen after victories - identical to the Carsguide COTY results - for the Polo in 2010 and Golf in 2009. A special prize went to the Mazda Demio - Mazda2 - for its use of the company's latest Skyactiv engine technology. This year's Leaf victory was one of the most overwhelming results in the history of the Japan COTY, as the car polled 522 votes from a possible 600. Each of the 60 jurors can award a maximum of 10 votes to any car and 46 jurors did that with the Leaf. It is the first success for an all-electric plug-in car, and a major breakthrough for the Leaf and - ironically - the award came on the first anniversary of the start of sales in Japan. It is designed from the ground up as a battery car - not a conversion like the Mitsubishi iMiEV or Mini E - and is well into trials in Australia ahead of full-scale sales in 2012. It will eventually be joined by the Renault Fluence Z.E. in 2012 although Australians are showing little interest in electric cars with less than 150 iMiEVs in the official sales results for the past two years and only five delivered in October.

Despite heading the company which lays claim to being the first to get an affordable electric vehicle to market, Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn won’t be happy until the electric Leaf is a mass market success. Ghosn says that having tackled the technical hurdles of engineering and manufacturing an electric vehicle, the company’s efforts would now be focussed on making Leaf a mass market success.  “I don’t think the electric car is finished because now we have to demonstrate that it is a mass market, popular car. We think the car has the potential, this company has the potential. But we’ve sold 20,000 Nissan Leafs which makes it already the most sold electric car in the history of the range."But next year we’ll sell a lot more, we’ll probably double this number, or even above this. So the next challenge is making it a mass-marketing success, and making the electric car an obvious choice for consumers.”Ghosn said Nissan and its alliance partner Renault which is also working on a range of EVs want to move the electric car from the status of a niche curiosity and firmly into the mainstream. He pointed to the fact that the cars are still too expensive for emerging markets such as India and China and indicated efforts would be made to reduce the cost of the vehicles.  The electric Leaf arrives in Australia next July and Nissan Australia CEO Dan Thompson told Carsguide he expected growth to be “very organic”.“It will take many years for the momentum to take hold,” says Thompson, adding that Nissan has a big job ahead of it to educate Australians on the merits of electric vehicles. “Our biggest job will certainly be education. I think it will take us many, many years and we’ve seen even with Toyota’s presence with hybrids, (after) probably 10 years and three generations there still isn’t a great appreciation for what hybrid is. So it’s certainly a long-term investment.”However, Thompson believes electric vehicle uptake will be faster than it was or hybrids, partly because a variety of manufacturers are preparing to enter the space.“I think electric certainly will have a faster uptake over the next five to 10 year horizon than hybrid did 10-plus years ago. There’s a lot more brands that are staring to enter the space of alternative power trains and I think we’ll all play a role in educating consumers about hybrid versus electric versus range extenders.”Nissan’s long-term goal is for EVs to make up 10 per cent of its total vehicle sales and Thompson says that figure is realistic for Australia, but not from the outset.“In a more medium or longer term perspective we fully believe EVs should represent 10 percent of our sales mix by 2020. How fast we get up to that mass market level, a few things will determine that. One is we know that government support hasn’t been there, we don’t plan on that, so that will delay a bit of the uptake."But as Nissan gets more scale in the business both from a production perspective and sales perspective, that’ll bring the pressure out of the channel for pricing and we’ll be able to bring Leaf and future EV products into the mainstream from an affordability perspective. And that’s when I think we’ll hit the sweet spot, with second generation technology also improving whether it’s range or durability or just even the weight of the packaging. "