Nissan has been a leader in the development of lithium-ion batteries for more than 15 years. However, the real history of Nissan electric vehicles begins much earlier. This is not 2010, as is commonly believed with the advent of the Leaf model - the era of ecological Nissan began in 1947.

It was a unique period in the automotive industry and the development of electric vehicles. Due to the shortage of fuel after World War II, the Japanese government encouraged entrepreneurs to produce electric vehicles to cope with the crisis.

Tama E4S

The reason for the appearance of the Nissan Tama was the post-war shortage of fuel, while there were no problems with electricity, especially since the government contributed to the production of electric vehicles.

"Tama Electric Car" was created by Tokyo Electric Cars Company - one of the ancestors of Prince Motor Co., Ltd., which later merged with Nissan. The Tama was designed by military aviation engineers who lost their jobs at the end of the war.

Nissan Tama Electric Vehicle E4S

Model "Tama" earned high marks in performance tests and was produced until 1950, used as a taxi. It was equipped with replaceable lead batteries, provided 3.3 kW of power and traveled on a single charge up to 65 km (according to some sources - 96 km) on a single charge. The car accelerated to a maximum speed of 35.2 km / h.

A compact pickup version was also available. The car was produced until 1950, when Japan's post-war reconstruction continued and fuel supplies stabilized.

Tama EMS

Two years after the presentation of Nissan's first electric car, a more modern 5-seater electric car, the Tama Senior EMS, was introduced, equipped with 40-volt lead batteries.

Nissan Tama Senior EMS

The new electric car was equipped with independent front suspension, 1000 mm longer, 300 mm wider and had a 400 mm wheelbase. He could overcome 200 km on a single charge and accelerate to 55 km / h.

315X

The Nissan 315X is a concept car exhibited at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1970.

The 315X-b is a two-seater concept with a 5 kW motor, rear wheel drive and a top speed of 40 km/h.

EV4

Back in the 1960s, the oil crisis gave Nissan an urgent mission to create a commercially viable electric car, and the company is directing its efforts towards the development of electric vehicles.

In connection with the large-scale national project for the development of electric vehicles in Japan, in 1971, close cooperation began between leading companies and research institutions under the auspices of industrial science and the Technology Agency of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

As a result, in 1973, Nissan provided the Ministry with two small Nissan EV4-P and EV4-H pickup trucks for evaluation testing.

The EV4-P is a compact two-seat electric pickup truck powered exclusively by a lead-acid battery and equipped with a 27 kW DC motor.

In mileage evaluation tests conducted by the Agency for Industrial Science and Technology, the electric Nissan EV4-P covered 302 km on a single battery charge at a constant speed of 40 km/h, and even in the early 2000s, this figure is not inferior to modern electric cars.

It included advanced features such as regenerative braking, a lightweight FRP frame and proved its practicality through a series of field tests, including a crash test that was unprecedented for electric vehicles.

The maximum speed of the EV4-P is 87 km/h, and acceleration from 0 to 40 km/h took 6.9 seconds.

The second Nissan EV4-H pickup truck was created as an improved version of the first and had more improved performance, including a range of up to 496 km on a single charge.

In mass production, cars were never launched due to their cost and the impracticality of moving on the highway.

EV

In the 1980s, Nissan took on the development of electric vehicles more diligently. So in 1983, the Nissan March EV was introduced - the first experimental electric car with an asynchronous engine, and already in 1985 at the 26th Tokyo Motor Show, the company presents the Nissan EV Guide electric car, but it was used only at the factory for government guests.

The Nissan EV Guide has a top speed of 16 km/h and a driving range of 60 km on a single battery charge.

In the same 85th for use in resorts, hotels were produced in quantities of more than 40 units of the Nissan EV Resort.

Garbage Collecting Truck

Three years later, together with five Japanese automobile manufacturers, an electric garbage collection truck, the Nissan Garbage Collecting Truck, was developed, which was mainly intended for the city of Yokohama.

President EV

In the 90s, Nissan took a more serious approach to the production of electric cars and began to increase the range of modifications, or rather expand the purpose of its electric vehicles.

In 1991, a special purpose convertible was introduced, based on the third generation Nissan President JHG50 (1990-2003). This electric vehicle was not mass produced and was made available by Nissan for use in special events such as transporting sumo champions in victory parades and as the lead car in marathons. It was also used in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in the same 1991.

Since the car was built for special purposes such as a parade, it was not endowed with special dynamics and used a conventional zinc battery. At a top speed of 40 km/h, it traveled up to 100 km on a single battery charge. Accelerated to 30 km / h in 3 seconds, and up to 40 km / h in 9.5 seconds.

FEV

In the same year, the Nissan FEV concept car was presented at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The car was developed as an electric car for driving short distances, but was never put into mass production.

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries were developed in 1990 by Sony Corporation. Just a day after Sony's official announcement, Nissan began researching batteries for automotive applications, and later in 1992 began collaborating with the company to research and develop lithium-ion batteries.

In 1995, the company showed the FEV II concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show.

This is Nissan's first electric car powered by lithium-ion batteries, albeit a concept.

Cedric EV

In 1993, Nissan provided the Environment Agency, the Japanese government and the Secretary of the Environment with a Cedric EV.

At this stage in the development of Nissan electric vehicles, the company is conducting fundamental research on driving efficiency, economic performance and maintenance for the future wide implementation of low-emission vehicles.

With regards to the Cedric version, the photo shows that the electric car is based on the 4-door classic Cedric VII sedan and is designed for short distance driving.

The Cedric EV was equipped with air conditioning, power steering and other amenities to ensure a smooth and comfortable ride.

A lead-acid battery and an AC motor were installed on Cedric, which made it possible to travel 85 km on a single charge at a conditional speed of 40 km / h and the air conditioner turned off.

Avenir EV

Having gained positive experience in the production of electric vehicles in small quantities, in 1994 the company introduces the Avenir model.

The Nissan Avenir electric station wagon was intended mainly for electric utilities.

Prairie Joy EV

In 1995, at the 31st Tokyo Motor Show, the world's first electric car equipped with a cylindrical lithium-ion battery was introduced, but it was not announced as "the first" until 1996.

Starting in 1997, the car was produced to order for various organizations, and in total about 30 units were produced.

It is also worth noting that the Nissan Prairie Joy electric car has been successfully used for six flawless years by the Japanese national research team at the North Pole, at their research station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway. This point is the northernmost settlement in the world, which has proven the feasibility and durability of a lithium-ion battery in extreme conditions.

Altra EV

Unveiled at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in 1997, the Nissan Altra EV was the first production electric vehicle using a lithium-ion battery in the North American market.

This electric minivan won the Green Guide to Cars and Trucks award in 1999 and was sold in both Japan (known as the R'nessa EV) and the United States. In total, about 200 electric veins were produced. The model name Altra EV was coined from the English words "ALTternative to gas power vehicles" and "ultra".

The cars were originally made for public utilities, including Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. They were even used as parking security vehicles by the Santa Monica Police Department. Altra EVs were also briefly leased to Los Angeles International Airport.

Charging was a proven, safe, user-friendly inductive battery charging system via an electromagnetic vane inserted into the charging port located in the front grille.

The 83 horsepower (62 kW) synchronous motor used a high performance internal neodymium iron magnet with a rotor rated for approximately 89% operating efficiency.

The Altra EV 12 liter ion battery (Li-ion) was located under the cabin floor and provided about 130 km of run. The electric car was also equipped with an ABS anti-lock system, regenerative braking and a top speed of 120 km/h.

For comfort during the trip, the Nissan Altra EV was equipped with air conditioning, power windows, a high-quality audio system and additional airbags.

Hyper mini

The beginning of the 2000s marked not only the beginning of a new millennium, but also new opportunities with modern technologies, extensive experience in electric vehicle construction and grandiose projects. This is exactly what happened for Nissan, the company made a strong breakthrough with a fairly large step forward in the production of electric cars.

After the presentation of the Altra EV, Nissan is challenging itself and developing a more compact and less utilitarian electric car. The result was the legendary Hypermini, which debuted in 1999.

The electric car received a special 2-seater body structure with a light and very rigid aluminum frame, equipped with a synchronous traction motor with a neodymium magnet (24 kW / 33 hp) and a high-performance lithium-ion battery system (capacity 90 Ah).

This latest technology allowed the Hypermini to provide a range of approximately 115 km on a single battery charge (varies by road and weather conditions) and a top speed of 100 km/h.

The battery is fully charged in four hours using an inductive charging system with a 200 volt AC charger.

The Hypermini was priced at 4,000,000 yen with a 200-volt battery and 4,015,000 yen with a 200-volt floating charger.

PIVO

Unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, the PIVO electric car concept was the world's first car to feature a lithium-ion battery, allowing for a more compact layout.

The Pivo concept car is designed as a potential for Nissan's future electric vehicles. Pivo's most distinctive feature is its cockpit, which rotates 360 degrees, eliminating the need to reverse.

The compact body also makes the vehicle exceptionally easy to maneuver. Excellent visibility is enhanced by Nissan's Around View technology, which helps reduce dangerous visibility areas, while navigation and audio systems are easy to operate while driving.

All of these features are supported by Nissan's innovative environmentally friendly technologies such as the Compact Lithium-ion Battery.

PIVO2

The debut of the electric concept in the 2nd generation Pivo took place at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007. The car was equipped with a lithium-ion battery with double the capacity of cylindrical batteries, which gave it an extended range of motion.

This eco-friendly, original, three-seater and innovative vehicle has the same 360-degree rotating cab as its predecessor and incorporates the latest technology, innovation and Robotic Agent for greater comfort.

PIVO3

Based on the groundbreaking PIVO 1 and PIVO 2, the new PIVO 3 concept was unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. And it was no longer an electric car from the future with a peculiar “zest”, Pivo in the third generation is a fully “evolved” electric car, the purpose of which is to be useful in the life of tomorrow's clean city.

Since 2005, with the presentation of PIVO1 at the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan has unveiled six other electric car concepts, demonstrating its commitment to creating exciting and innovative zero-emission mobility solutions, and at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan is unveiling the PIVO3 concept. .

But it's not just a concept car, the PIVO 3 is what Nissan sees as more "realistic" in the near future, it's how the company sees electric mobility taking it one step further.

Mixim

Nissan Mixim presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007. Its feature is the use of an electric motor (Nissan "Super Motor") and the use of compact lithium-ion batteries, which allows for unusually fast performance combined with a useful range.

The Mixim concept car is a compact electric car for young drivers who are mainly busy with their computer and the world via the Internet.

The driver is positioned in the center of the cabin, with two seats on either side, while the steering wheel and controls are shaped like an interface so familiar to computer gamers.

test vehicle

In 2008, an all-electric vehicle prototype equipped with a lithium-ion battery, which the company is scheduled to launch in 2010, went for testing.

Under the NISSAN GT 2012 business plan, the company committed to leading the zero-emission vehicle market and announced plans to introduce an all-electric vehicle as early as 2010 and enter the market globally in 2012.

With state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries, this electric test vehicle is part of Nissan's research and development program on zero-emission vehicles.

The prototype was equipped with front wheel drive, a newly developed 80 kW motor and an inverter. Compact lithium-ion batteries were installed under the floor, without sacrificing either cabin or cargo space.

In 2009, a new test prototype demonstrated the superior driving pleasure of a clean, zero-emission car.

The vehicle was based on a newly developed electric vehicle platform developed for the upcoming Nissan LEAF production electric vehicle.

NUVU

At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Nissan exhibited a vision of a future urban electric car encapsulated by NUVU, it was literally a "new look" for the car.

The 3m Nissan Nuvu Concept, with its unique 2+1 seating position, was primarily designed for the metropolis, whose residents do not want to compromise on their personal freedom or their comfort.

Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf ZE0/AZE0 electric car is Nissan's first mass-produced electric car, which is equipped with compact lithium-ion batteries and is intended for mass production.

The serial electric car was first introduced at the end of 2010. Initially available in Japan and North America, it eventually became available in Europe and other markets.

Since its debut, sales of the Nissan Leaf compact five-door hatchback have been on the rise every year. This model was a pioneer and quickly became the best-selling all-electric car in the world. In 2010, the Nissan Leaf accounted for 45% of all electric vehicles sold.

The electric car was available in three trim levels S, SV and SL, which were gradually improved in functionality and new technologies were added, such as a rear-view camera and voice command technology.

In 2015, the Leaf went through a restyling and changed slightly. The new NISSAN LEAF 2015 went on sale with a new battery that increased the range on a single charge by more than 20%.

The long-awaited second generation Nissan LEAF, featuring new styling and cutting-edge features, made its world premiere in September 2017. With the introduction of the 2017 Nissan LEAF, it sets new standards in the growing electric vehicle market.

The new 2018 Nissan LEAF is offered to customers in a wide range of exterior colors (up to 7 colors depending on the market), advanced technologies and a dynamic new design.

Driving is even more enjoyable with Nissan LEAF's new ProPILOT autonomous drive technology, ProPILOT Park technology, e-Pedal, increased power and range, as well as improved detail, comfort and convenience.

The new 2018 Nissan Leaf embodies Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company's approach to changing the way we drive, eat and integrate into society. Three key aspects of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, exemplified by the new LEAF, are "Nissan Intelligent Driving", "Nissan Intelligent Power" and "Nissan Intelligent Integration".

The Nissan LEAF is not only a zero CO2 vehicle, but an electric vehicle with unparalleled quietness, acceleration and handling. From its launch to the start of production of the second generation, the Nissan Leaf has been introduced to over 49 markets and has maintained its position as the world's best-selling electric vehicle (the US being the leading market), reaching cumulative sales of over 283,000 since August 2017.

Land Glider

At the Tokyo Motor Show in 2009, a presentation of a new concept, the Nissan Land Glider, took place. It was a completely new concept representing the electric car of the future.

Nissan's planning and design team was tasked with exploring new forms of zero-emission mobility that redefined existing segments. The result is a radical new vehicle that combines the company's vision of a future urban compact electric vehicle.

The unique two-seat cocoon-like structure, mounted on a zero-emission drivetrain, will appeal to both two-wheelers and four-wheeler enthusiasts alike.

Land Glider was created as a "personal urban transport" and has a steering like a motorcycle. This electric car is aimed at city dwellers of all generations and is a serious automotive statement in the new era of mobility that Nissan intends to lead.

townpod

The NIssan Townpod Concept was unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and was designed to provide zero-emission mobility for a future generation of innovative entrepreneurs who are not only creative but also tech-savvy.

The Nissan Townpod was created with the world in mind, and its concept goes beyond expanding demographics. The car will be useful not only for young families building their first home, but also for people of age who have turned their hobby into a business.

ESFLOW

In 2011, at the Geneva Motor Show, Nissan puts on the stand a rather interesting concept of an electric car with elegant proportions.

ESFLOW is a rear-wheel drive electric car and is driven by two electric motors located above the rear wheel axle. These motors drive the left and right wheels independently, so torque is optimized for exceptional vehicle stability and control, as well as efficient energy recovery. The engines produce enough torque to reach the 100 km/h mark in less than 5 seconds.

Power for the engines comes from lithium-ion batteries, which have already been successfully used in the Nissan LEAF, but in the ESFLOW model they are located along the axis of the front and rear wheels. This arrangement centralizes the mass of the vehicle. These neatly placed batteries allow the car to travel more than 240 km on a single charge.

e-NV200 Concept

The innovative Nissan e-NV200 Concept, which made its global debut at the 2012 North American Auto Show, is another testament to Nissan's leadership in the zero-carbon automotive industry.

The electric concept is based on the popular Nissan NV200 and showcases a version of the future full electric car with a spacious interior designed for businesses or families with an active lifestyle.

Nissan BladeGlider

The original concept was shown by the company at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2013.

The NISSAN BladeGlider is not only a concept, but also a proposal for the future direction of Nissan's electric vehicles and a prototype of a future vehicle from the world's leading electric vehicle manufacturer.

The BladeGlider has a unique vehicle architecture to provide the driver and passengers with a new driving experience that is based on incomparable technology and exotic style.

BladeGlider prototypeE

This prototype was developed from a concept car shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2013.

The NISSAN BladeGlider prototype symbolizes future technologies that combine intelligent mobility, sustainability and sporting performance for sports and sustainable vehicles.

e-NV200

The e-NV200 was based on Nissan's NV200 commercial van, and combines the NV200's interior roominess and versatility with the acceleration and quietness of an electric car.

With this model, Nissan expanded its leadership in zero-emissions mobility in the LCV segment in the European and Japanese markets.

Thanks to its convenient on-board power outlets, the Nissan e-NV200 can transfer electrical power, providing the added utility of a mobile power source. The car has 5 and 7-seater landing variations, and can be used as a passenger car.

As you can see from the chronological list above, Nissan has quite a lot of experience in creating environmentally friendly cars, and already in the late 40s of the last century, it began to create its own electric cars.

Most of Nissan's electric cars are, of course, just concept cars, and those that were produced were available in small numbers. And despite the fact that a mass-produced car powered by an electric motor was launched only at the beginning of the new millennium, Nissan electric vehicles represent not only pioneers, but also experience, quality, and affordability.

Nissan Leaf- the most popular serial electric car from the Japanese concern Nissan. The official entry to the market (serial production) took place in 2010. The electric car was presented in 2009 in Tokyo. A small, compact car has gathered a lot of positive reviews around itself due to its technical characteristics, providing excellent dynamics and good handling. Let's get to the full review of the electric car.

Nissan Leaf - overview

Electric vehicle production is based in Japan (Oppama), the UK (Sunderland) and the USA (Smyrna, Tennessee). Nissan is touting the Leaf as the world's first affordable mass-produced electric car. Externally, the car is nothing supernatural. The bodywork is a 5-door front-wheel drive hatchback. The usual "subcompact" with quite a modern design. The interior is somewhat futuristic, but without frills. But the whole point lies in the internal equipment of the Nissan Leaf. This is a full-fledged affordable electric car that can be easily charged from a 220-volt outlet. Car for the city - for long trips, it is not suitable. There are several configurations, and the price for each will be different.

Specifications

Built on the basis of the Nissan V (by the way, the 2011 Juke and Micra are produced on the same platform). The electric motor is located at the front of the car and has a power of 80 kW (108 hp). Torque 280 Nm. The range on a full charge is 160 km, the battery capacity is 24 kWh. Due to the fact that the battery is the lowest point of the base, the electric car is more confident on the road and has a greater margin of safety compared to competitors.

Weight and dimensions

Leaf dimensions: 4445 mm, 1770 mm, 1550 mm (LxWxH)

Weight: 1521 kg.

Battery

The Nissan Leaf has a lithium-ion battery, which consists of 192 cells. Weight is 270 kg. Capacity - 24 kWh, enough for 160 km of track. Located under the front seats of the electric vehicle. According to Nissan engineers, the battery should last for 5 years of operation.

Nissan Leaf battery

You can charge the battery in 2 ways:

• the usual way from a household outlet;
• accelerated method using a special 480 volt device from Nissan

Connectors for charging an electric car are located in front of the car. It is possible to fully charge the Nissan Leaf from a household network with parameters of 220 V and 30 A in 8 hours. Nissan's express charger (480 volt 215A specs) replenishes 80% of the battery in just 30 minutes. Electric vehicle energy consumption tests show that at an average load, a car consumes 21 kWh per 100 km of track. This is comparable to the consumption of gasoline 2.4 l per 100 km.

Charging an electric car Nissan Leaf

It is also worth noting that the battery is prone to overheating and can withstand no more than 2 express charges per day. At sub-zero temperatures, the travel distance is reduced by an order of magnitude. We continue the review of the Nissan Leaf, the next in line is the electric motor.

Engine

The Japanese electric car has a synchronous three-phase EM61 electric motor with a capacity of 80 kilowatts (109 hp) at 2730-9800 rpm. 2016 Nissan Leaf Engine Delivers Constant Torque 280 Nm. Passport acceleration to 100 km/h is 11.9 s, and the maximum speed of the car is 145 km/h.

Engine Nissan Leaf 2016

The engine is located at the front of the car, and its layout makes the engine compartment very similar to a conventional car with an internal combustion engine.

Transmission and suspension

• The transmission consists of a single-stage gearbox.
• Front suspension - McPherson with anti-roll bar.
• Rear suspension - spring semi-dependent.
• Disc brakes, ventilated. The tires are 205/55 R16 and the rims are 6.5 J x 15.

Price and configuration Nissan Leaf 2016

• S 24 - battery with a capacity of 24 kWh. Engine power 80 kW. Power reserve 84 miles. Cost $29,010;
• S 30 - battery with a capacity of 30 kWh. Engine power 80 kW. Power reserve 107 miles. Cost $32,450;
• SV- battery with a capacity of 30 kWh. Engine power 80 kW. Power reserve 107 miles. Fast charging and additional multimedia features. Cost $34,200;
• SL- battery with a capacity of 30 kWh. Engine power 80 kW. Power reserve 107 miles. Fast charging and additional multimedia features. LED headlights, solar battery. The cost is $36,790.

All prices are for the US market.

nissan leaf reviews

The car has been on the market for a long time. Among the owners, the final opinion about the electric car has been formed, which we will reflect in the reviews; Let's divide them in turn into positive and negative ones.

Pros:

• excellent dynamics (it feels like a 3-liter gasoline engine)
• silence while driving
• confident management
• economical car (1 km = 30 kopecks)
• comfortable
• undemanding maintenance, suspension from Nissan Juke (many inexpensive components)

Minuses:

• low ground clearance
• low battery capacity
• increased consumption in winter
• voracious stove
• not for travel

Nissan Leaf in Russia not officially sold. You can buy it only in a used condition or with the help of an intermediary who will bring a car from Europe. The average cost of Nissan Leaf 2011 - 2012 today is about 500,000 rubles. Affordable price for an electric car. In general, the car turned out to be successful and found its buyer. Pay attention to, also an interesting specimen.

Video review Nissan Leaf

The N issan Leaf is a new product for Nissan in many respects: the company did not have mass-produced electric vehicles before it. Production started in 2010, and from the end of that year, buyers in Japan and the United States began to receive their first cars. Electricity aside, the Leaf has been built on a legacy: based on a redesigned platform used on many Nissan models, including the Micra, Tiida, Note and others. In general, this, however, meant only a similarity in the overall layout with front-wheel drive and suspension schemes: MacPherson strut was used here in front, and a conventional semi-independent beam in the back. Brakes - disc in a circle, and the front, by the way, two-piston. The middle part of the body was modified to locate the batteries under the floor: their block starts under the driver's seat and goes under the rear sofa. Of course, this had a certain positive effect on the location of the center of gravity, handling and stability, however, as we will find out a little later, these concepts are practically not familiar to the Leaf driver - it takes too much speed and energy costs to test them.

The novelty of the model for the manufacturer also meant the inevitable operational modernization: Nissan tracked the cars "run in" by consumers, making adjustments and eliminating errors. The result of the experience gained in the first two years was an update that brought several significant technical changes that are worth considering when choosing a machine. Until the end of 2012, the model had the designation ZE0, and its updated version is marked as AZE0 - while this did not affect the appearance of the car in any way, and it is simply impossible to distinguish one modification from another from ten steps.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

One easy way to determine which version is in front of you is to open the hood or trunk. In the ZE0 version, the charging module equipment was located in the luggage compartment, right behind the rear sofa, forming a characteristic rectangular “hump” there, which also eats away part of the usable space. In 2012, the charging unit was reduced and moved under the hood, where it can be seen right on top of everything else - and the trunk received an additional 40 liters of volume, increasing to 370 liters and getting rid of an unnecessary partition between itself and the rear sofa. But, of course, no flat floor when reclining the back of the second row still does not work. And here, in any of the cases, there is no spare wheel - there was no place even for a “roll” under the floor.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

The second important difference between the “restyled” AZE0 is the heating system. On ZE0, the “classic” liquid circuit with antifreeze circulating through the heater radiator was used for interior heating: as a result, taking into account the low heat transfer of the electric motor compared to the internal combustion engine, it took a lot of time to warm up the interior. In the updated cars, this scheme was abandoned in favor of “dry” heating with electric heating elements: now warm air enters the passenger compartment almost immediately, and in rich trim levels, the so-called heat pump, one of the modes of operation of the air conditioning system, contributes to heating the passenger compartment. In addition to these important innovations, there were others - for example, a mode of increased energy recovery, in which the car noticeably “engine brakes” when the gas pedal is released, the ability to “lock” the charging cord inserted into the charging socket so that it is not stolen, the backlight of the charging connectors, a heated steering wheel and some other little things like dark trim and cruise control are already in the base.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

When deciding on the purchase of a Leaf, you should also understand in advance what kind of steering wheel you want to get a car with: the right steering wheel here is by no means an advantage. It does not promise any “JDM-buns”, and a special “real Japanese quality” is not attached to it - moreover, Japanese cars are deprived of some options like heating a high-voltage battery and a high-power charging module. The regular module “digests” about 3.3 kW, but the more powerful one is already 6.6: however, this is only relevant for those who have the appropriate charging equipment. By the way, you can even buy a powerful charging station for personal use - however, it will cost 150-300 thousand rubles, but it will be possible to charge the car not in 8-10, but in 3-4 hours. And many cars are also equipped with a second CHAdeMO network charging connector - this allows you to receive about 40 kW of power and charge in an hour and a half - but, unfortunately, the battery does not like such pressure, responding to frequent express charging with accelerated capacity degradation.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

The main flow of used Leaf comes to us from Japan and the USA - this, in fact, depends on the location of the steering wheel. Japanese cars are traditionally bought at auctions, as are American ones: Copart and Manheim are among the key sources here. Broken copies of varying degrees of recoverability come from the first, and the second, on the contrary, is a source of completely alive and proven machines. When ordering a car through an intermediary directly from Japan or the USA, of course, you should focus on the auction list, and it makes sense to check the "Americans" on Carfax as well. If you choose a used car in Russia, then you should add online services like Avtoteka to this list to track the “local” history of ownership, mileage, accidents, and so on. But in any case, it should be borne in mind that left-hand drive cars, other things being equal, usually turn out to be more expensive, and sometimes one and a half times. Given the presence of the above "American chips", as well as potentially higher liquidity, overpaying for a left-hand drive car makes some sense - but if you need to meet the minimum possible budget, then you will have to concentrate on right-hand drive cars.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

Some features of the choice of Leaf are quite similar to what we list in the recommendations for buying a conventional car: in particular, the body can be mentioned here. Usually, previously unbeaten cars are preserved quite adequately, and corrosion occurs only on the bottom - but on specimens that have spent more than one year in Russia, you can also find pockets of rust in typical places like arches and sills. In any case, it is body repair that should be considered the main problem, given the past of the car when buying it: it was profitable to bring broken cars, but almost none of the resellers bothered to restore them with high-quality restoration. In addition, it is worth bearing in mind the problems with potential body repairs after your own accidents: due to the rarity of the model, some spare parts will have to be searched for a long time and paid dearly for them.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

Well, now, perhaps, you can go directly to the most interesting thing - what distinguishes the choice of an electric car from the acquisition of a familiar "antediluvian" car with an internal combustion engine. And the key feature here is, of course, that the choice will be based not on the classic “motor-gearbox” combination, but ... a high-voltage battery (in the slang of “electronic engineers” - VVB). The motor itself here is quite ordinary: a 109 hp synchronous electric motor, delivering 280 Nm of torque “from idle”. There is no gearbox in its usual sense - a single-stage gearbox works in tandem with the motor.

As a result, all maintenance of the power unit comes down to changing the oil in the gearbox (according to the regulations, it needs to be checked every 30 thousand, but in practice it needs to be changed), and the potential repair is radically different from what we are used to. Otherwise, the car is quite ordinary: the climate system is similar to what we see on “classic” cars, the electric power steering is not new, as well as the braking system, the only feature of which is an electric booster instead of a vacuum one (there is simply nowhere to take a vacuum here). So replacing pads, brake fluid and antifreeze and refueling the air conditioner will not surprise anyone.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

But with the battery, everything is much more complicated. In fact, the cost of an electric car largely depends on it, since its resource is unstable, and the replacement price is about 250 thousand rubles. This, of course, pushes sellers and resellers to fraud, and dooms buyers to the need to understand new technology for themselves (so as not to be deceived or not to pay exorbitant prices for a obviously good option). At first glance, everything is simple: on the dashboard, the Leaf has two scales that display not only the current charge, but also the remaining battery life: SoC and SoH, respectively. The first abbreviation stands for "state of charge", that is, the degree of charge, and everything is clear with it. The second is the "state of health", that is, the "health" of the battery - and this is exactly what determines how happy your future life with an electric car will be.

The remaining life scale has 12 divisions, which go out forever as the battery degrades. According to the operating instructions, the first extinguished "stick" means the loss of 15% of the resource, and each subsequent - minus 6.25%. Nissan planned for a battery life of at least 10 years, after which the battery would retain about 70% capacity - however, in practice, battery wear varies greatly not only depending on mileage, but also taking into account other factors such as operating temperature and frequency of use of fast high power charging. Statistics compiled in the US prove that the batteries of electric vehicles operated in hot states, as well as frequently charged at CHAdeMO stations, lost capacity noticeably faster than usual. That is, contrary to expectations, it is overheating that destroys the battery more than hypothermia, which simply translates into faster discharge.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

Buying a “good” Leaf is just a “battle for divisions”: in simple terms, an instance with 11 lit divisions on the SoH scale will be more expensive than an 8 division version of the same year, since the remaining battery life, and therefore the mileage on one charge is higher. And, of course, it is in this battle for division that sellers and resellers try to be the winners in order to fetch as much as possible for the car. There are many options for deception - from simple ones to those that are inaccessible to understanding for inexperienced buyers.

Among the first is the banal "zeroing" of the battery: before selling, the dealer resets the readings, making the car think that the battery has been replaced, as a result of which 11-12 bars light up on the dashboard. Of course, after some time and after several charge-discharge cycles, the electronics recalculates the readings, returning them to real ones - but by that time the dust has already been thrown into the eyes, and the sale and purchase agreement may have been signed.

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A more cunning deception scheme involves the so-called "freezing" of the ambient temperature sensor. In this case, after “zeroing” the battery, the unscrupulous seller “takes out” the ambient temperature sensor from the circuit, inserting a resistor into the electrical circuit instead, which makes the onboard computer think that the temperature overboard is always negative and not recalculate the readings of the remaining battery capacity. As a result of this, the “sticks” on the tidy do not go out even after a while, and the readings of the VVB capacity remain overestimated.

Of course, there are ways to deal with deception. The key one is the Leaf Spy software: by connecting to the diagnostic connector and downloading the program, you can get information about the battery, charge current and many other indicators, including a “frozen” temperature sensor. In general, Leaf Spy is literally the best friend and constant companion of both the buyer and the owner of the Nissan Leaf. Well, the second method of checking the purchased car is a banal test drive - but not a short one, but a long one, which includes fully charging the battery, resetting the average consumption indicators to zero and then rolling the battery evenly “to zero”. The resulting mileage can be considered the final indicator of success - taking into account the fact that the initial declared mileage according to the American measurement method according to EPA rules was ... 117 kilometers.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

Yes, mileage is another one of the Nissan Leaf's big pitfalls. Firstly, it was small even “from the factory”: according to the European NEDC methodology, the Japanese counted as many as 195 km, but this figure has the same relation to reality as the declared fuel consumption figures for gasoline cars. In practice, 100 kilometers should be considered an excellent result for a used Leaf with 10-11 divisions of residual battery capacity, and in real operation with a heater, air conditioning, music and city driving with traffic lights and slopes, it is extremely difficult to predict the mileage, since it decreases unevenly and is recalculated based on specific conditions. The picture, when the owner of the Leaf gets into the car with a residual mileage of 110 kilometers, and turning on the heater and leaving the garage, sees 95 - this is not an exception, but the rule. Well, most of all, the electric car does not like what the Russian people love - fast driving. Moving faster than 90-100 km / h, you can watch the change of numbers almost in real time.

The standard Leaf battery has a capacity of 24 kWh, and since 2016, cars with a 30-kilowatt battery have appeared in the United States. However, it slightly increased autonomy - but there were proceedings with the manufacturer due to the accelerated degradation of a more "bulky" battery. In general, this, of course, does not mean that such cars should be avoided - just in addition to standard diagnostics, it is worth checking the real power reserve, and also understanding in advance whether the extra 20-40 kilometers are worth such an overpayment.

Nissan Leaf Worldwide" 2013–17

The next “thin moment” in owning an electric car is charging. If you expect to charge your car from a regular household outlet, be prepared for an even longer wait due to the low current. Well, in general, such a scenario is fully justified only if you have a personal parking space, a private house or a garage with a constant power supply. As mentioned above, you can also have a personal charging station in your own garage or private house - but you need to take into account its high operating voltage and no less high cost (150-300 thousand rubles). Well, paid network charging stations are almost always not an option “for every day”: they are often located in paid parking lots, and their number outside Moscow and St. Petersburg goes not even to hundreds, but to dozens. In general, it is no secret to anyone that poor infrastructure is one of the reasons for the low popularity of electric vehicles in our country, and the low mileage on a single charge makes Leaf an extremely specific vehicle. Even the owners themselves on the forums admit that buying a car for half a million that can drive 50 kilometers a day is not a joke, but quite a reality.

And if you want even more sad irony, then here's another feature of the Russian operation of the Nissan Leaf: the installation of autonomous heaters like Webasto, Eberspacher and the like. Buy an electric car, and then add a stove to it, which needs to be filled with gasoline or diesel fuel ... This is perhaps not the future that the Japanese were striving for when creating the Leaf - but this is exactly the present that the current owners of these cars have come to.

For almost two months now, the new Nissan Leaf has been produced and sold in Japan, and in December it will also settle in factories in the English Sunderland and in the US state of Tennessee to start a crusade for the title of the most popular electric car on the planet lost two years ago. And it is very likely that Leaf will appear on this march even in Russia, becoming the only “official” passenger electric car on our market. In the meantime, I'm in Yokohama, and I have about 50 km ahead of me to, as the new Leaf suggests, not turn the steering wheel and not press the pedals.

Ladies and gentlemen, the new Nissan Leaf is not an electric car!

Nissan's speechwriters and talking heads are beyond envy. Just imagine: a month ago the world went crazy over an iPhone that recognizes its owner by sight, a month later everyone will lose their heads from the first battery-powered truck, then serial premium electric crossovers will go in jambs, and your main novelty under the covers is a democratic electric hatchback, which is not much enlarged the battery and did a massive plastic surgery. Since there is no drama, it must be invented. That's why the gala night in Tokyo, where the new Leaf was first shown two weeks before my arrival, began with such a feigned scoop from Daniel Squillaci, Nissan's vice president of marketing, sales and electric mobility.

electric car	Global sales in 2016	USA	Europe
nissan leaf	51882	14006	18378
Tesla Model S	50944	26525	12400
BYD Tang	31405	-	-
Chevrolet Volt	28296	24739	42
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV	27322	-	21318
bmw i3	25934	7625	15023
Tesla Model X	25299	13450	3709
Renault Zoe	22009	-	21266
BYD Qin	21868	-	-
BYD e6	20610	-	-

electric car	Global sales in January-September 2017
Tesla Model S	39515
Toyota Prius Prime/PHV	39369
BAICEC	37876
nissan leaf	36311
Tesla Model X	33415

The most massive electric car in the world? If you count sales over the entire life cycle, then this is still Leaf: Nissan claims that since 2010, 283,000 of these hatchbacks have been sold worldwide. But an analysis of the annual results will give us other winners. Not all manufacturers are willing to share accurate data on sales of electric vehicles, however, among the resources that maintain independent statistics on global sales, the EV Sales portal deserves trust, which combines both pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids with a significant supply of electric vehicles in one offset. According to him, the Tesla Model S first took the lead in 2015 and should also be considered a bestseller in 2016, but the result of the Nissan Leaf electric car includes 1,200 copies of its Chinese version of the Venucia e30, which do not appear in official reports. At the same time, the demand for Leaf is evenly distributed around the world, and, for example, in Japan, he has another 14,800 cars in his account in 2016. The results in the second table give an idea of ​​the balance of power in 2017.

Well, of course, the Leaf is a 100% electric car. Even two hundred percent, because he retained not only the ideology, but also the technique of his predecessor. In fact, the Leaf II is a seriously upgraded first generation Leaf, which inherited the previous layout and chassis, along with all their advantages and disadvantages. Now, however, all of Nissan's front electronics are mounted on this carrier platform, so the Leaf, as Vice President Squillaci announced, is no longer an electric car, but an "icon of new mobility", a showcase of the near future, as seen from the upper floors of the headquarters. apartments on the west coast of Tokyo Bay.

The Leaf platform with a rear elastic beam was inherited from previous generations of Nissan Tiida and Note cars. The main improvements on the chassis - rubber buffers instead of polyurethane in the rear suspension and a reconfigured power steering

More precisely, the iconostasis. Electromobility plus autopilot plus integrativity, by which Nissan understands the expansion of the household role of personal electric vehicles. Separately, they are not revelations, but for the first time Leaf has collected all this in a visual triptych.

It is now equipped with the ProPilot system, which partially takes over control when driving on motorways. He has a ProPilot Park complex that almost completely automates the parking process. The Nissan Safety Shield squad has been expanded with automatic braking functions and the ability to prevent collisions with obstacles or collisions when reversing. As before, the Leaf can be used as a buffer battery to optimize home energy consumption: while Nissan sits in the garage, it can charge its battery with cheap "night" electricity and then power household appliances during the day. And now it has become more convenient to manage all this remotely - through an updated application for smartphones. And on the way there is also the function of contactless charging.

Nissan is faithful to the CHAdeMo (left connector) standard with up to 50kW DC charging. On the right is a traditional IEC 62196-2, aka SAE J1772-2009, or Yazaki AC connector. And in the middle of the compartment - backlight

For all this, Leaf has already managed to get the CES 2018 consumer electronics show upfront prize. But in my opinion, Squillaci did not say the main thing. The Leaf isn't quite an electric car anymore, because it looks, feels and costs almost like a regular car. This is his most important innovation.

After all, how did it all begin? When Nissan launched the first generation Leaf in 2010, the most important thing was to tell the world that electric cars are here and they are not like everyone else. Design, interior, driving habits, driver's interface - all this was purposely out of the ordinary. Chevrolet Volt, Tesla, Renault Zoe, BMW i3 and many others have marched down this path. But seven years later, everyone already knows what a battery car is, so the battle for the “wow factor” is slowly replaced by fuss in the configurators for the sake of value for money, and Nissan is now stepping on the other foot.

Anti-iPhone on wheels! The most ordinary car interior made the Leaf perhaps more boring, but more cosmopolitan. The only serious puncture in ergonomics is the steering wheel without reach adjustment, although Nissan promises a different column for Europe and America

Leaf II is extremely pragmatic and created according to the canons of the mainstream for the sake of market success. Its task is to attract not only the owners of the first generation of copies, but also those who have not thought about an electric car before. Therefore, he tries his best to appear non-electric.

We waited: on a Japanese car - a modern block of auxiliary buttons

The new Pulsar or Tiida could look exactly the same, and the interior would fit any compact Nissan. The former two-level, like from a spaceship, instruments were replaced by a shield with an ordinary pointer speedometer - the same for the Kiks crossover. And even on the nose is now a kind of traditional grille! And the only detail of the image that immediately gives out electromobility is the transmission joystick.

An unexpected place for the rear sofa heating buttons? But in front of everyone

Nissan did not make significant changes to the platform, so both the distance between the axles (2700 mm) and the dimensions of the battery were preserved, although the hatchback itself became two to three centimeters longer, wider and taller. The most important change in the powertrain is once again the improved composition of the cathode inside the lithium-ion cells, as well as a more efficient way of packaging them into a common housing. Compared to the previous 24 kWh base battery, the energy density has almost doubled: 40 kWh can be pumped into the same Leaf unit.

The traction electric motor is now allowed to go beyond its limits: power has risen from 80 to 110 kW, and torque - from 280 to 320 Nm. And it immediately became more fun. Although one and a half hundred horsepower per one and a half tons of curb weight is not God knows what, however, within the limits of Japanese road etiquette, the Leaf accelerates reassuringly. This is not a Tesla yet, but the accelerating dynamics and traction control are already at the level of a solid golf hatchback with a two-liter diesel engine. And only the maximum speed is still limited at around 144 km / h.

The EM57 electric motor migrated from its predecessor with minor changes in the control electronics and sound insulation. The basic on-board charger for the home network still has a power of 3 kW (it takes 16 hours to replenish 100% of the charge), the optional one - 6.6 (charging will take eight hours). Battery warranty, as before, eight years or 160,000 kilometers

In my memory, the Japanese for the first time risked releasing foreign journalists onto local public roads, but their generosity was immediately balanced by samurai discipline: do not break the formation, do not overtake the leader, do not change the lane, and generally “use the ProPilot mode”.

The serial Nissan autopilot has a semi-official index of 1.0, that is, it can already drive on the highway on its own within the same lane, but it is still not recommended to take your hands off the steering wheel. The Leaf holds the lane and pace well, stops impeccably, starts off on its own in a traffic jam and helps a lot to follow the markings, especially when, out of habit, you always climb into the next row with the left side.

In Yokohama, I also managed to ride a prototype with the ProPilot 3.0 system, but this is a separate story. And where you need to steer yourself, Leaf, alas, is controlled without a spark, despite the fact that the suspension and steering have been reconfigured a bit: the steering wheel is still synthetic and empty. There is also an “artificial” effort on the brake pedal, which is familiar to electric vehicles, but the main driving impression was the mode in which you do not need to touch the brake at all.

The ability to slow down intensively under the release of “gas” with the help of regenerative braking Leaf received three years ago, when mode B appeared in the transmission, but now the e-Pedal button has also settled next to the selector, which activates the “single-pedal” control. In this mode, the Leaf, with the accelerator released, not only regeneratively slows down, decelerating to 0.2g, but at some point activates the standard brake system, lights up the brake lights and allows the car to stop smoothly without touching the brake pedal. Pressed - went, released - stopped, "on" - "off", what could be easier?

The E-Pedal is activated by a button near the transmission selector, the button next to it is the ProPilot Park car park, which does not require any intervention from the driver, but is guided only by marking lines

It is clear that Nissan is implementing autopilot, all driving assistants, and e-Pedal with an eye on the aging Japanese population, because when controlling the speed “in one pedal”, the risk of pressing the gas instead of the brake is much less, and this is one of the frequent causes of fatal accidents in Japan. In addition, “e-pedalism”, minimizing free run-outs, allows you to even more efficiently convert and collect kinetic energy back into the battery, increasing the power reserve. And in this matter, any crumbs are important.

The platform and unification made the new Leaf cheaper than the old one: in its main US market, an electric car with a 40-kilowatt battery and advanced equipment will cost $ 690 less than a previous generation car with an optional 30-kilowatt battery! Prices start at $30,000, about $4,000 below the average car price in America. Although it’s still a lot, because for similar money they sell, for example, Nissan Murano or Mercedes CLA, but given the good equipment and “electric” tax preferences, the Leaf looks very interesting. At the same time, it is $ 5,000 cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 (although the start of real sales is indecently delayed) or the Chevrolet Bolt. And this is precisely what Nissan is counting on, because the comparison in terms of the main electric vehicle characteristics will no longer be in favor of the Japanese.

Because of the same old platform, Nissan can't offer a comparable range just yet. In the passport data, Leaf promises 400 km on the Japanese JC08 cycle, which is distinguished by a very peaceful driving character. But in Europe, according to the NEDC cycle, which is also very far from actual operation, Nissan already indicates 378 km, and in America, according to the EPA standard, only 150 miles, or 240 km. By comparison, the Tesla Model 3, offering a choice between a 50 or 75 kWh battery, claims 220-310 miles, while the Chevrolet Bolt (60 kWh) claims 240 miles.

Packing a larger battery into the Leaf would have required a redesign of the cabin floor, which would have affected the price, and besides, Nissan simply does not have the necessary battery yet. Initially, the Renault-Nissan alliance was going to provide itself with lithium-ion batteries on its own, for which in 2007 it created a joint venture between AESC and NEC, but both the price and the characteristics of what was obtained at some point ceased to meet expectations, so this summer the alliance sold its 50 percent stake to the Chinese and went out of business. In the near future, batteries for Nissan will be supplied by LG Chem, however, the Leaf e-Plus market with a new 60-kilowatt battery will be released by LG only at the end of 2018, but for now it will squeeze all the juice out of the AESC battery.

There is another important circumstance that determines the fate of the Leaf dynasty. To counter Tesla's electric vehicles, the Renault-Nissan alliance is preparing a completely new platform - with all-wheel drive and rear independent suspension, with the ability to place a large battery under the floor and use powerful electric motors. This architecture has already been shown at the Tokyo Motor Show under the guise of a 435-horsepower IMx concept crossover, but in fact it allows you to create electric vehicles and the size of the Leaf, and even more compact. Therefore, for the time being, everything is going to the fact that in five years Nissan will release the super-progressive Leaf III, about which corporate speechwriters can safely say that it is an electric car with a capital letter E.

But what if we supplement the Leaf with an “extension” with an onboard gas generator? The question is not idle, because since 2017 Nissan has been offering e-Power powertrains for the Note hatchback and Serena minivan in Japan since 2017. The principle of the device is almost like that of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid car: the 1.2 three-cylinder motor rotates only the generator, and the wheels are driven exclusively by an electric motor. Nissan denies the presence of a mechanical connection between the internal combustion engine and the wheels. Perhaps Leaf e-Power would find its niche, but the current platform does not allow such a hybrid

And Leaf II all this time will win back customers not so much from other electric cars, but from “non-electric cars” - from traditional cars with internal combustion engines and from hybrid cars. It's not without reason that Nissan boasts that it was able to increase the share of customers who buy Leaf by trading in Toyota Prius hybrids six times - up to 6.4%.

And of course, it is very interesting to see how all this will work in Russia. The upcoming 2018 is definitely not the best time to launch an electric car in our market, if only because this fall the Customs Union canceled zero rates on the import of electric vehicles, and the State Duma refused to exempt electric vehicles from transport tax. However, Nissan says that recently the entire Russian office has been working specifically to ensure that the Leaf appears in showrooms - this is an image project. So, most likely, the new Leaf will still get to us, but how far it will go is another question.

blue button

The fact that Nissan's autopilot program is in perfect order, I realized when Tetsuya Ijima turned to me and began to gesticulate animatedly. For a Japanese, this is not at all a typical manner of conversation. And even more so for the Japanese man who drives the Infiniti Q50 ProPilot 3.0 unmanned prototype. Ijima-san was driving in the front and I was in the back left. At that moment, we seemed to be overtaking someone on the highway.

P Later, I was warned that posting photos of an expressive engineer behind the wheel is not a very good idea, because the Tokyo police allow testing drones on the streets of the city only on the condition that the driver keeps his hands outstretched in front of the steering wheel with palms up at all times. But I still decided to hope that the Tokyo police did not read Soviet newspapers in the morning, and that such a mise-en-scene could only be interpreted in one way: everything is going well with the drones.

For those who have forgotten, I will remind you that a series of systemic scandals that covered Japanese industrial corporations greatly slowed down local technological progress. Toyota got burned out on uncontrolled acceleration, Takata on self-detonating airbags, Mitsubishi on true fuel consumption, Kobe Steel on base metal, and Nissan (right now!) on unscrupulous defect control. After all this, in any situation that relates to quality, safety or innovation, the Japanese blow not only on water, but even on an empty glass. So while Tesla, Mercedes, and BMW are launching mass-produced autonomous driving systems, Nissan and Toyota are sitting in prototypes with their hands outstretched to the steering wheel. And the goal announced by the government two years ago - to release an autonomous taxi on the streets of Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics - is now being commented by automakers evasively: maybe yes, or maybe not. Nissan, however, has not yet refused promises, and the emancipation of the Nissan engineer speaks of this especially eloquently.

It seems to me that the only time Ijima-san was truly distracted from the conversation was when the Infiniti entered the motorway through the automated gates of the toll booth. This is the most difficult maneuver, at least in terms of Tokyo. Highways here are laid over the streets and often lack long acceleration lanes - entering cars rise up the ramp and, after a short run, merge into the stream. For the autopilot, this means first getting into the tight gate of the entry post, picking up speed on a narrow and often curved incline, looking over the dividing fence, synchronizing with the speed of the flow, aiming - and safely wedged into the gap between the cars.

The task is not the easiest, therefore, for example, the Highway Teammate complex, which Toyota is preparing for 2020, is activated only after passing through the barrier and turns off immediately after leaving through it. But Nissan drove journalists along the streets and highways in a completely unmanned mode: the Q50 itself passed traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, turned itself, passed barriers and ramps by itself. And he did it in a hussar way. I had to drive unmanned prototypes that behaved like a driver with a month of experience: I'd rather wait until everyone passed. But ProPilot is more like a Moscow taxi driver: he drove onto the highway with acceleration, with a brazen lunge into the free window between the cars and accentuated braking at the bumper of the car in front. On the Moscow Ring Road, I would pass for my own.

At crossroads, the instrument panel turns into a screen broadcasting a picture from the front camera, on which the electronics builds its “picture of the world”. Small red circle - recognized traffic signal

This is the so-called fourth level of autonomy, two steps higher than the production ProPilot, which is equipped with the new Leaf. The driver just needs to drive in the address of the destination, transfer the "automatic" to Drive and press the blue button on the steering wheel. Actually, Tetsuya Ijima did just that, and I am ready to believe that this was not a production. After all, it happens that a car with a prompter operator who is ready to insure via remote control follows the drone. Nissan Note also kept behind our Infiniti, but without the “interception group”. “For cover from accidental accidents,” the Japanese explained to me. Like, repairing the rear bumper with fifteen cameras, radars, scanners and sonars is a little more expensive than usual.

Infiniti bristled on all sides: 39 tracking devices! This is because Nissan relies only on on-board "vision" systems and drives without prompting from the road infrastructure, although there is a special block in Tokyo with "interactive" traffic lights. I was driven along a different route, without them, and the Q50 never hesitated, and in some places even moved faster than the flow: the autopilot algorithm, like Tesla, has a small degree of “tolerance” to speed limits.

The first mass-produced autonomous machines will be large and expensive, otherwise they simply will not fit all the necessary equipment. The prototype Infiniti Q50 Hybrid is covered head to toe with optics, radars and scanners, and in addition, artificial intelligence has taken up almost the entire trunk.

In short, ProPilot already today behaves like a fairly experienced driver. But what prevents Nissan from waiting for the planned 2020 to launch into a series, but right now to start chasing competitors? Ijima-san explained that it was a matter of Japanese law and that more work needed to be done on the passage of complex interchanges, narrow streets in the city center and on animal recognition: one of the prototypes had already survived a collision with a deer on a country road. More precisely, he did not survive, like a deer. That is why, by the way, the Japanese are in no hurry to put journalists behind the wheel of drones. But from the gestures and posture of Tetsuya Ijima, I realized that this moment was not far off.

It took the engineers only two years for the Nissan Leaf to go from concept to the current production model, and hitting the assembly line in 2010, a year later NISSAN LEAF The ZE0/AZE0 won Car of the Year in Japan, the US and Europe.

Design

Outwardly, the Nissan Leaf is no different from representatives of a car of its class, except that the electric car does not have exhaust pipes, but it will be difficult not to notice the NISSAN LEAF in city traffic. And although the appearance may seem to someone not quite outstanding, nevertheless, the car has a compact size and is quite roomy.

on the left is the CHAdeMO port for direct current (CHAdeMO fast charging), on the right is the SAE J1772 port for alternating current (from the socket)

It is possible to charge from a standard AC network, that is, from a household outlet (16 Amp / 220 Volts) - but longer. A full charge from an outlet takes 5 to 8 hours.

With a 40 Amp socket, the battery will charge to 80% in 1.5 hours, to 100% the battery will charge in 2.5-3 hours.

With fast charging, it is possible to charge the battery to 80% in 20 minutes, but this requires a special charging station.

Safety

The electric car is completely bladeless, as it does not contain flammable liquids, and is equipped with eight airbags.

There is no risk of electric shock as the battery and motor are sealed.

It is also worth noting that the Nissan Leaf absolutely calmly overcomes a ford up to 60 cm deep.

Crash test

In a crash test conducted by the European New Car Examination Institute, the Nissan Leaf received the highest marks.

The tests took place in three stages:

• passenger safety;
• safety of the high-voltage network;
• battery protection;

The Nissan Leaf has passed full-scale endurance testing, including frontal impact, side impact and pole impact.

In the event of an accident in which the airbags deployed, the power supply to the car will be cut off.

The crash test determined that the combination of a strong body and a strong battery ensured the integrity of the car and the electrical grid.

The five-door hatchback Leaf showed strong results:

• 89% in adult safety tests;
• 83% for child safety;
• 84% for the operation of on-board security systems;

In addition, the Nissan electric car turned out to be relatively safe for pedestrians (65%) due to the small number of so-called “hard points” in the front of the car.

Minor change

In 2015, the Nissan Leaf received a minor facelift. Externally, the car has not changed much. Inside and technically updated, the Leaf has been slightly modernized in order to reduce power consumption.

In 2017, the new Leaf of the 2018 model year was introduced, more modern, technological and efficient.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are disadvantages in absolutely any vehicle, and they are individual for each of them, so for starters, let's highlight the advantages of an electric car over a car with a gasoline / diesel engine.

Of the advantages of the Nissan Leaf, perhaps the most important one is environmental friendliness, because the purpose of creating such a car is to preserve the environment.

The car does not pollute the air and, in comparison with a car running on an internal combustion engine, has fewer fluids and oils that need to be changed periodically. On top of that, NISSAN LEAF's carpets, protection, and quietness are made from recycled materials.

One of the considerable maintenance costs is scheduled maintenance, and since the electric car does not have an internal combustion engine and transmission, it is enough to change the oil in the gearbox once every 24,000 kilometers.

A small but nevertheless pleasant point in the life of the brake pads. This is due to the fact that the main braking occurs due to energy recovery, and the pads perform a secondary function.

Outcome

To sum up, the first generation Nissan LEAF is characterized as an absolutely environmentally friendly urban electric car, the battery of which can be charged at home.

The electric motor, which is installed instead of a conventional motor, is quiet and with high-speed acceleration gives a completely different feeling during the trip.

To understand what an electric car is, it is enough to make one trip, at least to find out what disadvantages it may have as in a car for daily use.

For example, the same Leaf is perfect as a second car, or as a vehicle for moving around the city and suburbs.