CAR TECH TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF

2013/07/02

CAR TECH TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF

World's best-selling 100% electric vehicle is now packed with even more top technology

• 100 engineering changes for 2013 Nissan LEAF bring innovative new consumer technology
• Football-sized electric motor drives Nissan LEAF for 124 miles / 199km per charge
• Use CarWings smartphone app or PC to cool/heat the Nissan LEAF cabin to a pre-set temperature
• SIM-based telematics system sends driving data & receives latest charging point information
• Sat-Nav packed with tech features including Google's Send To Car and Points of Interest
• Bose Energy Efficient Series (EES) stereo system and speakers use digital technology to save 50% energy

Rolle, Switzerland (02 July 2013) - Nissan is reinventing the way drivers think and feel about electric vehicles - with the latest innovative consumer technology now built into the all-new Nissan LEAF.

The 2013 model Nissan LEAF, the latest version of the world's most popular electric vehicle, has been created with the driver firmly in mind, putting some of the best in-car tech features available at their fingertips.

Nissan engineers from the UK, Europe and Japan have devised more than 100 engineering and technology changes, whilst refining many of the Nissan LEAF's existing features to produce greater efficiency and even more pronounced eco-friendly performance.

At the heart of the Nissan LEAF is its CarWings telematics and entertainment system, connected to the outside world by a dedicated on-board SIM. This frees drivers from having to tether their own smartphone to provide the car with connectivity, and it is all controlled by a seven-inch resistive touchscreen.  The majority of the 100 plus changes to the original Nissan LEAF - which sold more than 65,000 around the world - have come thanks to feedback direct from customers, or were inspired by comments in Nissan LEAF related and other car forums. One of the most important changes has been the work carried out on refining the algorithm used to determine the remaining "real range" of the car while travelling.

This algorithm now learns how the driver behaves behind the wheel and uses intelligent long-term logic rather than just responding to power consumption at a certain moment.

Other technology-related highlights include:

• The ability to ‘Call' the Nissan LEAF to check its charging status before you set off on a journey
• Google Send To Car delivers routes from a computer/smartphone
• Sat-Nav en-route improvements show end-of-journey battery range
• List of nearby charging points is constantly updated through the telematic system
• Eco Mode button on steering wheel reduces acceleration and increases range
• On-screen ‘big data' shows personal/worldwide Nissan LEAF energy savings
• Bose Energy Efficient Series (EES) stereo system has lighter woofer and digital amp to use less energy
• Four on-board cameras form a top-down 360-degree car view for easy parking
• Battery has around 5,000 times the capacity of an average smartphone
• Motor produces 254Nm torque, more than double that of the Lotus Elise
• New battery indicator showing percentage left in addition to a bar display
• LED light on charging flap to ensure good visibility at night
• Can be warmed in winter or cooled in summer via CarWings app from your bed or office
• Eco routing can plot directions to save energy and increase range
• LED headlights last five times longer than traditional halogen bulbs
• RSS reader reads the news, weather or info on the go from your favourite RSS feeds
• Seats and steering upgraded for European drivers

Malcolm Holmes, Manager, Audio, IT, Instruments and Switch Design: "Technology is becoming increasingly important for our customers and Nissan is keen to ensure all the technology we bring to the Nissan LEAF is innovative and adds excitement.

"We do not put in gimmicks. All technologies give a true value for the customer and all of the features and functionality we have placed in the all-new Nissan LEAF genuinely increase driving pleasure."

Safety is paramount on the Nissan LEAF to demystify common concerns often raised by potential buyers- including not being able to drive or charge the car when it is raining or wet. All high voltage power is safely placed outside the cabin with a dedicated 12v battery used to work everything in the driver and passenger spaces such as the windows, switches and in-car entertainment system.

Motor and battery

Every Nissan LEAF has an efficient powertrain that is built vertically like an engine and drives a motor, which is as small as a football. The current is distributed from the 192-cell 380v 250kg battery.

The battery can receive various power feeds with a system of invertors directing and converting it. For example, AC comes from a normal household socket and is converted to DC to feed the battery. Public quick chargers feed straight into the Nissan LEAF's DC socket to charge from empty to 80% in about 30 minutes.

The battery itself is contained underneath the car to provide a low centre of gravity and a new regenerative braking system returns up to 94% energy to battery. The charging cable can auto unlock for others to use when fully charged but an electro-magnetic lock is now used to prevent unauthorised removal of the charging cable.

Following feedback from existing Nissan LEAF owners, the car's on-board charging port has also been modified. The charger lid can now be opened remotely via the key fob or via an electric (rather than mechanical) switch in the cabin, and there's a small LED lamp within the assembly to help identify the sockets at night or in an unlit location such as an underground car park.

The car can be left safely overnight in a garage or driveway to charge, taking up to 12 hours when plugged in to a normal domestic socket. Nissan recommends LEAF owners have their home electrics checked by a professional electrician as a minimum requirement before initial use. The best home charging solution is a wall mounted box, which can deliver 16 or 32 amp charging (depending on local regulations), to charge a Nissan LEAF in eight or four hours respectively.

Nissan LEAF around the world

Across the world, there are 65,000 Nissan LEAFs on the road, with more than 10,000 Nissan LEAFs in Europe alone; all told they have driven more than 300 million zero emission kilometres (186 million miles).

Globally, Nissan LEAF owners have saved 358 million litres of fuel since they hit the road in 2011 - enough to fill 39 supertankers.

UK consumer technology journalist Jonathan Weinberg has had the chance to drive the all new Nissan LEAF. He said: "In-car technology is fast becoming the key differentiator for people when buying a new vehicle with both Google and Apple both investing heavily in this area.

"I found the technology on the Nissan LEAF easy-to-use, well thought out and a sign of an exciting future to come."

He added: "There is a mixed perception that EVs are slow and they don't travel that far, but it felt like any other car with the bonus of being so eerily quiet. I didn't realise it was turned on at first."

Across Europe, there are Governmental incentives to encourage take up of 100% electric vehicles such as the Nissan LEAF - including grants, zero VAT and a reduction in income tax. There are also subsidies available for installing wall, home and quick chargers out in public locations.

A new battery lease scheme for 2013 can reduce the upfront price of the new Nissan LEAF with a monthly payment made instead of a straightforward purchase to cover the cost of the battery.

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 NISSAN LEAF 2013 FACTS

FUTURISTIC DASHBOARD

• Telematics system uses on-board SIM for always-on connection
• Seven-inch resistive touchscreen acts as nerve centre for car
• Anonymous driving data is sent to Global Data Centre in Japan
• Google Send to Car to deliver routes direct from computer/smartphone
• Google Points of Interest data can pinpoint nearest amenities
• RSS reader reads news, weather or info on the go from favourite RSS feed
• Cameras located on the front and rear of the car, and on the wing mirrors
• 360 degree top-down image then created on screen for easier parking

NISSAN LEAF BATTERY

• Nissan LEAF battery has around 5,000 times capacity of an smartphone battery
• Weighs a sixth of the total vehicle at approximately 250kg
• Located underneath the car to provide a low centre of gravity
• New regenerative braking system returns up to 94% energy to battery
• Lithium-based pack is made up of 192 cells giving a total of 380v

POWERTRAIN/MOTOR

• Completely new and rebuilt from the ground up for the all-new Nissan LEAF
• A new style integrated vertical design makes it look far more like an engine
• Brushless motor uses less rare earth material and is the size of a football
• Motor spins at around 10,000 rpm- around twice the speed of the highest revving engine.
• Generates maximum torque from zero revolutions for responsive acceleration
• Motor produces 254Nm torque, more than double that of a Lotus Elise
• The new Nissan LEAF has half the perceived loudness of equivalent sized ICE or Petrol Hybrid competitors
• Purpose-built windscreen wipers powered by near-silent motors

CHARGING

• Can be charged from a normal domestic socket in 10-12 hours
• Home wall box with new 6.6Kw charger takes around four hours
• A Nissan LEAF 6.6Kw charge has similar power consumption to a power shower, and can charge the car fully from empty in 4 hours.
• Public quick chargers can charge a Nissan LEAF battery from empty to 80% in about 30 minutes
• The charger lid can now be opened remotely via the key fob
• LED light added to charger lid for good visibility when charging at night
• Electro-magnetic lock prevents removal of the charging cable
• Charging cable can auto unlock for others to use when fully charged
• Currently 21,000 AC chargers are in operation across Europe, with 759 DC quick chargers
• In the UK there are 2,400 AC chargers and 87 DC quick chargers

COSTS

• LEAF 24kWh battery costs €2.50 / £2.15 per charge to charge to full power from empty
• The cost per 100km/miles to run the Nissan LEAF is less than a quarter compared to an ICE car of similar size running over the same distance

HEATING/VENTILATION

• New electrical heat pump is 70% more efficient to ensure longer range
• CarWings app can switch system on to heat/cool cabin to pre-set temperature
• Car can be de-iced and warmed up in winter from the comfort of your bed
• Remote heat/cool while charging avoids a spike in initial energy use

ECO ON THE ROAD

• Steering wheel Eco button controls acceleration for efficiency
• Eco Bose stereo has amplifier emitting less heat to produce the same sound level as a conventional system, but with 50% lower energy usage
• GPS Eco-routing can plot directions to save energy and increase range
• Takes account of road speeds and hills for an efficient flatter route
• Charging points plotted as waypoints within chosen map directions
• Prompts to mark a charging point if route exceeds current range
• Sat Nav improvements includes remaining range prediction for end of journey
• Constantly updated list of charging points with directions
• LED headlights last five times longer than traditional halogen bulbs
• More than 60% of plastic in the Nissan LEAF interior is made from re-cycled materials
• 99% of the vehicle is recoverable with batteries recycled or reused

THE VIEW FROM NISSAN'S ENGINEERS

Malcolm Holmes, Manager, Audio, IT, Instruments and Switch Design:  "There is huge amount of computing power behind the CarWings telematics capability and what we can do in the future is only limited by the imagination.

"The technology we add in the future must be useful to the driver and enhance the journey experience such as booking hotels or restaurants with a button touch.

"European driving conditions are different to Japan where they spend a lot more time in traffic so use the entertainment system when stopped. In Europe we must provide interaction while moving.

"One of the biggest improvements here also has been to the algorithm used to determine the estimated range when driving. This now learns the behaviour of the driver and also uses more intelligent long-term logic rather than responding to certain power consumption at a certain moment.

"We will also be gradually rolling out a feature that not only tells you where the nearest charging point is, but whether it is being used by someone else."

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Tom McCabe, Senior Engineer, Customer Oriented Engineering: "The best way to change your preconceptions of electric vehicles is to drive a Nissan LEAF. Anyone who has does always gets out with a smile on their face.

"The car feels a lot more responsive than one with a traditional internal combustion engine.

"This is not a low performance car. This is a car you can overtake in, respond to traffic situations in and when you put your right foot down, this car really responds with instantaneous torque.

"The common safety fears with EVs are not an issue either. There are no problems driving or charging the car in wet conditions and all the high voltage current is contained outside the passenger cabin."

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John Ette, Engineer, Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning Development: "One of the benefits of the all-new Nissan LEAF is you can preset the cabin temperature when you get out and turn on the heating or cooling system the next morning using an app or a computer.

"So when you want to set off in the morning, the car has already heated or cooled using power from the mains during the charging process rather than depleting energy from the battery.

"You don't get that sudden large spike in energy usage first thing in the morning, which means your range is protected for driving.

"It really is a big benefit, especially in the winter. The Nissan LEAF will already be defrosted by the time you come out to leave home and you didn't even have to get out of a warm bed to start it all going."

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About Nissan in Europe

Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 695,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.

About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 267,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal year 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history.