"As the 19th century French novelist Jean-Baptiste Karr once wrote "plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose" usually translated as "the more things change, the more they stay the same", the same sentiment can be levelled at the car industry today.
The winds of change might be sweeping through the world’s great car makers, with the environment central to everything now in production and on the designer’s sketchpad, but on our recent first drive of the first mass produced electric car, and current European Car of the Year, the Nissan LEAF, change hasn’t made it through to the driving experience. Which is a good thing.
Within five minutes of being sat in the driving seat an overwhelming sense of familiarity sweeps over you. Strip away the futuristic dashboard display, overlook the strange little ‘gearknob’ and it’s easy to forget that working away underneath you is a very real and very different, purely electric drivetrain. The truth is when you’re sat in the LEAF you could be sat in pretty much any small family hatchback car. Drive height and visibility are familiar, there is plenty of space in the rear to seat three, and the boot, at 330 litres, isn’t taken up by masses of battery packs either.
And there are a number of very sensible reasons why Nissan has decided on the familiarity route with the LEAF. Firstly, the LEAF is the forerunner of Nissan’s next generation electric cars, so by presenting the technology in one of the world’s most popular car segments makes good financial sense. Secondly, with over $4bn invested by the Japanese carmaker into EV and battery technology already then it needs to start making money from the technology. And thirdly, the majority of motorists need to be convinced that they can make the switch to electric cars, having an alien driving experience is not going to help make the masses jump to battery power anytime soon.
The familiarity extends to how the car performs too. Press the button mounted to the left of the steering wheel and the LEAF comes alive – lights flash and a Japanese jingle plays. Knock the gearlever into drive mode and the vehicle will gently begin to crawl forward, just as a conventionally powered automatic would. Squeeze the accelerator pedal and the LEAF quickly accelerates, with the power from the electric motor transferring quickly and smoothly to the wheels. Steering is very light and perhaps a little too light for UK drivers, which only firms up when travelling at speed, while the handling is responsive and accurate. In short, its an enjoyable and hassle-free drive.
Pedestrian safety concerns have been addressed with the addition of an artificial sound under 17mph, above this speed and the car’s road noise is such that any higher risk pedestrians, such as the visually impaired and the young, can hear the LEAF coming. Inside the cabin, the car is remarkably quiet, luxury saloon quiet, with just a minimal amount of road noise, and the faint whine of the electric motor. In fact, it’s so quiet that Nissan had to source a new windscreen wiper motor as their standard one was found to be too noisy!
At 110 miles the LEAF’s driving range is sufficient for most journeys, however it would need to be driven with kid gloves to get anywhere near 110 miles, if our test drive was anything to go by. Drive like an impetuous teenager and you’ll be looking at about half that distance before the warning light comes on and panic sets in. However, drive conservatively and 90 miles is an attainable and safe distance on a single charge. The driving range is also helped by the LEAF having an ECO driving mode, which reduces air conditioning (a real battery killer) and increases range by around 10%.
With 26 Nissan dealerships currently selling the LEAF across the UK, each of these sites will have a three-phase quick charger available free of charge to any LEAF driver, so theoretically a fast charge point should always be fairly close at hand. And these quick charge points are capable of restoring 80% of the battery pack’s charge in under 30 minutes.
The flip side to this new technology is that the Nissan LEAF doesn’t come cheap. Currently weighing in at a hefty £25,990, even taking into account the £5,000 Government grant, the LEAF will remain out of reach for many. The outlay doesn’t end there either, as you’ll need an extra £995 for a domestic charging point to be installed that replenishes the battery in eight hours, as an alternative to the 12 hours taken by a standard three-pin plug unit. To put this into context, the environmentally focussed Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion 5-Door retails at £19,250, some £6,000 less than the LEAF. Alternatively, the hybrid-powered Toyota Auris T4 HSD 1.8 VVT-i 5-Door retails at £19,545, again at a substantially lower upfront cost.
However, the Nissan LEAF will start to claw back the initially higher upfront cost with much lower on-going costs. Nissan estimates that average monthly bills for recharging the LEAF will come to around £25, servicing should be refreshingly cheap (thanks to a lack of moving parts), zero rate VED, and company car drivers aren’t liable for any Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) tax bills. Not forgetting that for London commuters, the Nissan LEAF is exempt from the Congestion Charge. Just how much a motorist will save will very much depend on their individual circumstances, future Government taxation levels, and the price at the petrol pumps.
So, the Nissan LEAF on our first drive was a resounding success on the busy roads surrounding Milton Keynes. Poised on the road, comfortable interior, enjoyable to drive, all the hallmarks of a very good small family car – the more things change, the more they stay the same."
Em: http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blo ... ssan-leaf/
