http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nissan-leaf-sl,4081.html 2015 Nissan Leaf SL: A Global EV For The Masses By Anh T. Huynh March 29, 2015
[images http://media.bestofmicro.com/4/U/483582/gallery/P1100479-edit_w_600.jpg (1. The First Global EV) http://media.bestofmicro.com/4/W/483584/gallery/P1100489_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/J/483607/gallery/2013LEAF_023-1-_w_600.jpg (2. Step Inside The Cabin) http://media.bestofmicro.com/6/2/483626/gallery/DSC01145_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/K/483608/gallery/2013LEAF_027_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/M/483610/gallery/blk-sh77722_w_600.gif (3. The Infotainment System) http://media.bestofmicro.com/6/7/483631/gallery/DSC01129_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/6/6/483630/gallery/DSC01133_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/6/5/483629/gallery/DSC01137_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/6/I/483642/gallery/Screenshot_2015-03-10-10-31-39_w_375.png http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/Q/483614/gallery/f51f673fe695c7_w_600.gif (4. It's All Electric) http://media.bestofmicro.com/Z/D/485977/gallery/LEAF_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/6/3/483627/gallery/DSC01135_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/N/483611/gallery/f51a43cc98c89e_w_600.gif (5. EV Niceties) http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/F/483603/gallery/2013LEAF_034_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/4/Z/483587/gallery/P1100497_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/4/T/483581/gallery/P1100491_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/5/G/483604/gallery/2013LEAF_033_w_600.jpg http://media.bestofmicro.com/4/Y/483586/gallery/P1110056_w_600.jpg (6. I Bought One) ] 1. The First Global EV Nissan made a massive gamble in 2010 when it rolled out its first pure electric, the Leaf, for the 2011 model year. All-electric vehicles weren’t necessarily new at the time; we saw a couple of failed experiments a decade prior with the GM/Saturn EV1, Toyota's RAV4 EVs and various EV concepts. Tesla had its Roadster available at the time, too. However, Nissan’s risk wasn't introducing an EV. Rather, the gamble was making the Leaf available all around the world - not just California. This was the first real push for EVs from a major automaker. The same company that produces the GT-R, which guzzles gas, was also building a mass-market EV to occupy the opposite end of the automotive spectrum. Crazy, right? But Nissan didn’t give up and now the Leaf is in its fourth model year with over 100,000 vehicles on the road. That figure doesn't sound particularly impressive compared to the number of internal combustion engine vehicles that move off lots, but it's certainly respectable for the first nationally available EV. Think of it as the people's electric car, bringing affordable battery power to the masses. Before Nissan's Leaf, I had never driven a pure electric vehicle, and never had to deal with range anxiety. I’m a car enthusiast at heart, with a true affinity for manual transmissions. In fact, our Tom’s Hardware project car is my personal 2014 Mazda 5 Sport with a six-speed manual. EVs are foreign territory for me. Still, I'm willing to give them a shot. Nissan's 2015 Leaf SL isn't a bad place to start. Our press car includes the premium package, carrying an MSRP of $37,540. Exterior Without question, the Leaf's exterior isn't as attractive as the Tesla Model S. Some might even call it ugly. But the design is functional. The front end is reminiscent of a Bulborb from Nintendo’s Pikmin series (or a Bulbasaur from Pokemon, according to my wife). Still, Nissan managed to make the Leaf quite slippery with a drag coefficient of 0.28. That's respectable, considering early versions of the GT-R had a CD of 0.27. Drag is particularly important in the world of EVs. The more aerodynamic they are, the more range you might expect. The bulbous headlights serve an aerodynamic purpose, directing air away from the side mirrors. This also reduces wind noise, keeping the cabin quieter. I'd say it works - Nissan's Leaf is eerily quiet inside at highway speeds. Most of the car's underside is also covered to minimize drag. Around back is the Leaf’s more attractive angle; it has a normal-looking hatchback rear end that’s furnished with large Volvo-esque taillights and finished with a rear diffuser. As Meghan Trainor puts it, it’s all about that bass… Overall I don’t mind the Leaf's looks. The three zero-emissions badges are a little excessive, but you can pull those off with a heat gun and dental floss. I only wish Nissan hadn't gone with chrome door handles. They're major finger print magnets on the most-touched part of the car's exterior. 2. Step Inside The Cabin Step inside the Nissan Leaf and you’re treated to an interior appropriate for an economy car, albeit one that sells for almost $38,000. Fit and finish are good, though the materials leave a lot to be desired. The dashboard is devoid of soft-touch surfaces; it's rock-hard. Nissan does dress it up nicely with a nice texture. Still, it's not in the same league as some of the fully-loaded mid-size sedans out there. The driver's seat is surfaced in leather, and offers great side bolster support. Nissan uses manually-adjustable seats to reduce weight (and cost, we imagine). They do lack a lumbar adjustment, but the seats really aren't bad as-is. The doors do feature soft-touch surfaces in the arm rest area, likely so your elbow doesn't hurt after hours of driving. The center armrest is soft as well. I'm far less fond of the gloss black center stack, center console and window switch areas. Nissan seems to like dressing up the most-touched surfaces with glossy materials that make fingerprints apparent. Annoyingly, the base Leaf S has a matte black center stack and center console that doesn’t suffer this same issue. It's a lot easier to keep clean. The steering wheel is covered in leather, similar to many other Nissan vehicles. It has an extra bit of girth for your thumbs at the 10 and two o’clock positions for added comfort. Nissan's instrument cluster might give you flashbacks to the '80s, when vehicles had VFD digital clusters. Nissan opts for a two-tier dash layout similar to the current- and previous-generation Honda Civic. The top display shows a digital speedometer, clock, ambient temperature readout and eco meter. We like the digital speedometer; it’s placed nice and high so you don’t have to take your eyes too far off the road to check your speed. I get annoyed when vehicles don't include digital clocks for telling the time easily. The Leaf has one though, and it's placed next to the speedometer. The eco gauge “builds trees” depending on how conservatively you drive, and I find it to be useless. It serves mostly as a guilt meter that I ignored it most of the time. It'd be preferable to get a battery temperature or charge indicator in its place. Separate from the speedometer display is an instrument cluster directly in front of the steering wheel. It's purely digital, without a single analog gauge in sight. Typically, this is not my preference. But for some reason, the glow of Nissan's cluster brings back fond memories of my '90s childhood and driving dashboard toys. Nissan packs plenty of useful information in the Leaf’s instrument cluster. There’s a battery temperature indicator on the left so you can keep an eye on the air-cooled pack. Regen and power use meters, battery charge, battery capacity and estimated range indicators allow you to monitor power consumption, available power and total capacity. In the middle of the instrument cluster is a small display that serves as an extensive trip computer. There are actually two trip meters, but the important information conveyed is the battery percentage, energy economy (miles/kWh) and charge time estimation. That latter metric tells you how long it’d take to charge the vehicle to 100 percent on 120V (Level 1) or 240V (Level 2). When I first started driving the Leaf, this was the default display I used so I'd know how much downtime I was looking at. After a week, however, I just used the battery percentage indicator. 3. The Infotainment System Nissan taps Clarion for the Leaf's infotainment system. The system is engineered exclusively for the Leaf, and resembles an aftermarket double-DIN head unit with physical buttons to fill the center stack. It’s powered by Windows Embedded Automotive, but isn’t as refined as Ford SYNC with MyFord Touch or even the first-generation Kia UVO system. The UI is Spartan, focusing strictly on function. There aren’t any eye-catching menus or colors, just a boring blue screen with elementary-looking buttons. The UI's lack of detail can probably be traced back to the seven-inch display, which Nissan specifies as having an insanely low 320x240 QVGA resolution. At the heart of the Leaf’s infotainment system is a Renesas SH-NaviJ2 SoC engineered solely for use in vehicle navigation systems. The 32-bit RISC SoC features a single SH-4A core, which is dated compared to platforms powered by Nvidia's Tegra or Intel's Atom. For those unfamiliar with the Renesas SH-4 architecture, it powered the Sega Dreamcast that debuted nearly 15 years ago. We were unable to confirm the exact clock rate Nissan enables, but Renesas offers the SoC in 336 or 400MHz variants. Although the processor is ancient by modern standards, the UI responds quickly enough to keep us satisfied. In terms of music functionality, the Nissan Leaf infotainment system has an auxiliary input, USB connectivity, SiriusXM and standard AM/FM radio. The USB port enables support for flash drives, though it bears noting that folder and album navigation is unrefined. The system immediately starts playback of whichever folder you select, rather than letting you browse the directory and select a song first. The Infiniti JX35 we evaluated a couple of years did the same thing. The radio is fairly vanilla, supporting playback-only. There is no time-shifting, SiriusXM or support for HD Radio, unfortunately. Nothing about the standard navigation system stands out in terms of map quality or usability. However, certain tweaks added exclusively for the Leaf do improve the EV experience. Nissan includes plenty of charging stations as points of interest, along with a range map. The most useful function is the ability to locate POIs along the way to your destination, should you specify one. This simple feature ensures you don’t have to backtrack to find a charging station. There are also different routing modes to help you maximize range. Typically, this means using side streets. Unfortunately, the charging station POIs are a little outdated. You’re better off using PlugShare on Android or iOS to locate them. Smartphone connectivity is enabled through Bluetooth. We didn’t have any problems pairing the Leaf and a Nexus 5; the car was able to download the phonebook and read text messages, even. One small nitpick that could be embarrassing to anyone stuck in traffic: everyone can hear what plays through the car speakers from outside. I stumbled upon this one when my wife pulled into the driveway and finished a phone conversation; I heard the person on the other end of the line over 20 feet away. CarWings Nissan completes the Leaf infotainment system with a telematics system dubbed CarWings, which is complemented by an iOS or Android app that lets you view and control certain functions remotely, such as battery level, driving range and charge status. Additionally, you're able to turn on the climate control system to warm or cool the interior. CarWings relies on data connectivity provided by AT&T. However, the telematics system operates on an ancient 2G network that AT&T plans to shutter by 2017. We reached out to Nissan for insight on its plans once AT&T's network is turned off, but the company isn't ready to say anything yet. CarWings also delivers live updates to the navigation software. That subsystem is able to dial in and check the status of charging stations listed as POIs to inform the driver if they're available for charging. It can even download your favorite RSS feeds to the car and read them to you, which is pretty useless. CarWings could be a fantastic feature. In practice, however, it's slow to respond. To be fair, you do receive text messages if someone unplugs your vehicle when it's charging or when the charging process finishes, and those go out fairly quickly. Nissan gives all owners free access to CarWings, for now. The company originally promised three years of access before owners had to start paying, but has since extended the free subscription service and will provide a 90-day notice before switching to a paid model. CarWings is a nice value-added feature. However, it's not worth a subscription. Although we dig integrated features, charging station status is easier to access through your smartphone and the mobile EV apps from ChargePoint, Plugshare and Blink. Nissan's CarWings functions are just too clunky and slow compared to third-party apps that get updated a lot more often. 4. It's All Electric The Leaf's main selling point is its all-electric powertrain that drives the front wheels. Unlike the Tesla Model S, which efficiently packs a motor into the back of the car, Nissan employs a traditional layout with the electric motor up front and easily accessible. The AC motor is combined with a 24 kWh DC battery pack mounted nice and low below the seats. Since the motor runs on AC and the battery pack is DC, the Leaf employs an inverter. Nissan rates the powertrain at 107hp with 187 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers don't sound like much. However, the instant torque provides a nice performance kick in city driving. Inside the battery pack, you'll find 192 cells spread across 48 modules. The air-cooled power source is built in Japan by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation, a Nissan and NEC joint venture. The 2015 Nissan Leaf sports a new battery pack with updated chemistry. It's nicknamed the “lizard” battery and supposedly handles high-temperature climates a lot better without rapid degradation. Since we only had the press car for two weeks, this isn't something we could test. And unfortunately, Nissan won't disclose details of its more modern battery design. Since the Leaf was the first electric vehicle available to the masses, Nissan backs its battery pack with a fairly comprehensive warranty that protects the entire powertrain and EV system for the first five years or 60,000 miles. There’s a standard powertrain warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles that covers the battery pack in case of flaws or defects, too. Similar to hybrid vehicles, the Leaf’s electric motor employs regenerative braking, harnessing energy that's otherwise lost. During this process, the electric motor functions as a generator to recharge the battery. Regenerative braking in the regular D mode isn’t too noticeable; it makes the Leaf drive like a normal car. Those who want to maximize the feature can put the Leaf into B mode, which slow the car down more quickly. Driving around in the city, B mode is nice in stop-and-go traffic. With enough practice, patience and discipline, you can drive the Leaf in B mode using only the accelerator. Charging Nissan equips the Leaf with the same SAE J1772-2009 connector for level 1 (120V) and level 2 (240V) charging that every other EV has. The standard Leaf has a 3.3 kW on-board charger with a faster 6.6 kW charger available. To be frank, the 3.3 kW charger is awfully slow; it takes about eight hours to fully charge at 240V. The optional 6.6 kW charger (standard on the SL) takes half the time, which makes a big difference if you exceed the driving range often. Also standard on the SL trim (and optional on the S and SV) is a CHAdeMO DC connector that can take advantage of 500V chargers. Purportedly, they'll get a completely depleted Leaf battery to 80 percent in only 30 minutes. If your city infrastructure has CHAdeMO quick-charging stations, the option is a must-have for getting back on the road quickly. Charging At Home The 2015 Nissan Leaf isn't our first experience with an electric vehicle. We tried to test a 2014 model, but found the included level 1 charger dreadfully slow. It just wouldn't work for anyone with a sizable commute. But that's not what EV ownership is supposed to be, and the level 1 charger is really only good for dire situations. Before we received the 2015 Nissan Leaf, we reached out to Bosch for a level two charger installation. The company sent over its 30A model, and I tackled the install myself. Before you do the same, make sure you get the proper permits and follow your local laws for performing electrical work. All-told, the job only took about 30 minutes, involving a new breaker and three wires. This simple addition drastically changed how we test EVs and plug-in hybrids. Instead of taking a day to charge the Leaf from empty, it's a four- or five-hour affair. That's enough time to run errands in the morning, get back home for a charge and have a full battery around dinner time. Range Range varies greatly depending on your driving style. The EPA rates the Leaf at 114 MPGe combined and 126/101 for city/highway. I tend to be aggressive, so I got about 60 miles from a charge. When I drove more conservatively, I was able to squeeze out 70+ miles. Most of my driving is on the highway, though. You can get a lot more range in stop-and-go traffic, since the car benefits from regenerative braking. 5. EV Niceties Since EVs need to maximize efficiency wherever possible, a couple of comfort features are unique. The climate control system is completely different from what you'd find on a car with an engine. While a typical heater relies on the engine warming up coolant and sending it through a core to create the heat blown into your cabin, Nissan's Leaf doesn’t have coolant or an engine to facilitate this process. Similarly, most air conditioning systems rely on a belt-driven compressor that cools using refrigerant. EVs don’t have any belt-driven accessories, so the Leaf has to employ different solutions. Earlier models of the Leaf used electric heating and cooling systems, which put additional strain on the battery, resulting in lower range in hot or cold climates. That changed to a more efficient heat-pump system for the 2013 model year, though. As with heat-pump systems in your house, the Leaf’s absorbs thermal energy from the outside air and compresses it to warm the cabin. Air conditioning works similarly, except the heat-pump takes hot air from inside the vehicle cabin and releases into the atmosphere to cool the interior. The system's benefit, of course, is energy savings. It takes a fraction of the electricity to run a heat-pump than the previous implementation. On the other hand, the heat-pump system doesn’t work as fast. Nissan’s workaround for warming you up more quickly is seat heaters on four of the five seats. The driver also gets a heated steering wheel. If you're thinking ahead, the Nissan CarWings application lets you turn on the heater remotely. Or, you can set a climate control timer in the infotainment system, programming it to automatically turn on at a certain time. While this still consumes energy, the car can run its climate control system while the vehicle is plugged in, so it doesn’t affect your driving range. LED Headlights The base model Leaf has standard halogen headlights that typically consume around 55W each. Optional on the SV and standard on the SL are LED headlights. But if you're expecting the super-bright elements seen on luxury vehicles, you'll be disappointed. Those higher-end solutions employ an array of LEDs and projectors to focus light. But Nissan uses LEDs to improve energy efficiency, so its solution isn't as sophisticated. Instead, the Leaf LED headlights employ two LEDs per side with reflector housings to replace the halogen bulb. This casts a light that appears whiter than halogen, but not what most car enthusiasts would typically associate with an LED upgrade option. Solar Panel Standard on the SL trim is a spoiler-mounted solar panel. The Nissan Leaf still has a standard 12V battery to run vehicle accessories and the heating system. Unlike cars with engines, which use a belt-driven alternator to keep the 12V battery topped off, the Leaf's EV battery system conditions the accessory battery. Naturally, the solar panel is too small to benefit the car's range. Instead, it just trickle-charges the 12V battery when you park outside. Premium Package Our test vehicle came with the premium package that includes Nissan’s Around View Monitor and Bose sound system. We love the 360-degree camera. Getting a complete view around the car makes parallel parking painless. And the Leaf's Around View Monitor is just as good as it was on the Infiniti JX35 we tested a couple of years ago. The premium package's downside is the mandatory energy-efficient Bose sound system, which is simply terrible. I still haven't heard a Bose implementation that I like. The highs are alright, while mid- and low-range frequencies are barely there. There’s a subwoofer in the trunk, if you want to call it that, which more or less tries to trick you into thinking its mid-range output is bass. 6. I Bought One Nissan took a big risk in developing the Leaf, and we think it's paying off. Although it's the oldest mainstream electric vehicle, Nissan's Leaf is also the best EV south of a Tesla Model S price tag. Competition is heating up in this space, given entries from VW, Fiat, Kia, BMW and GM. Still, the Leaf strikes a good balance of range, features, pricing and proven reliability. By launching this car globally long before its competitors, Nissan had time to refine its EV with tweaks and upgrades to address early issues. As a car, the Nissan Leaf drives well. Accelerator response is good, and you get enough space for a family of four. The torque-rich electric motor makes the car entertaining from light-to-light. As far as handling goes, the car is nose-heavy, and you really feel it when driving aggressively. Nevertheless, the Leaf isn’t performance-oriented; it drives as an economy car should. Pricing on the Leaf is a touchy subject. The as-tested MSRP of our loaner was $37,540, which is unquestionably expensive for a car that’s more Versa than Maxima. But there are a lot of rebates available. Nissan offers $3500 cash for vehicles financed through Nissan Motors Acceptance Corporation (NMAC), its finance arm, and 0% financing for up to 72 months. There’s also the $7500 tax credit you get from our lovely government for EV purchases. Each state has their own incentives as well. Washington, for example, charges no sales tax on EV purchases, which amounts to $3000 or so in savings. With all of that added together, you're looking at an economy car in the mid-$20,000s, which is a lot more reasonable. Still, EV ownership isn’t for everyone. It requires a complete change to your driving style. Only after two weeks was I able to shake my range anxiety. I learned to plan ahead, check the status of public charging stations and not be cocky guessing driving distances. If most of your trips are with the Leaf's range, or you have easy access to public charging stations, this is a compelling car. And although the initial costs are significant, an EV should save you money over time. Engine-powered vehicles require oil changes, gasoline, water pumps, fluid flushes and other recommended maintenance items. Nissan's Leaf needs very little maintenance other than tire rotations, cabin filters, brake pads and possibly brake fluid changes. So, if you’re looking to jump into an EV, the Leaf is still a great choice. It’s not the fanciest car, and the infotainment system is perhaps more rudimentary than most of what we review at Tom's Hardware. But it works well and has proven itself over the last five years. As a car enthusiast, the Nissan Leaf isn’t as fun for me to drive as our Project 5. But after spending two weeks in the press car, I signed the papers for a black SL premium package, which my wife will be driving. We did the math on fuel and maintenance savings compared to her 2011 VW Routan and found the EV to be a better fit for our family. Most of the trips we take have free public charging along the way, and where it's lacking, we've seen CHAdeMO stations. I also still have the Mazda 5 project car for longer trips. I didn’t blindly buy the Nissan Leaf after testing one EV, either. I've driven every electric vehicle available at a Northwest Automotive Press Association (NWAPA) event, and found the Leaf to be an optimal balance of reasonable price, range, public quick-charge capabilities, amenities and space to fit my family. [© tomshardware.com] http://autoomobile.com/news/2014-nissan-leaf-review-electric-right-from-the-start-2/10018113/ 2014 Nissan Leaf Review: Electric Right From The Start March 29, 2015 ... http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+subject%3Aleaf+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date Read more Leaf EVLN items on evdl For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date http://ecomento.com/2015/03/26/nissan-leaf-us-ev-sales-champion/ Nissan LEAF the US EV sales champion> 160+k EVs sold http://www.inautonews.com/renault-seeks-increased-appeal-for-zoe-electric-car Renault seeks increased appeal for Zoe electric car http://www.cartrade.com/blog/2015/greens/renault-zoe-ev-1256.html Renault Zoe EV wanted in India http://www.courierjournal.net/shoals_shorts/article_7c66d6de-d72c-11e4-9a67-fbe5cc048d92.html EVent: eDay EV @shoalsearthmonth.com 4/4 10a-5p Wilson Pk Florence AL http://www.transylvaniatimes.com/story/2015/03/23/news/electric-vehicle-owners-want-charging-stations-brevard-nc/22043.html Brevard NC Electric Vehicle Owners Want Charging Stations + EVLN: Will the 2017 Nissan LEAF Look like the Sway Concept? + EVLN: Queen takes delivery of UK-made Nissan Leaf EV {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-2015-Leaf-SL-Global-EV-4The-Masses-tomshardware-com-review-tp4674745.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
