Nissan Leaf

[JRP3]

Something isn't adding up in these articles. As far as I know the charge station is not really the problem to fast charging, other than actually connecting to a line with enough power to support it. It's really the batteries, though some chemistries have already done faster than 10 minutes, such as Altairnano, using Aeronvironment chargers. I don't see how changing the composition of a capacitor does anything, unless it replaces the battery, which I doubt.

 

[TEG]

I think it was implied that they would replace the batteries with capacitors.
Those articles made it sounds "too good to be true" as if you could sprinkle the pixie dust on an existing LEAF and make it recharge fully in 10 minutes.
I think it was more about a hopeful research breakthrough being turned into a sensational headline.

 

[JRP3]

A bunch of poorly worded articles by people who didn't really understand what was actually being done. This had nothing at all to do with the charger, but actually a capacitor that someday might be able to replace the battery pack.

In experiments, the researchers tweaked a capacitor – by using a composite made from tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide for the capacitor’s electrode instead of the usual carbon – to allow it to hold more power. Tests with the new capacitor resulted in it being able to fully recharge within 10 minutes, while maintaining nearly the same storage capacity and voltage as lithium-ion batteries, the report says.In experiments, the researchers tweaked a capacitor – by using a composite made from tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide for the capacitor’s electrode instead of the usual carbon – to allow it to hold more power. Tests with the new capacitor resulted in it being able to fully recharge within 10 minutes, while maintaining nearly the same storage capacity and voltage as lithium-ion batteries, the report says.

http://paultan.org/2011/10/06/nissa...y-formable-ultra-high-tensile-strength-steel/

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Not sure if this belongs here, but, has some interesting tidbits about "custom" (and cheap) 240V charging for the Leaf without a fancy charging station: The Electric Leaf’s True Believers Won’t Leave Well Enough Alone - NYTimes.com - TEG, are you involved here or were you one of the buyers?

 

[TEG]

...TEG, are you involved here or were you one of the buyers?

I know the guys pictured in that story. Phil upgraded my portable EVSE. Howard helps organize the bay area "BayLEAFs" meetings, and showed off the SOC meter, but I didn't buy one of those (yet). I hope they can make it do a lot more than just show a more detailed SOC. They are still studying the LEAF's CAN message flow to figure out what else they can monitor.

 

[dpeilow]

The Electric Vehicle Story: a Nissan Leaf documentary

 

[TEG]

Slightly customized:

 

[dpeilow]

Is Carbon One doing LEAFs now?

 

[TEG]

No, I don't think so. (Best not give him any ideas.)
I think that may just be an adhesive sticker... Faux carbon fiber...

 

[doug]

I like the nose. Not a fan of the seats.

 

[Doug_G]

I had an "accidental" Leaf test drive today. We were asked to bring our Roadster to a Science Cafe at a local restaurant (topic was EVs of course), and we found ourselves parked at the front door opposite a Leaf. A salesman from the local Nissan dealer had brought it, and afterwards he asked if I wanted to drive it. Well, yeah!

In short, I was quite impressed with the Leaf. The interior was attractive, and the controls and displays were very nicely done. On the road it was responsive and smooth, very stable, and quiet. Not nearly as fast as the Roadster, but it'll spin the wheels when you floor it.

If I didn't have a Model S reservation, I'd be very tempted to get one.

 

[Mycroft]

I think the Leaf is a very nice car. The 2000's was the decade of the Prius, the 2010's might be the decade of the Leaf (and hopefully the Bluestar). If the range were double, I probably would have bought one already and have a hard time justifying the Model S.

 

[Dave EV]

As a LEAF owner - I would love to have about 30% more range and about 30% more power. Having 100 mi freeway range (instead of ~75 mi) would give it enough range to cover all my regular trips except for multi-hundred mile road trips. 200 mi freeway range with 30 min DC quick charge capability would make it the only car you ever really needed.

 

[jory]

As a LEAF owner - I would love to have about 30% more range and about 30% more power. Having 100 mi freeway range (instead of ~75 mi) would give it enough range to cover all my regular trips except for multi-hundred mile road trips. 200 mi freeway range with 30 min DC quick charge capability would make it the only car you ever really needed.

if the leaf had the range of the roadster i would probably have bought one.

 

[Bluhorizan]

So is the freeway range of Leaf realistically about 75 miles? We've had a 2002 Toyota RAV4EV with a range of at least 80 and closer to 100 + miles. I agree that if the
Leaf had a range of 120 to 150 miles, it would be my only needed car

 

[TEG]

Around 80ish if you use the freeway a lot. If you stick to city streets you can get over 100.
I heard from a couple of RAV4EV owners that it isn't any better than their RAV was.

 

[dpeilow]

Around 80ish if you use the freeway a lot. If you stick to city streets you can get over 100.
I heard from a couple of RAV4EV owners that it isn't any better than their RAV was.

It will be interesting to see how the LEAF's li-ion holds up during the winter compared to the old NiMH in that regard.

 

[GSP]

It will be interesting to see how the LEAF's li-ion holds up during the winter compared to the old NiMH in that regard.

The NiMH cars were not sold into regions with "real winters," like Chicago and Detroit. I doubt they would have fared well, since their batteries did not have active heating systems. Tesla, on the other hand, has sold their actively thermal managed Li-Ion Roadster into every region and climate, with good results.

It indeed will be interesting to see how the Leaf battery, sold with and without a heater and without A/C, holds up.

GSP

 

[DarkStar]

So is the freeway range of Leaf realistically about 75 miles? We've had a 2002 Toyota RAV4EV with a range of at least 80 and closer to 100 + miles. I agree that if the Leaf had a range of 120 to 150 miles, it would be my only needed car

With strictly freeway only driving, I would expect 80-85 miles, however since I usually drive 5 miles to the freeway and 5 miles back off my actual range is closer to 85-90 miles.

It will be interesting to see how the LEAF's li-ion holds up during the winter compared to the old NiMH in that regard.

Luckily, unlike NiMH batteries, the Leaf's LiMn (lithium magnesium) batteries prefer a temperature range of between 14 degrees F and 104 degrees F (the NiMH battery wants to be right at 68 degrees F, all the time). Then again, winter in Oregon is a lot different than winter elsewhere (our average winter temperature is 34 degrees F). :biggrin:

 

[tomsax]

Around 80ish if you use the freeway a lot. If you stick to city streets you can get over 100.
I heard from a couple of RAV4EV owners that it isn't any better than their RAV was.

The LEAF definitely has less range than our 2002 Toyota RAV4-EV with over 65,000 miles on the odometer. We get over 100 miles range at 55 to 60 mph in the summer and a little less in the winter.

The NiMH cars were not sold into regions with "real winters," like Chicago and Detroit. I doubt they would have fared well, since their batteries did not have active heating systems. Tesla, on the other hand, has sold their actively thermal managed Li-Ion Roadster into every region and climate, with good results.

There are a number of satisfied RAV4-EV owners in New Jersey where winters are "real" (some Canadians may argue that point).

Driving the Roadster in 20F weather with very little heater use cut my range by 10% to 15%, which doesn't seem too different from what we see with the RAV.

Our LEAF has the cold weather package, so we're interested to see how we do in Seattle's mild winter. We've already had a few experiences with the heated steering wheel, which is wonderful. The thing that made me turn on the Roadster's heater during the 20F drive over a 4,000 foot pass was cold hands. With the LEAF's superior insulation, plus heated seats and heated steering wheel, I think we'll be able to stay quite comfortable very energy efficiently.