2010 Nissan Leaf Electric Car

I thought I'd share this article I just read. The video is super short but it gives you an idea of the look and feel of the Leaf. Also check out the location for you Bay Areans.

Nissan Leaf video

Many consumers imagine an electric car to be a little,  well, different, and to some degree they’d be right; inside and out,  everything on the Leaf is slightly futuristic. Even turning the car on  is something special. Nissan’s engineers found that many hybrid owners  wanted a more obvious notification than a ‘Ready’ light on the dash to  alert them that the car was on, so pressing the start button generates a  wave of pleasant chimes that echo through the cabin as the colorful  digital dash fires up, much like booting up a computer.

Putting  the car into drive presents another learning experience, with the  ‘gear’ selector being a donut-sized knob on the center console with a P  button for park in the center. Sliding it left and up puts the car into  reverse and moving it straight across puts it in neutral. Sliding it  left and down shifts the Leaf into drive and if you do it a second time  the car goes into Eco mode, which allows the car to conserve electricity  by reducing the amount of power expended when accelerating and  increasing the influence of the regenerative brakes. It’s not a  particularly fun mode, but it’s easy to see how will conserve juice when  stuck in traffic and it will pop back into drive temporarily should you  need more passing power.

Nissan was  adamant that the Leaf should drive like a normal five-seat sedan –  despite its complete lack of engine noise and futuristic styling cues –  and it seems to do exactly that. Acceleration isn’t blisteringly fast  with the 80 kW motor and 24 kWh lithium-ion battery propelling the car  steadily up to speed, but stepping on the accelerator pedal generates a  good amount of thrust, convincing us of the claimed 90 mph top speed.  Speed-sensitive steering is similar to all cars with electric power  assist steering in that it feels slightly disconnected, but it’s still  responsive and well weighted, and the regenerative braking system that  returns power to the battery as the car slows still lacks the smooth  brake pedal travel; it feels odd and a bit too firm at times, similar to  others on the market.

What is most  striking about the drive is the Leaf’s sound level, or lack thereof.  Stripped of a mechanical engine, the car is eerily quiet. So quiet in  fact, that Nissan took extra steps in reducing noise from the tires by  adding low rolling resistance rubber and muffling the windshield wiper  motor because their sounds were unexpectedly conspicuous. The Leaf does  emit a high-frequency noise from an exterior speaker up to 18 mph for  the benefit of the sight-impaired, though it’s impossible to hear it  from inside the cabin.

Much like the Toyota  Prius, the Leaf’s odd body design helps with aerodynamics – as does a  sealed undercarriage and functional rear spoiler – which is an important  factor in maintaining the maximum 100-mile range. And those googly-eyed  headlamps do have a very specific purpose: they split the airflow  around the wing mirrors to reduce wind buffeting.

So  the Leaf delivers a fairly normal drive experience with a few special  features, but amazing car technology is pretty useless without a livable  cabin space and the long list of standard amenities we now expect in a  car. Good thing the Leaf’s interior is actually quite impressive. It’s  no luxury car, but all five seats are comfortable – those in the rear  have plenty of headroom – and from the front two you have a clear view  of the good-looking instrument panel and touch-screen center display  unique to the Leaf. Within the large screen are settings functions,  navigation, audio controls and a battery monitoring system that displays  battery usage and battery life as well as charging status.

Standard  on all Leaf models are a six-speaker audio system, Bluetooth  connectivity, USB and auxiliary jacks, push button start and a full  flash drive-based navigation system, which will be regularly updated  with nearby charging stations for your longer drives. Those who opt for  the SL trim will also get a backup camera and a solar panel on the rear  spoiler – it’s clearly more about marketing than function, but it does  run a few auxiliary electronics. A cold weather package will add a  temperature management system and heated steering wheel, mirror and  seats.

The Leaf can achieve a claimed  100-mile range on a single charge, and power is supplied via a universal  plug (all manufacturers will use one design) by three types of  chargers: the first is a regular 110/120-volt household plug that will  provide what Nissan calls a ‘trickle charge’ because of its 20-hour  charge time. The more common option will be a 220/240-volt charging  station that can be installed in your home for a seven- to eight-hour  charge time. The setup will cost $2,200, with half of that price being  covered by the government. The last is a commercial DC fast charger that  will give you 80 miles of charge in just 30 minutes, a time that may  just revolutionize the EV market and eliminate ‘range anxiety.’

The  most recent count puts Leaf orders at over 16,000 units already. To be  fair, the $32,780 MSRP seems steep until you take into account the  $7,500 tax credit that Nissan plans to roll into its leasing arrangement  so buyers can maximize savings instantly. With its list of standard  features and surprisingly normal drive experience, the Leaf – electric  car or not – suddenly becomes a shockingly (!) good deal for just  $25,280.

Slated for release in  December, the Leaf will be available to residents of five states  (California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee) at first,  followed by a rolling nationwide release throughout 2011.

Credits: Driverside.com

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