2014 Nissan Leaf SV
Somehow in the eight years since I started writing about cars I’ve driven lots of electric vehicles but have never managed to spend an extended period with one until now. Having now spent a week with a 2014 Nissan Leaf SV, I can say that it’s a very good car regardless of how its propelled. That doesn’t mean it’s the best car for everyone in search of a compact hatchback, but for those whose lifestyles overlap with the limitations of today’s battery technology it’s a great choice.
Compared to its most obvious competitor, the Ford Focus Electric, the Leaf is actually a bit larger and roomier, splitting the dimensional differences between the Focus and its tall-wagon sibling, the C-Max. Built from the ground-up as a battery-electric-vehicle (BEV), the Leaf offers a number of packaging advantages over the Ford which is mainly available with a conventional gasoline engine powertrain.
Compare the dimensions of the Leaf, Ford C-Max and Focus
The unique headlamp design of the Leaf
Leaf gets one-of-a-kind styling that sets it apart from the rest of the Nissan lineup and says “I’m different” without being too weird. The most distinct element of the look is the long, raised headlamps that car clearly visible from the driver’s seat. At the rear, the lower half of the hatch curves outward, almost giving it a bit of a mini bustle-back. Other than that, the rest of the car is looks fairly conventional which is probably a good way to gain mainstream market acceptance, but I’ll come back to that in a bit.
Nissan engineers took advantage of the nearly three inches of extra height available to them to package the lithium ion battery pack below the floor and seats. Compared to the Focus, rear seat passengers sit considerably higher up with an almost theater seating layout that allows them to look over the driver’s shoulder. The battery packaging also gives Leaf a big cargo volume advantage with 24 cubic feet behind the seats compared to just 14.5 in the Focus. Compared to the Chevy Volt that hit dealer lots within a couple of weeks of the Leaf at the end of 2010, the Nissan also offers plenty of room for three passengers in the back seat.
Using a dedicated BEV platform instead of trying to cram 24-kilowatt-hours of lithium ion into a conventional compact also allowed the engineers to keep weight down. Despite its extra size, the Leaf weighs just 3,276-pounds, 364 pounds less than the plug-in Focus. Of course part of that savings comes from using an air-cooled battery which may come back to haunt Leaf owners in the long run, but it’s too early to be sure how much better the liquid-cooled batteries in the Focus and Volt will hold up over time.
The rear seat sits higher than normal to accommodate the battery below it
The top trim level Leaf SV gets two charge ports, one for 220-Volt, 6.6-kW charging, and one for 400-volt DC fast charging
The top-grade SV trim that I drove includes standard features such as leather coverings for the seats and steering wheel, navigation and the 400-volt DC charging port that can add 80 percent to the battery state of charge in 30 minutes. Unfortunately, while the primary 110/220-volt AC charge port is the industry-standard (except for Tesla) J1772 connector, the current-generation Leaf uses the Japanese-standard CHAdeMO port for the DC fast-charging. At this time there are only two CHAdeMO chargers in Michigan and one is at the Nissan R&D center in Farmington Hills. Nationwide there are about 1,327 as this written, mostly concentrated in the Northeast, Florida, the west coast and of course Tennessee where Nissan has its North American headquarters.
At its base sticker price of $29,860 delivered before the available $7,500 federal tax credit, the entry-level Leaf S is the most affordable, widely available BEV in the U.S.-market today. That gets 24 kWh battery and 84-mile EPA-estimated range as a loaded model like the one I drove. However, at that price point the Leaf only gets a slower 3.3-kilowatt charger and no support for fast DC charging.
The compact electric motor and power electronics
The optional faster chargers add $1,770 to the bottom line although they are included in the SL and SV trim levels. With access to a 220-volt level 2 charging station, the 3.3-kW charger will fill the battery with electrons in about 8 hours while the 6.6-kW version cuts that time to just five hours. If like me you don’t have a level 2 charger, things take a lot longer if you have to rely on a standard 110-volt outlet. The Leaf arrived at my house with about 2/3 charge on the battery (about 54 miles of range) and when I plugged it in, the instrument cluster said it would take 11.5 hours to top it off. If you regularly drive more than 20-25 daily, you’ll want to pay an electrician to install the higher voltage charging system in your garage.
In my case, when I was invited to attend a late-season baseball game in Detroit, the first thing I did was a search for charging stations in the vicinity of Comerica Park. I found a grand total of two within a reasonable walking distance. With 37 miles of mostly 70 mph freeway between my driveway and the stadium, an after-dark return with the headlights on, and no guarantee that I would be able to add juice to the battery while parked, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk of getting stranded 10 miles from home and took my own car that evening.
Aside from the almost complete lack of noise, driving a Leaf is a remarkably uneventful experience which is a very good thing for such an advanced automobile that aspires to be a mainstream, high-volume seller. With the instantly accessible torque of the electric motor driving the front wheels, acceleration was more than adequate for typical daily commuting.
With all of that battery mass mounted down low in the car, it feels surprisingly nimble to drive as well. Body roll is kept to a minimum thanks to the low center of mass and the optional 17-inch Michelin tire and wheel package was devoid of the usual squirminess found in the traditional super-low-rolling resistance tire. The brake pedal felt firm and never exhibited any noticeable transition between regenerative and friction braking.
I spent most of the week driving the car with the transmission in the B or “braking” mode rather than drive which defaults to a higher level of regenerative braking as you release the accelerator. The effect is like constantly driving the car in a higher than normal gear and getting more engine braking. In this case, it enables more one-pedal driving and rarely having to actually touch the brake pedal.
The only real complaint I could level against the dynamic qualities of the Leaf is the steering. While the electrically-assisted steering was nicely weighted, the lack of much feedback proportional to cornering force made it feel a bit artificial. Fortunately for most of the consumers likely to buy this car, that’s unlikely to be a problem.
In addition to access to a plug, one other critical factor when considering whether to buy a BEV is the climate where you live. Since a BEV doesn’t have the reserve of waste heat energy from cooling the engine, it must use the battery to warm the cabin when the thermometer drops or the windows need to be cleared of fog. That means winter-time range can drop anywhere from 25 to 50 percent depending on how much bundling up you are prepared to do in the car. During a winter like the one we had last year in Michigan and are forecast to get again this year, a maximum driving range of under 50 miles is not out of the question. There is a reason why most of BEVs are sold on the coast and in the south.
If the limited range between plugs can fit into your lifestyle and your budget doesn’t yet accommodate a Tesla Model S, the Leaf is a fine compact car that won’t force to make any other real sacrifices while reducing our dependence on hydrocarbon fuels. If you only occasionally make longer road trips than the Leaf can accommodate, you can always rent something more traditional. Either that or just plan on making the trip leisurely with plenty of stops.
