Getting your player ready...
Driven into my driveway Monday morning, presumably from Denver, was a bright-silver-colored Nissan Leaf all-electric sedan. Lured outdoors by the bug-eyed innovation, I caught a glimpse of a long trailer behind a truck rounding a corner down the street away from me. It was delivered; otherwise, I’d have received an electric car only half-cocked, since the Leaf carries a range of 100 miles at best, and I live at least 50 miles from the city. The pistol-grip charging cord would have been quickly put to use.
The charge, though, was nearly full. The meter in the Leaf read “90 miles to E (for empty)” Monday night when, in 35-degree weather, I backed the car from the garage, drove to the post office and back, 7 miles, and the meter now read, “74 miles to E.” My gosh. I pulled into the garage, shut down the electrical systems, raised the lid up front on the charging port and plugged in the connector on the heavy-duty cord provided by Nissan and began charging. To replenish a fully diluted lithium-ion battery pack with 110-volt charge, it takes 20 hours.
The Leaf is of very quick acceleration; no surprise to me, for I’d driven the electric a short distance out east of Denver six months ago. It is smooth as can be, too.
The car doesn’t meet every need. For instance, for my drive to Denver early Tuesday morning, I had to leave the Leaf parked, for, though it would get me to where I was going, I would have to remain there for a recharge before driving back home.
Sunny weather, 45 degrees, greeted us in the Leaf Tuesday afternoon in stop-and-go driving to Target, Best Buy, AT&T and Lolly’s Hallmark card shop. It is an easy car to park, on a wheelbase of 106 inches and track of 60 inches, and only 175 inches in overall length. Steering isn’t particularly quick; it is electrically assisted, of course. This day, we scarcely noticed any use of the car’s reserve of electric power. Lift your foot off the accelerator in normal driving and regenerative braking sends some recharge to the batteries.
The “miles to E” took a fairly shop drop Tuesday night in a run of several miles around town, so it was plug-in time again.
Lunch Wednesday required a 30-mile round-trip, contrasting hill-climbing and easy cruising via U.S. 34, and the miles in the bank shrunk to 27. I threw the plug on it for a couple hours, then we headed to a ribbon-cutting by the chamber of commerce, where the Leaf, with its frog-eyed LED headlights and 33-inch long taillights, was a big attraction. Nighttime driving, with its colder temperatures, use of lights, audio and heater, takes a toll – only 19 miles were at hand.
Twelve hours of overnight charging gave us an 86-mile range at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
The 20-hour charging time with standard 110-volt can be cut to 8 hours by using a 220-volt system. Quick-charge capability at a few select stations can cut the time to 30 minutes.
A solar panel built into the rear spoiler boosts recharge of the car’s regular 12-volt battery for helping to power the accessories.
The Leaf review model carried a sticker price of $35,440; the vehicle is eligible for a tax credit up to $7,500.
The smooth, easy-driving Leaf is aimed at city commuters.
From electrics
to commercial vans Nissan is a new player in the full-sized commercial van market with its 2012 NV1500, 2500 and 3500 models. Based on a beefed-up version of the Titan pickup body-on-frame platform, the NV competes with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Ford Econoline, Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana commercial vans. A four-row, 12-passenger Nissan NV3500 HD van will be added to the lineup in the coming spring. The NV2500 V-6 standard-roof van provided for my use this week had a wide-open cargo area behind the two individual front seats. The load area measured 10 feet long, 54.3 inches between the wheel wells and 55.8 inches high – 238 cubic feet. The 5,900-pounder maneuvers easily, even with its 20-foot length, and is a strong runner with its 261-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission. Its gross vehicle weight rating is 9,100 pounds. V-8 power is available for the van. Unloaded, the van’s ride turns somewhat harsh on uneven terrain. A stack of sheetrock and 2-by-4s would smooth that considerably. The rear-drive vehicle is equipped with rear leaf springs and stabilizer bar. Large grab handles on the A pillars ease the task of climbing up into the front-seating area. Convex sections built into the large side mirrors help overcome sight blockage by the closed-in sides of the van’s cargo area. An optional rearview camera is money well-spent on the NV. The rearview monitor’s cost of $590 boosted sticker price to $28,085 for the NV2500 V-6, giving the Nissan van a competitive stance against the other commercial vehicles on the market. Other options added to the review model were side and curtain airbags and rear-door glass, while, among standard items are 17-inch wheels, trip computer, AM/FM/CD audio, center console with sliding tray and variable intermittent windshield wipers. 2011 Nissan Leaf Electric $35,440 (price as tested) MPG City 106 Highway 92
(equivalent) Vehicle type: Fully electric four-door Wheelbase: 106.3 inches Length/Width/Height: 175/69.7/61 inches Weight: 3,366 pounds Power: 80kw AC synchronous motor, 24kwh lithium-ion battery Transmission: 1-speed direct drive Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic, 5/60,000 powertrain, 8/100,000 lithium-ion battery Competitors: Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Built at Oppama, Japan THE STICKER $33,720 base $700 Quick-charge port $170 Floor mats $850 Destination PLUSES Green technology Economy Smoothness MINUSES Limited range Excessive charging time Trunk capacity
to commercial vans Nissan is a new player in the full-sized commercial van market with its 2012 NV1500, 2500 and 3500 models. Based on a beefed-up version of the Titan pickup body-on-frame platform, the NV competes with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Ford Econoline, Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana commercial vans. A four-row, 12-passenger Nissan NV3500 HD van will be added to the lineup in the coming spring. The NV2500 V-6 standard-roof van provided for my use this week had a wide-open cargo area behind the two individual front seats. The load area measured 10 feet long, 54.3 inches between the wheel wells and 55.8 inches high – 238 cubic feet. The 5,900-pounder maneuvers easily, even with its 20-foot length, and is a strong runner with its 261-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission. Its gross vehicle weight rating is 9,100 pounds. V-8 power is available for the van. Unloaded, the van’s ride turns somewhat harsh on uneven terrain. A stack of sheetrock and 2-by-4s would smooth that considerably. The rear-drive vehicle is equipped with rear leaf springs and stabilizer bar. Large grab handles on the A pillars ease the task of climbing up into the front-seating area. Convex sections built into the large side mirrors help overcome sight blockage by the closed-in sides of the van’s cargo area. An optional rearview camera is money well-spent on the NV. The rearview monitor’s cost of $590 boosted sticker price to $28,085 for the NV2500 V-6, giving the Nissan van a competitive stance against the other commercial vehicles on the market. Other options added to the review model were side and curtain airbags and rear-door glass, while, among standard items are 17-inch wheels, trip computer, AM/FM/CD audio, center console with sliding tray and variable intermittent windshield wipers. 2011 Nissan Leaf Electric $35,440 (price as tested) MPG City 106 Highway 92
(equivalent) Vehicle type: Fully electric four-door Wheelbase: 106.3 inches Length/Width/Height: 175/69.7/61 inches Weight: 3,366 pounds Power: 80kw AC synchronous motor, 24kwh lithium-ion battery Transmission: 1-speed direct drive Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic, 5/60,000 powertrain, 8/100,000 lithium-ion battery Competitors: Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Built at Oppama, Japan THE STICKER $33,720 base $700 Quick-charge port $170 Floor mats $850 Destination PLUSES Green technology Economy Smoothness MINUSES Limited range Excessive charging time Trunk capacity
