Nissan LEAF, the first green car to market
Unlike other existing green cars from Toyota and Honda, the LEAF is not a hybrid model but a fully battery powered beast. It can do 100 miles on each charge with its lithium-ion battery, that you might have to lease to keep the price competitive with petrol cars. According to Auto Racing Daily, it will go on sale in Europe come 2011, while What Green Car reports:
It is slated for launch in late 2010 in Japan, the United States, and Europe
No news about availability in Singapore yet and who knows if it will even reach our shores. We have so many trees on our roads so perhaps we don’t even need such technology. Just kidding, of course, the most important thing about the LEAF is that it has zero emissions; it doesn’t even have a tail pipe.
For those who are worried about recharging times, it takes 30 minutes to recharge with a quick charger, but up to 8 hours at home. So if you get home late, hopefully you have enough battery to go to work the next day.
Some specifications
Dimensions
Length: 4445 mm / 175.0 in.
Width: 1770 mm / 69.7 in.
Height: 1550 mm / 61.0 in.
Wheelbase: 2700 mm / 106.3 in.
Performance
Driving range over: 160km/100miles (US LA4 mode)
Max speed (km/h): over 140km/h (over 87 mph)
Motor
Type: AC motor
Max power (kW): 80kW
Max torque (Nm): 280Nm
Battery
Type: laminated lithium-ion battery
Total capacity (kWh): 24
Power output (kW): over 90
Energy density (Wh/kg): 140
Power density (kW/kg): 2.5
Number of modules: 48
Charging times: quick charger DC 50kW (0 to 80%): less than 30 min; home-use AC200V charger: less than 8 hrs
Battery layout: Under seat & floor