Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today introduced two services through its Nissan LEAF owners website and smartphone applications in Japan-one that precisely forecasts the LEAF's remaining battery capacity when it arrives at a destination and the other called "Minna no Syouhi Denryoku (Energy Usage Database)" *1. Together, these services arm LEAF drivers with precise state of battery information.
A dedicated website for Nissan LEAF owners already supplies a route search function which alerts a driver to information on charging spots, time required to drive a given travel route, and driving directions. Recently, owners have requested information regarding energy consumption based on additional variables, such as when a Nissan LEAF travels in areas with a large elevation change, such as up mountains.
The new battery level service can make a precise forecast on the amount of electricity consumed and the remaining capacity to a destination, based on factors such as ascending/descending hills along the route, driving highways or local streets, and air conditioner use. It uses a high-precision electricity consumption simulator that makes calculations based on information such as the specifications of the motor and other items used in a Nissan LEAF. The service enables Nissan LEAF owners to judge more precisely whether recharging is needed or not until they arrive at their destination.
When the owners use the website or smartphone application, route search results are shown in figures and visually with the forecasted remaining battery capacity upon arrival at the destination (12 segments when fully charged). Visibility and usability of the indicators were carefully considered by adopting the same display methods used in the Nissan LEAF. Nissan is also advancing the development of this system so that similar information can also be provided via the Nissan LEAF's on-board navigation system.
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