Currently, the automotive industry is on the verge of a transition to electric traction. Electric vehicles are becoming more and more common on the roads. technical specifications practically not inferior to gasoline analogues. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the world's best-selling electric car, the Nissan Leaf, and find out why it's so popular.

Brands and models of electric vehicles in the world

Already from the side you can see the shape of the stern. And, frankly speaking, they are not an acquired taste. The strange design of the rear door, on the one hand, promises increased trunk volume, but on the other hand, this is not the best solution. The best decision from an aesthetic point of view.

On the other hand, we have a rather practical solution: a large rear door provides very convenient access to an equally large luggage compartment. In general, we can say that this solution is more aimed at connoisseurs of practicality and to improve the aerodynamics of the car.

The Nissan Leaf 2 has an almost identical design to the Nismo. The differences are only in less bright colors. The second generation of “Leaf” appeared in 2017. And it was on the basis of this electric hatchback that the sports version of the Nissan Leaf was built.

Interior decoration

The Nissan Leaf has a pretty nice interior. The design is made in a strict futuristic style. In the first moments, you get the impression that you are sitting in some kind of interstellar ship.

The large windshield provides excellent visibility. The driver is greeted by a three-spoke steering wheel with control buttons for multimedia and other additional functions. Instead of the usual mechanical speedometer, tachometer and other sensors, we have a screen that displays all the necessary information:

• charge level;
• predicted power reserve;
• driving mode and so on.

In the second generation dashboard has significant differences, as does the center console. As for the buttons and control of car functions, everything is quite simple. The design has an intuitive style and excellent ergonomics.

If we talk about the sensations when landing, the interior turned out to be quite pleasant, quiet and spacious. There is quite a lot of space both front and rear. The chairs are very comfortable. The front seats can be adjusted in two planes:

• back and forth;
• up down.

Modifications

We have already discussed some modifications and their differences above. There were several of them:

• SL is the same first generation Leaf, but with a larger battery. The model appeared in 2016.
• “Leaf” of the second generation – a completely redesigned design and many technical characteristics. Production began in 2017.
• Nismo – sports version second generation electric hatchback. In 2020, mass production was launched only for the domestic market.

The differences between these modifications are listed above and relate mostly to the external design and interior design. However, some changes also concern technical characteristics.

Thus, the Nissan Leaf SL is the same “Leaf” of the first generation, but with an increased battery to 30 kW/h, which made it possible to increase the range. And with the update of the charge level control system and optimization of energy consumption, it was possible to increase the range from 200 km (according to the NEDC cycle) to 250. Let’s take a closer look at the technical characteristics of all modifications of the electric hatchback.

It is worth noting that in addition to modifications, all of these models also have generational differences:

• AZE0.

The differences between Azeo and Zeo are in many details. In particular, it is worth paying attention to the following differences:

• The charging unit in ZEO is located in the trunk, and in ASEO under the hood. This means the Azeo has a larger trunk.
• Azeo also has an 8-10% longer range thanks to better electronics optimization.
• In Azeo the stove is on electric heating (in Zeo it is on antifreeze).

In essence, AZE0 is a new generation with improved electronics and optimization, which has a number of visual differences: slightly modified headlights, minor body differences, the ability to order wheel disks by 17 inches and so on.

Specifications

So, the technical characteristics of the first generation Nissan Leaf:

• Drive power – 80 kW (108 hp).
• Battery capacity – 24 kW/h.
• Torque – 280 Hm.
• Maximum speed – 144 km/h.
• The range on one charge is 175 km.

• Increased battery capacity – 30 kW/h.
• Power reserve – 250 km according to the NEDC cycle.
• Improved recovery.

Also changed were appearance, however, this affected only slightly modified headlights, rims and other minor details. A new color “forged bronze” has also appeared, and the basic package now includes a 5-inch touch display.

Nissan Leaf 2nd generation:

• Electric drive power – 150 hp.
• Battery capacity – 40 kW.
• Torque – 320 Hm.
• Acceleration to 100 km/h – 7.9 seconds.
• Cruising range – 370 km.
• Charging speed from a regular household outlet is up to 16 hours.
• Charging from a fast charging terminal – up to 80% in 40 minutes.

With all the technical superiority over the first generation, maximum speed remained unchanged and is limited to 144 km/h.

Nissan Leaf Nismo's technical characteristics are no different from Leaf 2. This means that acceleration to 100 km/h remains the same. In fact, the sportiness of the Nismo is expressed only in its external design. Also, the sports electric hatchback has slightly increased dimensions:

• Length: 4512 mm.
• Width: 1792 mm.
• Height: 1551 mm.
• Wheelbase size: 2703 mm.

Safety

Nissan Leaf has quite high level security:

• Safety of adult passengers – 89%.
• Child safety – 83%.
• Pedestrian safety – 65%.
• Security equipment – ​​84%.

Safety equipment includes:

• Speed ​​control system – 1 point.
• Stability control system – 3 points.
• Seat belt indicator – 2 points.
• Lane keeping system – 0 points.

Since the weight of the battery (which is 300 kg) is distributed under the bottom of the car, the car has excellent road holding on turns. Moreover, the car has good aerodynamic properties. Among other things, the model is equipped with all the attributes passive safety, which include:

• belts
• pillows;
• headrests and so on.

Cost and equipment of Nissan Leaf

The price in Russia for “Leaf” depends on the modification, year of manufacture and other factors. As we already know, there are four modifications:

• Nismo;
• Leaf 2nd generation;
• Leaf 1st generation.

The new Nissan Leaf electric car, depending on the modification, can be purchased for the following price:

If “Nissan Leaf” is too expensive or does not satisfy necessary requirements, then the domestic market offers other models of electric vehicles from global brands and little-known startups that are worth paying attention to.

They have been producing and selling in Japan for almost two months now. new Nissan Leaf, and in December it will also settle in factories in the English Sunderland and in the American state of Tennessee to begin a crusade for the title of the most popular electric car on the planet, lost two years ago. And it is very likely that at this march Leaf will appear 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 without turning the steering wheel or pressing the pedals, as the new Leaf suggests.

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

Nissan's speechwriters and talking heads are nothing to envy. Just imagine: a month ago the world was going crazy over the iPhone, which recognizes its owner by sight, a month later everyone will lose their heads over the first battery-powered truck, then mass-produced premium electric crossovers will start to appear in droves, and your main new product under the covers is a democratic electric hatchback, which is a little old they enlarged the battery and had extensive plastic surgery. Since there is no drama, it needs to be invented. That's why the gala evening in Tokyo, where the new Leaf was shown for the first time two weeks before my arrival, began with such a feigned sensation from the mouth of Daniel Schillaci, Nissan's vice president in charge of marketing, sales and electric mobility.

The most popular electric car in the world? If we count sales for the entire life cycle, then it's still a Leaf: Nissan claims that since 2010, 283 thousand 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, but among the resources that maintain independent statistics on global sales, the EV Sales portal deserves trust, which brings together both pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids with a significant electric reserve in one category. According to him, the Tesla Model S first took the lead in 2015 and should also be considered a bestseller in 2016, but as a result Nissan electric car The Leaf included 1,200 examples of its Chinese version, the Venucia e30, which do not appear in official reports. At the same time, demand for Leaf is evenly distributed around the world, and, for example, in Japan it had another 14,800 cars 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 technology of his predecessor. In essence, the Leaf II is a heavily modernized first-generation Leaf, which inherits the previous layout and chassis along with all their advantages and disadvantages. However, now all the ceremonial electronics of the Nissan company have been installed on this carrier platform, so that the Leaf, as Vice President Schillaci announced, is no longer so much an electric car as an “icon of new mobility,” a showcase of the near future, as seen from the upper floors of the headquarters. apartments on the western shore of Tokyo Bay.

The Leaf inherited a platform with a rear elastic beam from Nissan cars Tiida and Note previous generations. The main modifications to the chassis are rubber bumpers instead of polyurethane ones rear suspension and retuned power steering

More precisely, the iconostasis. Electromobility plus autopilot plus integration, by which Nissan understands the expansion of the everyday role of personal electric transport. Individually, they are not revelations, but Leaf is the first to put it all together into a visual triptych.

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

Nissan is faithful to the CHAdeMo standard (left connector) with charging DC power up to 50 kW. On the right is a traditional IEC 62196-2 format connector, also known as SAE J1772-2009, or Yazaki for alternating current. And in the middle of the compartment there is a backlight

For all this, Leaf has already received an advance prize at the CES 2018 consumer electronics exhibition. But in my opinion, Schillaci did not say the main thing. The Leaf isn't exactly 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're different. Design, interior, driving habits, driver interface - all this was deliberately out of the ordinary. Chevrolet Volt, Tesla, Renault Zoe, BMW i3 and many others have moved along this path. But seven years later, everyone already knows what a battery-powered car is, so the battle for the “wow factor” is slowly giving way to fiddling around in 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 has made the Leaf, perhaps duller, but more cosmopolitan. The only serious ergonomic flaw is the steering wheel without reach adjustment, although Nissan promises a different column for Europe and America

Leaf II is extremely pragmatic and, for the sake of market success, was created according to the canons of the mainstream. Its task is to attract not only owners of first-generation copies, but also those who have not previously thought about an electric car. So it goes out of its way to appear non-electric.

Waited: on Japanese car- modern block of auxiliary buttons

The new Pulsar or Tiida could look exactly the same, and the interior would suit any compact Nissan. The previous two-level instruments, like those from a spaceship, were replaced by a dashboard with an ordinary dial speedometer - the same as on the Kicks crossover. And even on the nose there is now some semblance of a traditional radiator grille! And the only detail of the image that immediately gives away electric mobility is the transmission joystick.

Unexpected place for rear seat heating buttons? But in plain sight

Nissan did not contribute significant changes into 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 higher. The most important change in the power unit is the once again 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: the Leaf can pump 40 kWh into the same unit.

The traction electric motor is now allowed not to be shy about its limits: power has increased from 80 to 110 kW, and torque from 280 to 320 Nm. And it immediately became more fun. Let one and a half hundred Horse power one and a half tons of curb weight is not God knows what, but within the limits of Japanese road etiquette, the Leaf accelerates encouragingly. This is not a Tesla yet, but the acceleration dynamics and traction control are already at the level of a good golf hatchback with a two-liter diesel engine. And only the maximum speed is still limited to 144 km/h.

The EM57 electric motor has been carried over from its predecessor with minor changes in the control electronics and noise insulation. Basic onboard Charger for the home network it still has a power of 3 kW (with it it takes 16 hours to replenish 100% charge), the optional one is 6.6 (charging will last eight hours). The warranty on the battery, as before, is eight years or 160 thousand kilometers

In my memory, for the first time, the Japanese risked letting foreign journalists onto local public roads, but they immediately balanced their generosity with samurai discipline: do not break the formation, do not overtake the driver, do not change lanes, and in general “use the ProPilot mode.”

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

In Yokohama, I also managed to drive a prototype with the ProPilot 3.0 system, but that’s a separate story. And where you need to steer yourself, the Leaf, alas, is controlled without a spark, despite the fact that the suspension and steering They reconfigured it a little: the steering wheel is still synthetic and a little empty. The brake pedal also has the usual “artificial” force for electric vehicles, but the main driving impression was the mode in which you don’t need to touch the brake at all.

The Leaf received the ability to intensively slow down while releasing the gas using regenerative braking three years ago, when mode B appeared in the transmission, but now an e-Pedal button has also settled next to the selector, which activates “one-pedal” control. In this mode, Leaf with the accelerator released not only regeneratively reduces the speed, developing a deceleration of up to 0.2g, but at some point activates the standard braking system, illuminates the brake lights and allows the car to stop smoothly without touching the brake pedal. Pressed - went, released - stopped, “on” - “off”, what could be simpler?

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

It is clear that Nissan is introducing autopilot, all driver assistants, and e-Pedal with an eye on the aging Japanese population, because when controlling the speed “with one pedal,” the risk of pressing the gas instead of the brake is much less, and this is one of the common reasons fatal accidents in Japan. In addition, the “e-pedal”, by minimizing free runs, allows you to even more efficiently convert and collect kinetic energy back into the battery, increasing the power reserve. And in this matter, every crumb is important.

The ready-made platform and unification made the new Leaf cheaper than the old one: in its main market in the United States, an electric car with a 40-kilowatt battery and advanced equipment will cost $690 less than the 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 example, Nissan Murano or Mercedes CLA are sold there for similar money, but taking into account the good equipment and “electric car” tax preferences, the Leaf looks very interesting. At the same time, it is $5,000 cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 (though the start of real sales is indecently delayed) or the Chevrolet Bolt. And this is exactly 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.

Due to the same old platform, Nissan cannot yet offer comparable range. In the passport data, Leaf promises 400 km on the Japanese JC08 cycle, which is distinguished by a very peaceful nature of movement. But in Europe, according to the NEDC cycle, which is also very far from real 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 of a 50 or 75 kWh battery, claims a range of 220-310 miles, and the Chevrolet Bolt (60 kWh) claims 240 miles.

To fit a larger battery into the Leaf, the interior floor would have to be redrawn, which would affect the price, and besides, Nissan simply doesn’t have the necessary battery yet. Initially, the Renault-Nissan alliance was going to provide itself with lithium-ion batteries independently, for which in 2007 it created the AESC JV with NEC, but both the price and the characteristics of what was produced at some point no longer met expectations, so this summer the alliance sold its 50 percent stake to the Chinese and went out of business. IN soon LG Chem will begin supplying batteries for Nissan, but LG will enter the Leaf e-Plus market with a new 60-kilowatt battery only at the end of 2018, and for now it will squeeze all the juice out of the AESC battery.

There is one more important circumstance that determines the fate of the Leaf dynasty. To confront Tesla 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 the 435-horsepower IMx crossover concept, but in fact it allows you to create electric cars the size of a Leaf, and even more compact. Therefore, so far everything is going to the point that in five years Nissan will release the ultra-progressive Leaf III, about which corporate speechwriters will be able to calmly declare that it is an electric car with a capital E.

What if you added a “stroke extender” to the Leaf with an on-board gas generator? This is not an idle question, since Nissan has been offering e-Power power units for the Note hatchback and Serena minivan in Japan since 2017. The principle of the device is almost the same as that of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid car: the 1.2 three-cylinder engine 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 the Leaf e-Power would find its niche, but the current platform does not allow for such a hybrid

And all this time, Leaf II will win over buyers not so much from other electric cars, but from “non-electric cars” - from traditional cars with engines internal combustion and for hybrid vehicles. It’s not for nothing that Nissan boasts that it was able to increase the share of buyers who purchase a Leaf by trade-in sixfold, to 6.4%. Toyota hybrids Prius.

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

Blue button

I realized that Nissan had everything in order with its autopilot program when Tetsuya Ijima turned to me and began to gesticulate animatedly. This is not a typical way of conversation for a Japanese. And even more so for the Japanese who drives the self-driving prototype Infiniti Q50 ProPilot 3.0. Ijima-san was sitting in the front behind the wheel, and I was in the back on the left. At that moment, it seemed like we were overtaking someone on the highway.

P Later I was warned: publishing photos of an expressive engineer behind the wheel was not a very good idea, because the Tokyo police allow testing of drones on the city streets only on the condition that the driver will keep his arms extended forward, palms up, near the steering wheel at all times. But I still decided to hope that the Tokyo police do not read Soviet newspapers in the morning, and that such a mise-en-scène can only be interpreted in one way: everything is going as it should 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 technical progress. Toyota was burned by uncontrolled acceleration, Takata by self-detonating airbags, Mitsubishi by true fuel consumption, Kobe Steel by low-quality metal, and Nissan (just now!) by unscrupulous control of defects. After all this, in any situation that concerns quality, safety or innovation, the Japanese blow not only on water, but even on an empty glass. Therefore, while Tesla, Mercedes and BMW are launching production autonomous driving systems, Nissan and Toyota are sitting in prototypes with their palms extended to the steering wheel. And the goal announced by the government two years ago - to release an autonomous taxi on the streets of Tokyo by the 2020 Olympics - automakers are now commenting evasively: maybe yes, maybe not. Nissan, however, is not giving up its promises yet, and the liberation 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 highway through the automated toll gate. This is the most difficult maneuver, at least in Tokyo conditions. The highways here are laid above the streets and often do not have long acceleration lanes - entering cars rise up the ramp and, after a short run-up, join the flow. For an autopilot, this means that you first need to get into the tight gate of the entry post, gain speed on a narrow and often curved slope, look behind the dividing fence, synchronize with the speed of the flow, take aim - and safely wedge yourself 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 the barrier and turns off immediately after leaving through it. But Nissan drove journalists along the streets and highways in completely unmanned mode: the Q50 itself passed traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, he turned himself, passed the barriers and ramps himself. And he did it like a hussar. I've driven self-driving prototypes that behaved like a driver with a month of experience: I'd rather wait while everyone else passes. But ProPilot is more like a Moscow taxi driver: he drove onto the highway with acceleration, with an impudent lunge into the open window between cars and accentuated braking at the bumper of the car in front. On the Moscow Ring Road he could pass for one of his own.

At intersections, the instrument panel turns into a screen broadcasting an image from the front camera, on which the electronics build their “picture of the world.” Small red circle - recognized traffic signal

This is the so-called fourth level of autonomy, two steps higher than the standard ProPilot that the new Leaf is equipped with. The driver just needs to enter the address of the destination, switch 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 it was not staged. After all, it happens that the drone is followed by a car with a prompter operator, ready to provide insurance through remote control. Our Infiniti was also followed by a Nissan Note, but without an “interception group”. “To cover against random accidents,” the Japanese explained to me. They say that repairing a rear bumper with fifteen cameras, radars, scanners and sonars is a little more expensive than a regular one.

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

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

In short, ProPilot already behaves like a fairly experienced driver today. But what is stopping Nissan from waiting for the planned 2020 to launch the series, and right now setting off to catch up with its competitors? Ijima-san explained that the problem is in Japanese legislation and that work still needs to be done on driving through complex junctions, narrow streets in city centers and on recognizing animals: one of the prototypes has already survived a collision with a deer on a country road. More precisely, he didn’t survive, just like the deer. This is why, by the way, the Japanese are in no hurry to put journalists behind the wheel of drones. But from Tetsuya Ijima’s gestures and posture, I realized that this moment was not far off.

The Nissan Leaf electric car has been produced in Japan since 2010. The car is sold in the markets of Japan, America, Europe, Australia, but Russian market The Nissan Leaf has not been officially introduced.

The five-door hatchback is driven by an electric motor with a power of 80 kW (108 hp). The energy source is lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 24 kWh, which can be charged at electric gas stations or from a regular electrical network.

In 2013, the electric car was modernized: engineers improved the power electronics unit (its weight became lower), added the ability to charge from household network and increased the efficiency of the electric motor, as a result of which the rated range in the NEDC cycle increased from 175 to 199 km.

As a result of another modernization in 2015, the Nissan Leaf received a version with batteries of increased capacity - 30 kWh, the range on one charge of such a car is 250 km.

In the European market, an electric car is sold at a price of 23–29 thousand euros, depending on the subsidies provided by each country. Nissan Leaf with a larger capacity battery is two thousand euros more expensive.

Nissan Leaf is one of the best-selling electric vehicles in the world; for example, in 2014, 61 thousand copies of the model were sold - this best result among all electric vehicles. In the Chinese market the car is known under the name.

2nd generation, 2017

The second generation of the Nissan Leaf electric car has been produced since 2017; the cars are made at factories in Japan, the USA and the UK.

The five-door hatchback is equipped with an electric motor with a capacity of 150 hp. s., under the floor there is a traction lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 40 kWh. Claimed range measured by European standard NEDC is 378 km. When using a fast charging terminal, you can fill the battery to 80% in just 40 minutes, but it will take up to 16 hours to fully charge the car from a household outlet.

The car needs 7.9 seconds to accelerate to hundreds, and the top speed is limited to 144 km/h. Available in some markets Nissan version Leaf Nismo with standard power unit, but with “sports bumpers, modified suspension and steering settings.

The electric vehicle has a set of ProPilot systems, which allows it to move on the highway within one lane in completely unmanned mode. Another feature of the Leaf is the e-pedal function: in this case, the brake pedal is not used, and braking occurs when the gas pedal is released.

In the European market, the Nissan Leaf costs from 32 thousand euros; in the USA, prices for the model start at 30 thousand dollars. In the future, the company plans to start selling this electric car in Russia.

The all-new Nissan LEAF sets new standards in the growing electric vehicle market, offering advanced technologies such as Propilot Assist and ePedal and dynamic new design. The Nissan LEAF continues to be the world's best-selling electric vehicle.

The new Nissan Intelligent Mobility concept contributes to areas such as power management, autonomous driving and contactless charging. The electric car will be able to park itself without a driver in the cabin and will allow the driver to be distracted from the road using autopilot while driving.

Key highlights of the updated 2018 Nissan LEAF.

• Increased battery capacity up to 40 kWh
• 150 - strong electric motor
• 6.6 kW charger
• Two charging options
• Intelligent collision avoidance system that tracks vehicles and pedestrians.
• NissanConnectSM compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
• Absolutely new interior and appearance.

Innovative technologies that are integrated into the new Nissan LEAF, ProPilot Assist and E-Pedal. ProPilot Assist controls the situation on the road while driving. Monitors two cars ahead and promptly warns you about the need to slow down. Blind spots are also monitored during lane changes and the electric car can warn you if changing lanes is not safe. It also includes a lane control system that automatically keeps the electric vehicle in the selected lane. The intelligent all-round viewing system will show the electric car from a bird's eye view with all obstacles in a full 360 degrees. Intelligent cruise control maintains a safe speed and distance by monitoring the vehicle ahead and the speed of the entire traffic.

E-Pedal makes it possible to control the car with one pedal to accelerate, brake and stop. An electric car accelerates when you press the gas pedal, and slows down when the pressure on the pedal decreases and stops when you release it.

Updated lithium ion battery The 2018 Nissan LEAF provides a range of 240 km, which is well suited to the daily needs of most drivers. New technologies have added more capacity to the battery without increasing the size of the battery itself. The size of the updated battery is no different from the size of the old one. The cellular structure of rolled lithium-ion voltaic cells has been improved, allowing for increased battery power.

With the increase in electric motor power, Nissan engineers had to think about the stability of the electric car on the road. To achieve this, the wheelbase was increased, the battery was increased, and all heavy elements were moved closer to the center.

New control systems control the speed response of the steering wheel in the Nissan LEAF, increasing driver confidence at high speeds.

The appearance of the new Nissa LEAF is inspired by the IDS concept car, first shown in Tokyo in 2015. Branded V-Motion grille, lighting and sloping Windshield emphasize that the electric car belongs to the Nissan brand.

The interior of the 2018 Nissan LEAF has become more spacious and brighter. The display has become more concise and spacious. without unnecessary “decorations”. The focus was on clearly displaying all elements on the display.

Possible configuration options: Nissan LEAF S, Nissan LEAF SV and Nissan LEAF SL

The battery is guaranteed for 8 years or 100,000 miles. That is, Nissan guarantees that the battery will not lose capacity for 8 years.

2018 Nissan LEAF Highlights

Appearance

• Updated look
• Longer wheelbase and low center of gravity
• Aerodynamic drag coefficient of the body 0.28
• Dimensions: 4480x1790x1545 mm, ground clearance 150.
• Rear spoiler and flat underbody with rear diffuser
• LED headlights with Direct Lens system
• LED daytime running lights
• Automatic headlights
• Slim aerodynamic LED taillights
• Fog lights (SL version)
• Bumpers in body color
• Lockable charging port, when doors are closed, illuminated
• Chrome door handles
• Eight body color options
• Heated rear view mirrors

Motor and battery

• Front-wheel drive
• One speed reducer
• 40 kWh lithium-ion battery
• 150 hp electric motor with a torque of 320 Nm
• Cruising range 204km
• Fast charging port (in SV and SL trim levels, and in S as an option)
• Three driving modes Normal, Eco-Mode and B-Mode
• E-Pedal

Suspension, steering and braking system

• Independent front suspension with stabilizer
• Rear suspension with stabilizer
• Speed ​​sensitive power steering
• Regenerative braking system
• Front and rear disc brakes
• ABS and EBD systems
• 16-inch steel wheels (S version)
• 17-inch steel wheels (SV and SL trim levels)
• Spare wheel

Interior

• Dashboard “Gliding Wing”
• Five places
• Adjustable driver and front passenger seats
• Double-sided lumbar support on the driver's seat (optional)
• Eco-suede
• Heated front seats (optional)
• Heated rear seats (optional)
• 60/40 folding rear seats
• Heated leather steering wheel as an option
• Pockets on the backs of the front seats
• Rear air ducts
• EV-IT sensor for communication with the driver
• Electronic digital instrument panel
• Standard on-board computer
• Climate control
• Multimedia system AM / FM / CD with MP3/WMA playback, 4 speakers and 5-inch LCD display. (in S package)
• AM/FM multimedia system with MP3/WMA playback, 6 speakers and 7-inch touch screen (SV and SL trim levels)
• USB port for iPod and other shared devices
• Keyless entry and "Start" button
• automatic beet lifters
• Automatic door locking
• Remote key
• Two cup holders and bottle holder in each door
• Cigarette lighter
• Carpeted floor and trunk
• Bluetooth® Hands-free
• NissanConnect EV - for remote connection with an electric vehicle (optional)
• Rear View Camera
• Black cloth interior trim (S and SV trim levels)
• Black or light leather trim (on SL trim)

Safety

• Front airbags
• Three-point seat belts with sensors
• Child car seat anchors
• Child protection at doors
• Vibration-absorbing steering column
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• Immobilizer
• Car security system
• Pedestrian detection system
• ProPILOT Assist (optional)

Price

The price of the new Nissan LEAF, depending on the configuration, starts from $30,000 (RUB 1,900,000) and ends at $36,500 (RUB 2,300,000).

Blue Nissan Leaf on the road

Eighty-six Nissan Leaf electric vehicles are on the roads around the world today. The eco-car, as soon as it was born, was awarded two prestigious awards: “World Car of the Year 2011” and “European Car of the Year 2011”. It is the best-selling electric car on the planet today.

When you first look at the Nissan Leaf electric car, you understand that the car is outer space. But, as the Japanese themselves admitted, even if it were in their power, Nissan has become different from any model released before. And due to circumstances, we decided not to be too clever, so as not to encounter misunderstandings from buyers.

In appearance The Nissan Leaf is immediately struck by the rear, which is decorated with long taillights.

The interior of the Nissan Leaf has some similarities with existing models, making it recognizable, but there is a lot of original and new stuff. The designers found something in between for the interior of a cozy electric car.

Considering the size of the Nissan Leaf wheelbase - 200 mm, it is clear that the Nissan cannot be cramped, although there is not much space in the “gallery” for tall passengers. The sloping roof structure takes away centimeters in height.

Not too comfortable back seat three of us sitting because of the high tunnel under our feet. In addition, the space is not provided by the one and a half meter width of the Nissan Leaf.

But the front seats are spacious and comfortable (due to the high ceilings).

Despite the apparent inconvenience, the seats in the Nissan Leaf are soft and comfortable. We can speak positively about the entire ergonomics of the cabin. Perhaps you could wish for the driver's seat to be height-adjustable. Instead, adjust the angle of the pillow and adjust the seats (mechanical adjustment). Sheathing Nissan interior Leaf is rustic, so as not to increase the price of a model that is already expensive. In addition, for the PREMIUM class, to which the Nissan electric car belongs, expensive materials are not needed.

Autogadget

The Nissan Leaf has digital equipment. There is not a single device with old technology.

The dashboard in the Nissan Leaf occupies a central place. Present at it temperature and charge indicators(instead of a speedometer) and an indicator indicating the power reserve. There is such an interesting “trick” here, which shows the level of electric motor power currently used– fixing a chain with a running white dot.

Nissan's separate screen displays a clock, thermometer, speedometer and a waxing or waning herringbone indicating the energy being used. Moreover, there can be a lot of them and there is even a competition between drivers to see who can “grow” them more.

Present in Leaf and second color screen, which is more functional but less important. It works as a navigator, controls the audio system, and also displays graphical information from which the driver can judge the condition of the Nissan car, the intensity of recovery, the level of electricity consumption of the main electrical equipment (climate control, engine, etc.). Also on the Nissan Leaf are functions of the need for charging and the nearest charging stations. But what is relevant for Europe is usually unnecessary for our warrior.

It is very convenient that you can install it using your computer. charging timer. Usually they try to tie it to a cheaper night rate (and again this is for Europe). You can install a program on your computer that will warm up the Nissan Leaf and cool the interior when the owner arrives. All you need is a smartphone.

The Leaf doesn't have a gearbox, so joystick necessary only to issue the “forward-backward” command and select the operating mode (economy or normal). The car only has a unit that combines the gearbox, investor and electric motor.

It is important that the silent Nissan, in order not to frighten pedestrians, is equipped with a sound system that resembles a whistle. It turns on automatically at a speed of more than thirty kilometers, but it is easy to turn off.

It is important that the Leaf is well equipped already basic configuration, unlike other cars. Of the options, of which there are few, we can note solar battery, which compensates for the energy consumption for “entertainment” and signal, on the rear spoiler.

Specifications

The heart of this remarkable Nissan Leaf electric car is synchronous three-phase motor, having a power of 80 kW and a torque of 280 Nm. Nissan supplies energy to the engine. lithium ion battery , developed by the company together with NEC. Inside each block (there are 48 in total) there are four flat layers, giving a total power of 24 kW. This is enough to drive the Leaf 160 km - quite enough for a day's mileage of any car. The battery weight is three hundred kilograms.

The compact battery could be placed within the wheelbase, under the bottom of the Nissan. By lowering the center of gravity, it was possible to achieve maximum stability of the Nissan Leaf and a smooth ride: at a speed of 60 km/h, when turning, there is no body roll and there is not even a hint that the car may deviate from the given trajectory.

The Nissan Leaf electric car picks up speed surprisingly smoothly. How quickly this happens depends on which driving mode is selected. In “Eco” mode, nothing will happen even if the pedal is pressed to the floor. In “Drive” mode, on the contrary, you can fully experience all the dynamics. The Leaf's acceleration will be brisk, but its range will be slightly reduced.

The platform on which the Leaf is built has McPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear.

McPherson struts

The Nissan's leather-wrapped steering wheel is tactilely pleasant and fits perfectly in the hands, but almost all the information in the wheel is stolen by the electric power steering. But the boosting torque is perfectly tuned, adding confidence on the road.

Experts testing the Nissan Leaf have conflicting opinions about the brakes. This concerns not the fact that braking efficiency is somewhat reduced by the recuperation system, which converts braking energy into electricity (this is quite normal), but the short pedal stroke.

Aerodynamics

Visibility, acoustic comfort and aerodynamics work together in the Leaf, although aerodynamics are primary, which directly affects efficiency. Nissan's streamlined shape indicates a low drag coefficient. But the shape of the headlights was also designed so that air flows were diverted from the side mirror so that they could be redirected to the rear spoiler. Not just for beauty and diffuser.

The Nissan Leaf's flat underbody makes it highly efficient, resulting in minimal aerodynamic noise entering the cabin. Visibility from the driver's seat in the Leaf, as a result of the fight against the wind, suffered somewhat: the front pillars are too wide and excessively tilted back. But we can say about the interior and side mirrors that they cope with their task “excellently”.

Power consumption

The distance covered on one charge is 160 km. But this value greatly depends on the driving style, the temperature “outside” of the electric vehicle, the intensity of use of the air conditioner and the age of the battery. In the city they eat a lot battery charge constant seat in traffic jams.

We calculated that the cost of one charge is 8 UAH or 32 rubles, which is ten times less than what is required for an electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine (i.e., energy consumed is 3.3 kWh), which corresponds to the operation of three hair dryers.

Charging the car

The Nissan charging process is similar to other electric vehicles. The Leaf has two ports in front of the hood - for fast charging (at charging stations) and for charging from a household network. In the first case, it will take half an hour to charge 80%, and in the second, it will take eight hours for the battery to be fully charged.

The only difference between the Nissan Leaf, as the manufacturers say, is the durability of the battery, which should not lose more than 20% over five years of operation, for which it is not necessary to allow a complete discharge and not to abuse short charges. If the battery capacity during the warranty period (five years) falls below the permissible level, the company will replace the battery free of charge.

But again this has nothing to do with us.

Video: Test drive Nissan Leaf

Nissan Leaf price

This car costs within 35 thousand dollars, but taking into account regional and federal subsidies provided by the state, an American buyer, for example, will pay only thirty thousand for it. It's easy to calculate how much it will cost Russian buyer – from 800,000 rubles, but this is if you buy a new one.

If we take BU, then average price in Russia 600,000 rubles 2011-2012.

In Ukraine, the average price of a Nissan leaf is 642500 UAH

Where to buy Nissan Leaf

In Ukraine, Nissan is sold on the website http://ecoist.com.ua/elektromobil-nissan-leaf.htm . And it is sold officially in Russia, for example on the website http://auto.drom.ru/nissan/leaf/ , although there are already 50 charging stations in the capital alone. But there is no government support for the private company’s program yet, so it’s too early to talk about “clean” cars.

I would like the situation to change, because this electric car of a world brand for adequate money is an electric-efficient option that many would be happy to use. It’s not even a matter of ecology, which we are still mentally prepared for, but a matter of savings, which drivers strive for. But for now we are separated from civilized countries by a deep chasm.

Electric car Nissan Leaf reviews

Without exaggeration, the car is cool, but they will only be able to buy Nissans en masse when the cost is at least somewhat comparable to the cost of liquid fuel. There are two problems for the consumer - price and charging stations.

Alexander Berezovsky, USA, Stamford

The reason for its popularity is that the Nissan is an almost ordinary, in a non-scary sense of the word, car: the trunk (roomy and full) is in the back, and the mechanisms and engine are in the front. The idyll of the trunk is disrupted by the battery pack. The absence of any restrictions inherent in other “electric trains” makes it so popular. Well, and the price, which is half as much as Tesla. Ride quality 10 plus, there is enough electronics, as well as a power reserve. Frost resistance is also ok.

Correspondent, tester