Historically, electric vehicles have not been viable mass-market devices due largely to their laughable driving range, exorbitant cost and recharging times that were best measured with a calendar.
Today Nissan is taking another stab at the electric car with the 2011 Nissan Leaf. Technology has evolved, the political lens has shifted and perhaps now electric cars like the Leaf can finally be genuine alternatives to traditional fuel burners for the masses.
Or we might find that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
A Modern Electric Vehicle
To date, EVs have been treated by their manufacturers as a kind of experimental vehicle, something to help fulfill EPA's ZEV mandate but otherwise not taken very seriously. GM's EV1 was the most serious modern attempt from a major manufacturer at a dedicated EV platform, but it ultimately proved too costly and too impractical.
The 2011 Nissan Leaf is different. A five-door hatchback, it's practical, spacious and quiet transportation. It can accommodate up to five people. Its luggage compartment is more than just an afterthought. And provided you live in one of the 15 states in which the 2011 Leaf will be available, you have the option of actually purchasing one — truly unusual, as EVs are typically lease-only.
Base price is $34,540. Equipped with a few odds and ends, our Nissan Leaf tester costs $35,110. That's before a federal tax credit of $7,500 plus any state incentives — in California there's an additional $5,000 credit available, which would bring the expense of our tester down to $22,610.
Deceptively Normal
Little in the cabin telegraphs the 2011 Nissan Leaf's electric heart. There's the nublike console PRND selector à la Prius and the power consumption bubbles in the instrument cluster, but otherwise it's pretty standard fare. Its dual-tiered instrument panel is similar to that of modern Hondas. Nearly all of the Leaf's interior controls from the multifunction display to the buttons and switches are lifted from Nissan's corporate parts bin. No zoomy graphics here, which might disappoint those expecting a bit more Buck Rogers in a car like this.
The cabin plastics are hard and the seat fabric durable rather than plush. Though the Nissan Leaf clearly is not trimmed like a luxury car, it's a step up from penalty-box econocars, and its tall roof and ample forward greenhouse really enhance the sense of space inside. Six-footers have plenty of headroom, and the front seats are road-trip worthy even if the driving range isn't.
Running out of juice is sitting-on-your-ass anxiety, not range anxiety.
A single, mysteriously iconed button located to the right of the multifunction display reveals the Leaf's electric-ness. Here you can access the Leaf's power consumption history, program its charging schedule and peruse a very cool map that illustrates in real-time the margins of the Leaf's driving range.
External visual cues are few, barring the silly decals on the doors (which are, thankfully, optional). The dual recharging ports are hidden beneath the central flap between the headlights. If you didn't already know about the Leaf's unique powertrain, you might mistake a Leaf in the wild for little more than an economy car styled like an aquatic creature.
The Leaf's Unique Powertrain
Sitting beneath the 2011 Nissan Leaf's hood is a large electric motor generating 107 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. The motor is fed electrons by a 24 kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery pack neatly sandwiched in the floor. That's it. Well, that and a bunch of power electronics, inverters, high-voltage cabling, plus a cooling system or two.
Stowing the batteries low in the car pays dividends in the way the Leaf drives. It's nimble and precise, and the stiff chassis gracefully absorbs insults from the road. Curb weight is 3,354 pounds, which is fairly dense for a compact car. A sporty one it is not, though the Leaf's slalom performance of 63 mph and 0.78g skid pad result are respectable showings. Its steering is obviously assisted electrically, which is to say it feels rather synthetic — while precise, the effort is too light, which lends it a video game-y impression. Perhaps that's apropos for an all-electric car.
Nor does the Nissan Leaf's brake pedal offer the natural bite and response you'd get with traditional stoppers. It's not surprising, as we've yet to drive a regenerative system that can seamlessly juggle the duties of recharging the batteries and manipulating the conventional hydraulic brakes. We'd also welcome a stronger "engine braking" effect (regenerative braking) upon "throttle" lift. Still, the stopping power is there when you cram the Leaf's pedal to the floor — braking from 60 mph consumed 126 feet in our testing.
Leaping From Stoplight to Stoplight
Torque down low arrives instantaneously when you flex your right ankle in the 2011 Nissan Leaf, and you can modulate the thrust like a rheostat. It's exceptionally linear. There are no gearchanges since there is no transmission coupled to the electric motor — it simply drives the front wheels directly through a 7.94:1 final-drive ratio.
This power delivery characteristic is inherent to electric propulsion, so get accustomed to hearing similar refrains as EVs become more commonplace. Same for the Leaf's exceptional silence — there's a faint whir from the electric motor, a bit of wind rustle and road hum at freeway speeds, and that's about it. The serene, tomblike atmosphere in the Leaf will spoil you.
Torque production is ample enough that if you romp on the "gas" at around 20 mph, the Leaf squirts forward with an enthusiasm that might surprise you. It's not something you'll do frequently, as it saps electrons like New Year's Eve at the Bellagio, and the specter of running out of juice always trumps your inner urge to hoon. But it's nice to know the grunt is there if you need it.
With that said, the 2011 Nissan Leaf's sprightliness is limited to squirting between city speeds. As its velocity increases, its grunt wanes. We clocked it to 60 mph in 9.9 seconds (9.6 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and through the quarter-mile in 17.3 seconds at 77.8 mph.
Electric Economy
Although the EPA's window sticker prominently rates the 2011 Nissan Leaf at 106/92 city/highway mpg-e, this doesn't tell you much. You have to look more closely at the sticker for the useful information, which is that it consumes 34 kWh per 100 miles.
Our 2011 Nissan Leaf test car consumed 34.3 kWh per 100 miles over the duration of its short stay with us, a value that reflects a somewhat diligent driving style but certainly nothing resembling the full-on hypermiling nonsense we'll inevitably witness once Leafs (Leaves?) become more commonplace. Likewise, we didn't measure the Leaf's ultimate range for fear of being stranded and eaten by dingoes.
To date we've measured the electricity consumption of only two other cars, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and 2012-ish Toyota Prius PHV, which logged 39 and 23.2 kWh per 100 miles, respectively.
Fed from the same $0.31 per kWh outlet as used in our Volt vs. Prius PHV comparison test, the Leaf's running costs were thus equivalent to a 29.8-mpg gasoline-fueled car.
However, all the usual caveats regarding electricity costs apply. That is, it varies wildly. Using Washington's cheap $0.08 per kWh rate, the Leaf's running costs are equivalent to a 110-mpg car. In Hawaii ($0.286 per kWh), it's like a car that nets 36 mpg. Were you to recharge the Leaf at the $0.13 per kWh average electricity rate of the states in which the car will be available in 2011, the Leaf's running costs equate to a 67-mpg conventional car.
Ultimately, though, running costs are probably not a very significant factor in the decision of whether an EV is right for you.
Recharging Time Is a Bigger Factor
The concept of range anxiety is commonly accepted as the Achilles' heel for EVs. Not so. Despite advancements in battery chemistry, the true fundamental bugaboo of EVs, including the 2011 Nissan Leaf, is their long recharging times.
Think about it. The Leaf's limited driving range (Nissan claims 100 miles; EPA's testing pegs it at 73 miles) would be far less of an inconvenience if you could recharge that sucker in a few minutes. Were there ample availability of chargers with gas-stationlike refueling speed, you could hopscotch across the entire country in 90-mile bites without a worry in the world.
So in the context of modern traditional motoring, the albatross draped on the Leaf is a familiar and elderly bird. If you deplete the Leaf's batteries, you're going to wait a minimum of 8 hours (240-volt charger) to replenish its charge. Stuck with a traditional 120-volt wall socket? 21 hours. Running out of juice is sitting-on-your-ass anxiety, not range anxiety.
Yeah, but Still
None of this is meant to imply that the 2011 Nissan Leaf isn't suitable transportation for certain folks. On the contrary, the Leaf excels at being an otherwise normal car, which represents its most significant accomplishment. Its price point puts it within the reach of mere mortals, too. A Leaf can make sense financially and practically if you're willing to adjust your lifestyle to accommodate it — which Americans have been loath to do.
GM's EV1 of more than a decade ago resurrected the idea of the modern electric car. It was ahead of its time and so is the Leaf. But that time is now getting closer. One breakthrough in the ability to charge batteries quickly is all that separates us from our electrically propelled future.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
kla131 says:
05:34 PM, 02/26/2011
After all these years !
It's been a long haul with EVs, but finally, as I expected they would, the Japanese have done the trick manufacturing a perfectly acceptable EV for about town and occasional freeway driving. Considering the tidal wave of boomers on the horizon, who, like me, are retiring from the rat race. No more long commutes, us ! Plenty of room for the wife and grandson and stuff (clubs, raquets, beach gear, etc.) Having tested iterations of EVs over the previous decade, Oh what a joy it was to not have to go to the gas station. Every morning a full tank, ready to roll. I applaud Nissan for finally breaking through with a very promising EV .
Eagerly awaiting The Leaf's arrival in Claremont, CA.
selden says:
09:15 AM, 02/18/2011
Even though I'm a librarian, I can't argue about the styling. "Fugly" would probably be charitable. On the other hand, I just got back from a test drive, and it is a very nice driving experience. Good city acceleration, decent handling (thanks to the relatively low center of gravity), extremely quiet, and better visibility than either the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius.
When I test drove a Prius a couple of years ago, I couldn't wait for the test drive to be over -- absolutely hated that car. The Insight was a little better, but still claustrophobic, due to horrible rear visibility (although not as bad as the Honda CRZ). The Leaf drives like a normal car, except that it is uncannily quiet, and has really good 0-30 acceleration. If I were looking for a second car, I would buy one in a heartbeat, even if it is one of the ugliest cars on the road.
firstwagon says:
12:03 AM, 12/25/2010
phoenixc
You claim to work in "PR and branding" but your post sounds like the rant of a 16 year high school drop out.
Hard to take styling advice from a foul mouthed kid.
firstwagon says:
11:28 PM, 12/24/2010
Doing a little math.
At 34.3 kwh for 100 miles, that works out to $2.40 to drive 100 miles at the 7 cents/ kwh we pay.
Converting over to KM that works out to $1.48 to go 100 km. Right now a litre of gas is $1.21 so this car is getting the equivilant of 1.23 L/100km.
That's excellent. By comparision a Fit averages about 6 L/100km.
phoenixc says:
03:03 AM, 12/24/2010
The only reason this car won't sell in large numbers is because it's fucking ugly. Really, after all this time Nissan has the leadership to brave the all electric train, and then launches a car that makes the GM EV look downright sexy. Hell, I work in PR and branding, and this car looks like the kind a machine a librarian drives. So what does it tell us; that Nissan didn't feel they'd have the capacity to sell a highly popular electric so they made an ugly car to keep production demand low. This 'safe' route ensures they are first to the market with a car you buy, vs. the GM and Toyota leases of the 90's and it keep the demand low so there's little chance of them 'flying off the shelves'. For those who say, they've sold every one so far, the production numbers tell a story of a pet project that is being presented in a package only a mother could love. It's makes me sick to hear about a company touting their all electric car and then having the nerve to shove us this shit. As for aerodynamics, just remember the Subaru XT-6 still has one of the lowest Cd's of any production car in history and it was all sharp edges. Google it if you're unsure of what I write. As much as I want to be supportive of electric cars and their futuristic promises, the fact that Nissan - the home of the sexy Z-car - would launch this pedestrian design is appalling at best and lazy at worst. Let me know when the electric cars people want to change their driving styles, and habits for arrive - (Fisker Karma?) - until then this Pinto (sorry Ford, you know they were ugly) can rot in a yard full of poorly design Cavaliers and Corollas... and VW Dashers for that matter.
1919diesel says:
08:03 AM, 12/14/2010
al_bashir wrote:
did you try buying a flat screen TV back in 1998 when they were introduced?
Hey, I agree that electronics pricing has come way down, but EV technology and PC or flat-screen TV technology are very different. The precious metals and chemistry required for batteries to power these EV's is on a scale of thousands of times that used in a laptop, for example (I think the Tesla roadster uses the equivilent of about 7,000 laptop lithium-ion cells..... ponder that for a second). So, unless someone finds an infinite source of Lithium or other rare earth metals, prices will rise when demand picks up (look at price of Copper in last 20 years - and it is not rare, just used in all electrical/electronics and driven by infrastructure growth in emerging world).
Or maybe we can all hope those guys in Texas really do come up with their "ultra-capacitor"...? (this now fulfills the required "random E-Stor reference" for today........)
1919diesel says:
07:57 AM, 12/14/2010
@ danielacostaaz:
Others have pointed out the "quick charger" is 480V so you can't set that up at your home easily. Also, the $2,000 is for the 240V charger... the 480V quick charger, if similar to the commercial quick chargers being talked about to setup an network of "electricity stations" for EV's can run between $15,000 and $20,000 (which is why they are having a hard time finding investors willing to put in that much cash for a payback that could be 10 or 20 years in the making (or never if EV's don't eventually become "commonplace", i.e. 25%+ of the car market)
Some techno-geeks and early adopters will buy this, especially those who never leave the city and drive 10-20 miles per day. Any of us in suburbia or rural-land will never own a Leaf. Much cheaper to just buy a Cruze, Fit, Focus, Elantra, Corolla or Golf that can get 30-40 MPG, or maybe a stripped Insight or Prius at 40-50 MPG.
al_bashir says:
03:20 PM, 12/12/2010
Nice car, good effort! For those who still waste their breath yapping about how expensive EV's are and how the dont make economic sense etc. etc. One question for you, did you try buying a flat screen TV back in 1998 when they were introduced? The cheapest ones cost an arm and a neck. now they give them out for free at blockbuster simply for signing up.!!!! The point is, new technologies are always expensive, ecpnomies of scale will kick in with increased production and in a few years EV's should be more affordable.
yamahr1 says:
11:25 AM, 12/11/2010
I'm a Volt fan and buyer (my car is one of those hundreds built since early November, which GM is still holding on to in Detroit for mysterious reasons, as we all wait for them to address the should-be-simple-question of delivery date.)
That said, I applaud Nissan and the Leaf. It's a leadership step being taken toward a potentially better transportation future, even if lots of compromises currently exist. If you just putter around a little community, or can use a second car for that kind of puttering and another car for longer journeys, the Leaf is a more than reasonable alternative. Following close behind it will be the electric Focus, the Mitsu i-Miev, and a few others, but to its credit Nissan got there first. Time will tell if their non-temperature-regulated battery pack proves a long-term liability, which is what I'd worry most about. Otherwise, there are probably hundreds of thousands of Americans who could happily use a second car like the Leaf, and help reduce our dependence on imported oil.
The first retail Leaf gets delivered today (12/11), good luck to the owner. Sadly, us Volt buyers are still waiting in limbo, and GM has essentially been telling us all to "Talk to the hand." (actually they say the cars are undergoing some kind of extra rigorous quality control, which I think is complete BS.) Hopefully Chevy's product will be a lot better than some of their customer relations skills.
6sptl says:
01:50 PM, 12/10/2010
34K for an econobox that needs 20 hrs to juice up at household current. Can't anyone figure out this is the stupidest car ever produced? How much gasoline can you buy for 17K (this car is exactly twice as expensive as a Fit for example) for that money you can drive a Fit for 170000 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Wouldn't it be simpler to make golf a golf cart legal for street use? At least it would be cheap. The answer is not electric cars, the answer is to make cheap thrifty gasoline cars more appealing, instead of offering a 7K rebate for this POS they could give a 2k rebate for cars like the Fit, or conversly slap a 2K tax on cars that cant meet a 28 mpg highway minimum (I know this part would never fly politically). Better yet do what Al Gore proposed, tax gas more, a 4.00 per gallon minimum should make it dear enough to dissuade gas guzzler buyers. All the technology and waste of resources to make a battery car are unnecessary. BTW you think they are expensive now, just hold on, if they ever became popular, the price of battery materials and particularly copper would soar making them even pricier.
We figured out that electric cars were a stupid solution 100 years ago, they still are. Call us back when you have figured out a battery that has 3 times the energy density of the present ones. Till then a decent battery car is as feasable as warp drive.