Friday, June 11, 2010

Nissan turn a new Leaf



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Nissan Blow Their Trumpet
Announcing the Leaf EV



Here is what the Nissan publicity people say about the new electric car, interspersed with some of my sarcastic comments. At around €30,000 plus taxes and delivery etc. I don't think I would be rushing out to get one. The mileage per charge is only a joke. We will need the new generation of battery now coming available to make the electric car anything but a novelty.


features

  • zero tailpipe emissions (You don’t say really!!!!!)
  • 100% electric – no gasoline required - (On an electric car you use no gas? wow!!)
  • high response synchronous AC motor 80kW (80 kW motor but only a 24kWh battery - a bit of an imbalance here don’t you think?)
  • range –100 miles/charge based upon US EPA LA4 City cycle2 (let me see, if I want to drive to Dublin from Kerry, I have to stop about half way and charge the battery and that will take how many hours??)
  • speeds up to 90 mph (sounds good - but for how long can you go before the battery runs down?)
  • 5 passengers, 5 doors (One door per passenger - how convenient)
  • Nissan Navigation System ( Wow- - a SatNav)
  • Nissan Connection powered by CARWINGS (CarWings - Does that mean it will fly too?)


mechanical

  • 80 kW AC synchronous electric motor24 kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery3.3 kW on-board charger (That means the on board charges would take 7.50 hours to fully charge the battery)
  • Emissions – Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) (Except from the passengers, especially after beans and chips)
  • Power-assisted vented front disc/rear disc brakes
  • "Coasting" regenerative brakes4-wheel
  • Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
  • Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA)
  • Electronic parking brake
  • Front and rear stabilizer bars
  • Vehicle speed-sensitive power-assisted steering

Manufacturers Sales Pitch

Did you ever notice that the people who write advertising blurbs for cars can sound very like estate agents. I never cease to marvel at the spin doctoring skills of these people. They manage to make a tiny dirty little dump of a house sound good; "Ideally situated, compact property, good location, bright airy property with good views."

Translation: Old urban terraced house near gas works, tiny box rooms, outside toilet, no heating, damp walls, drafty and overlooking a stagnant pond.

Yea yea - I am a bit too cynical at times I know.




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2 comments:

  1. Have to disagree that current battery technology makes EV's a novelty. Maybe for some, but there are millions who can and will use a 100 mile range EV on a daily basis right now. I use a 40 mile range home conversion EV every day. The Leaf will sell for $25K after rebate here in the US, making it fairly affordable. Nissan and others are working on building the fast charge infrastructure that will allow longer distances.

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  2. I have to agree with John. The EVs currently available are not there to replace a car that is used for regular long journeys. There are plenty of people in this country with 2 cars, generally one small and one big. the small one is normally used for commuting to work or going shopping - this is where the market is. It is not suppose to be a blanket replacement. For longer journeys there are hybrids that will go as long as any car. If you need a car to go up and down to Kerry from Dublin all the time then yes, the current EV cars are useless to you

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