Nissan Nissan Leaf in the driving report
11/26/2010
V e-car fans in this country can only dream of such benefits : Anyone who opts for a Nissan Leaf in California will get a tax discount of $ 7,500 from Washington and $ 5,000 from the state on top of that.
Nissan Leaf benefits not only from subsidies in the USA
He is also involved in Portugal, where Nissan is celebrating the European premiere of its eco-pioneer with the name Leaf around 30,000 euros including the battery, not so far from a well-equipped, conventional compact car - thanks to government subsidies. Since the federal government has not yet been able to come up with an electric subsidy, the market launch in Germany will not take place until the end of 2011.
In contrast to electric dwarfs like Smart ED or Mitsubishi i-MiEV, buyers of a Nissan Leaf get a full five-seater , which with a length of 4.45 meters even towers over the stately Opel Astra. The space in the interior of the Nissan Leaf is correspondingly airy, with adults in both rows having enough head and legroom as well as comfortable seats. Since the batteries are stored under the seating, there is a luggage compartment that, with 330 liters, also almost reaches the class standard.
Powerful batteries in the Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf also relies on one for the storage of electricity Bigger: With 24 kWh, they store 50 percent more energy than the usual 16 kWh battery packs in small cars. The targeted 160 kilometers range therefore seem realistic under ideal conditions. It is charged via a conventional socket or at public high-voltage charging stations. With 50 kW on a leash, the Nissan Leaf's battery can be filled to 80 percent in half an hour.
Now, however, set the futuristic speed controller to D and off you go. Electric motors reach their full torque at the start, and this is a lush 280 Nm for the Nissan. No wonder that the 1.6-tonne Nissan Leaf takes off with a storm and shows its long nose to many combustion engine colleagues at the start of the traffic light. Even outside built-up areas, the four-door car with a speed of over 140 km /h can easily keep up.
The next charging station is easy to find
In order to increase the range, the electric motor in the Nissan Leaf is useful as a generator when coasting and braking, and imperceptibly transfers to the mechanical stopper in the event of greater deceleration . If the juice runs out despite recuperation, the calculatesstandard navigation the shortest route to the nearest charging station. The multi-media system of the Nissan Leaf, specially developed for e-mobiles, also allows the battery to be charged at certain times - for example, to get cheap night-time electricity.
The networking shows that everything has been thought of Smartphones that can be used to control the charging process from anywhere in the world. But the front-wheel drive also masters the classic car virtues: on the holey country roads of Portugal, the Nissan Leaf impresses with its supple suspension, safe and agile handling and a fantastically low noise level. Due to the lack of combustion noises, a slight rolling murmur can only be heard from 50 km /h. A somewhat sterile feeling when steering and braking is forgivable.
On board the Leaf you could forget that you are on the road in the herald of a new age of mobility, if it weren't for this noise: a loudspeaker under the bonnet of the Nissan Leaf emits synthetically generated frequencies up to 30 km /h Make pedestrians aware of the leaf stalking silently. The sounds somewhere between UFO and cylinder vacuum cleaner should sound futuristic according to Nissan. But the Nissan Leaf doesn't need that: thanks to 30,000 pre-orders worldwide, it will soon become a reality for many drivers.
