Nissan LEAF News

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. "

The new system is part of its comprehensive efforts toward the realization of a zero-emission society.The system was unveiled at `Kan-kan-kyo', a house built in front of Nissan's global headquarters in Japan.With this system, the Leaf can be used as an electricity storage device for houses in preparation for power outages and/or shortages. The car's lithium-ion batteries can store up to 24kWh of electricity, sufficient to power an average household for up to three days.Nissan believes this system will allow households to be supplied with a stable amount of electricity throughout the day.It will reduce the burden on the current power supply by charging and storing electricity in the LEAF with electricity generated at night or through sustainable methods such as solar power, and using it during high demand periods.Nissan hopes to be in a position to market the system by the end of the financial year.

Just as the ageing Woodstock generation took to the Toyota Prius hybrid, they will also take to EVs, says Nissan regional electric vehicle manager Michael Hayes.

The Nissan Leaf has been awarded the maximum crash rating by independent vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). It is the first five-star safety rating for an electric vehicle after the Mitsubishi i-MiEV scored four stars. ANCAP also announced five-star ratings for the Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus. ANCAP Chair, Lauchlan McIntosh, said the five-star rating for the Leaf, based on EuroNCAP tests, once again confirmed that green can also be safe. "Electric vehicles are a genuine option for todays new car buyers - it is good news for consumers to see the Nissan Leaf record this top safety rating, " he says. "The 2011 Leaf comprises a full suite of air bags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution and electronic stability control and intelligent seat belt reminders among other standard features." "It performed very well in crash testing, with the passenger compartment holding its shape and thus offering superior protection for the occupants." McIntosh says the top result for the Hyundai Elantra reflects the continued emphasis on safety in Hyundai design and production processes. "Hyundai has made a clear decision to make safety a priority in the production and marketing of their vehicles, and the Elantra joins a range of other five-star models in their fleet," McIntosh says. Ford has also continued the five-star performance with all variants of the soon to be launched Ford Focus awarded the top ANCAP rating. "Consumers are now regarding five stars as an entry point for their vehicle choice, so these manufacturers should be congratulated for bringing these cars onto the Australian market," McIntosh says.

...that previews a number of ‘green’ technologies, with particular focus on electric vehicles (EVs). The EV and Green Technologies Showcase is jointly sponsored by the Department of Business and Innovation and the Department of Transport, with support from the Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers. The Victorian Minister for Manufacturing, Export and Trade, the Hon Richard Dalla-Riva MLC presented the EV and Green Technologies Showcase to about 70 international automotive visitors as part of the 2011 Automotive Week activities. There are 14 participants involved in the showcase, with three EVs as the centrepiece of the exhibit – the Nissan LEAF, EDay’s E15 and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. These three vehicles are all participants in the Victorian Government’s EV Trial. The three EVs are supported by 11 Victorian-based component suppliers and R&D organisations, highlighting the excellent range of Victorian designed and engineered green technologies. There’s also an opportunity for AIMS attendees to test drive the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan LEAF. Interested patrons should visit the Mitsubishi and/or Nissan stands where they will be given a token to take to the Test Drive event reception in the foyer. Australian International Motor Show event director Russ Tyrie says the government showcase is an example of the technology focus at this year’s show. “With the amount of spectacular technology on show at this year’s event, a display like the EV and Green Technologies Showcase is a perfect complement. “Motor shows these days are as much about educating visitors as about exciting them,” he said. “This showcase exhibits the sort of cutting-edge technology – like super lightweight wheels and manufacturing materials – that Australian companies are currently working on, while highlighting ‘green’ cars that the government is genuinely looking to introduce to its everyday operations.” For more information on the EV trials, click on the Department of Transport’s website: http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/evtrials The Australian International Motor Show runs through until Sunday 10 July at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. For all of the latest news and information surrounding the Australian International Motor Show, follow @themotorshow on Twitter.

….were handed to the Victorian Government at the Melbourne Motor Show today. The Leaf EVs will be trialled over five years with the cars in 180 households for three months at a time. Nissan boss Dan Thompson says he hopes it will be the beginning of similar co-operation with other governments around Australia ahead of the launch of the Leaf early next year. "It's important to get feedback on what it's like to live with a 100 per cent electric vehicle," he says. The Leaf will be available early next year with a price tag a bit over $40,000. Nissan also showcased the fresh face of its 2012 Murano SUV, arriving in September. It features newly designed grille, bumper, headlights, 18-inch alloys, roof rails and the addition of rear privacy glass. They come with rain-sensing wipers, while the ST model adds fog lamps, Bose sound system, reversing camera and heated front seats as standard. The ST will cost $47,990 and the Ti $58,930.