Driving Nissan’s electric dream: the Leaf plug-in car

NISSAN LEAF EVs (electric vehicles) on display in the Nissan Global Headquarters Gallery, Yokohama

For five motoring journalists from Manila two weeks ago, a familiarization tour of Nissan Motor Corp.’s facilities in Japan included visiting its Kyushu plant, Nismo (Nissan Motorsports International Co. Ltd.) headquarters and global headquarters gallery in Yokohama.   The itinerary included meeting Nissan’s SVP/chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura and driving two of the vehicles he designed: the soon-to-be-launched 2014 iteration of a popular SUV and Nissan’s electric dream, the Leaf zero-emission electric vehicle (EV.)

Since its global debut in December 2010, a total of 120,000 units of the Nissan Leaf have been sold. More than half of this number were sold in the United States, where there are 13,000 public EV charging stations nationwide.  The Leaf, which cost 4 billion British pounds to develop, is the world’s best-selling battery-electric car, making the alliance of Nissan Motor and Renault the world leader in electric vehicles.

A five-door, front wheel drive compact hatchback, the Leaf seats four occupants comfortably, produces 107 horsepower and  253.25 Newton-meters max torque and gets 126/101 miles per gallon equivalent (53/42 kilometers per liter) in city/highway driving. Its top speed is 90 mph (144 kph) and it runs 84 miles (134.4 km) on a charge.  Now in its fourth model year, the Leaf’s exterior styling has remained unchanged.  Since it does not have a conventional radiator, instead of a grille in front, there is a charging port under a Nissan-badged central door on the hood.

A lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the floor pan and extending up to under the rear seat powers a 107-HP motor that drives the front wheels and also serves as a generator, returning energy to the battery for use under regenerative braking. The Leaf runs entirely on power from the electric grid, so it is zero emission all the time which makes it the greenest car available today.

THE LEAF to Home zero emission EV power station

Nissan claims that based on total sales worldwide, Nissan Leaf vehicles have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 241 million kilograms globally while running more than 906 million miles globally.

Inside Nissan’s global headquarters gallery in Yokohama, we saw a showroom Leaf plugged into a 240-volt EV power station that would recharge a fully depleted battery pack in about four hours.  Outdoors, a taller, slimmer EV charging station was available for emergency recharging even for non-Nissan EVs.

Accompanied by a Nissan official, each of us was allowed to drive a blue Nismo performance-packaged Leaf on a short, relatively traffic-free route behind the Nissan headquarters in Yokohama. To get the Leaf underway, you tap the Start button, gently tug back and left the mouse-like Drive Mode indicator on the console and step on the accelerator. The Leaf starts moving forward calmly and serenely, in amazing silence since there is no engine and transmission noise.

To maximize the mileage available (and to avoid being arrested by a traffic officer), I was advised to accelerate gently and not drive beyond 90 kph.  When you drive an EV like the Leaf the fastest you should go is 80 kph since higher speeds burn through battery energy and increase aerodynamic drag, thereby reducing range.  Hard braking as an offshoot of fast driving is also a big no-no.

A NISSAN Leaf EV (electric vehicle) being recharged inside the Nissan Global Headquarters Gallery, Yokohama

In other words, the Leaf is easy to drive and can keep up with traffic, but it is not that sporty or engaging to drive. Although the handling is linear and direct, the lightly weighted electric steering is numb and gives little feedback from the road. Because there is no gear shift and everything is electrically activated, making the Leaf exceptionally quiet, it is hard to gauge how slow or fast the acceleration is. Undoubtedly, the Leaf is not meant for slalom competitions or long-distance motoring.

On the other hand, the Leaf is perfect as an emission-free commuter or around-town car for people who drive fewer than 53 km a day. The cabin feels open and offers excellent visibility. The Leaf looks like a compact hatchback but has far more space inside than one would imagine with plenty of headroom front and rear and comfy seats in front.  The rear seat is more spacious than those in many compact cars.  The trunk has 23.6 cubic feet capacity that expands to 30 cubic feet when the rear seat is folded. Moreover, the Leaf has all the features and accessories found in new compact cars including a large rectangular digital display in the center and a rearview camera.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States gave the 2014 Leaf four out of five possible stars as an overall rating.  Aside from a rearview camera, the Leaf has six airbags, traction control, ABS, EBD, braking assist and tire pressure monitoring system. No incidents of battery fires in Leafs have been reported to date.

Small wonder, then, that the Nissan Leaf has become the world’s leading electric car just as the Toyota Prius is recognized as the leading hybrid car after a slow start 14 years ago.  At the motor shows in Tokyo and Los Angeles  last November, cars that run on hydrogen and emit only water emerged to challenge electric cars as the world’s transportation of the future. But Nissan Motor Corp. has reason to keep faith in its electric dream.  There are only 10 hydrogen stations available to the public in the entire United States  by the time the competition’s first fuel cell sedan is sold, there will be about half a million plug-in vehicles on the road in the United States and tens of thousands of electrical charging stations.