The Nissan Leaf (also formatted "LEAF" as acronym for Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car) is a compact 5-door hatchback electric car to be produced by Nissan According to the manufacturer, the Leaf's all-electric range is 100 miles
Sales are scheduled to begin in the United States and Japan in December 2010, followed by Portugal in January 2011, Ireland in February, the U.K. in March, and the Netherlands in June, with global market availability planned for 2012 As the reservation process began for U.S. customers, Nissan announced that availability for December 2010 is limited in quantities and to select markets and initially through online reservations only. The availability will be increased by spring 2011, with full U.S. market rollout planned for 2012
The announced price in Japan starts at ¥3.76 million (approximately US$43,000 ), US$32,780 in the United States, GB£28,990 in the United Kingdom, and approximately under €35,000 in the other three European countries where it will be launched first; these prices include the price of the battery package, and almost all countries have applicable tax incentives or subsidies.
The EV-11 prototype electric car was based on the Nissan Tiida (Versa in US) platform, but it had an all-electric drive train including an 80 kW (110 hp)/280 N•m (210 lb•ft) electric motor, 24 kW•h lithium-ion battery pack rated to have a range of 100 miles (160 km) on the EPA LA-4 or "city" driving cycle, navigation system, and remote control & monitoring using a cellphone connection through Nissan's secure data center to the car. The technology in the EV-11 was previously developed and tested in the EV-01 and EV-02 test cars, built with an all-electric powertrain using the Nissan Cube as development mule. The EV-11 prototype was on display July 26, 2009. A week later, on August 2, 2009, the production version was unveiled at Nissan's Yokohama headquarters and is set to begin selling in both the North American market and Japan at end of 2010
The battery pack is made of air-cooled stacked laminar cells with lithium manganate in the cathode. The battery and control module together weigh 300 kilograms (660 lb) and the energy density of the cells is 140 W•h/kg. It is estimated that each battery pack costs Nissan $18K and expected to be half as much when mass production of the battery packs begins. Battery is expected to have 70 to 80% of capacity after 10 years, depending on how much (440-volt) fast charging is done, and also on environmental factors such as extreme hot weather, which is tough on the battery. To keep the center of gravity as low as possible the battery is housed partly below the front seats, in a thin layer below the rear floor but mostly in a long rack below the rear seats but does not extend into the rear boot space. The battery actually consists of 48 modules with each module containing 4 cells
The Leaf has two charging receptacles: a standard SAE J1772-2009 connector for level 1 and 2 recharging (110/220 V AC) and a TEPCO connector for high-voltage "level 3" quick charging (480 V DC 125 amps) using the CHAdeMO protocol.
Using a 7.5 m (25 ft) trickle charge cable provided by Nissan the Leaf can be charged in about 20 hours from a standard household 110/120 volt 20 amp outlet in North America and Japan. It can be charged in 8 hours from 220/240 volt supply depending on peak current. U.S. electrical regulations require a 240 V charging station to be permanently wired to an AC outlet;[38] Nissan selected AeroVironment to supply its charging dock and installation services in North America,
Using level 3 quick charging it can be charged to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes. Nissan developed its own 500 V quick charger that went on sale in Japan for ¥1,470,000 (around US$16,800 ) in May 2010 and plans to install 200 at dealers in Japan. Nissan warns that if fast charging is the primary way of recharging, then the normal and gradual battery capacity loss is about 10 percent more than regular 220 volt charging over a 10 year period. Other companies make compatible charging stations, and companies and local government have various initiatives to create networks of public charging stations
Nissan says that the car has a top speed of over 140 km/h (87 mph).
On July 2010 Nissan announced the final Leaf pricing for the first four European countries where the electric vehicle will be launched beginning in 2011. European prices, including the cost of the battery, are almost €10,000 more expensive than the U.S. price. Most countries, with the exception of the Netherlands, have government incentives in the point of sale. Nissan also said that "the Leaf would allow owners to save €600 a year in fuel costs compared with an equivalent internal combustion model." Nissan explained that its decision to launch in the selected four countries first is due to the existing government incentives for electric cars, and the ongoing efforts to deploy charging infrastructure. Nissan also announced that the Leaf will be available in the other major Western European countries by late 2011. According to Nissan, 12,000 European customers sign-up to receive regular updates, and the company began taking orders in Portugal and Ireland on July 30, 2010. The process will start in the U.K. in September 2010
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Algys Autos Ltd will be authorised to import the Nissan Leaf via their Import Scheme for residents of ROI and the UK
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