Last month we looked at the Nissan's latest prototype EV and the infrastructure it hopes to put in place to support the "electric future". Now production plans have been revealed with the company taking the wraps off a fully-electric mid-size vehicle which it intends to launch in Japan, the United States and Europe in late 2010. With a name to compliment its green credentials, the LEAF is a five-seat hatchback powered by lithium-ion batteries which deliver a range of 160km (100 miles) on one full charge. The electric motor delivers 80kW (107bhp) and 280Nm of torque with top speed slated at 140kmh (around 90mph).
The LEAF's laminated compact lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 24kWh and generates power output of over 90kW. Regenerative braking also helps the car achieve its 100 mile range - a figure that Nissan says its consumer research shows will satisfy 70% of the world’s drivers.
The plug-in EV includes two charging inputs - one for AC200V home-use and a fast-charging 3-phase inlet. The standard 200V takes around 8 hours to reach full charge while the DC 50kW option will deliver 80% of full charge in less than 30 minutes... but expect to part with significant dollars to get the three-phase option up and running.
Among the notable design innovations are the LED headlights which, apart from using one tenth of the electricity of conventional lamps, are designed to split airflow and reduce drag on the door mirrors.
Connected Mobility IT system
The LEAF will be hooked in to Nissan's advanced IT system which will provide a range of navigation and infotainment support via a 24/7 a global data center. This will range from remotely checking the charge condition of the vehicle to providing info on the nearest charging stations and even turning on the air-conditioning using a mobile phone.
More at Nissan's dedicated site.
