Nissan : Leaf’s Battery Pack Should Last As Long As The Car

[JJnHAWAII]

I give credit to Nissan for the speed to market yet it is clear they actually reduced the quality of the car to save money and rushed the telematics to the market, this is clear. An extra $1K in the car would have made it a far better vehicle. If Ford does the focus drive and pack well the car is already much nicer then the LEAF with its poor interior, paint. NAV/Stereo, etc etc. I can't believe how many corners they cut not to mention on the charger. There is a reason the LEAF NAV is different than their other cars and stripped down of features and functionality. They also knew about doing SOC and they ignored that but I fully expect that to be there in a year or two. I'm a bit shocked at some of the mistakes they made, even the ones that would not have cost more money. If you want a glimpse at the product development mentality at Nissan just wonder how the eco package appliqué around the drive selector made it to final approval :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:[/quote]

I disagree that they cut corners making the leaf. I think the car is very refined, comfortable, and well built. The navigation works great even in tunnels and parking garages. Far better than any aftermarket or previous oem nav. The car does manage the soc, and you can select the setting to only charge to 80 %. I'm not sure you have spent much time behind the wheel, because your post does not accurately portray this vehicle. I have had some very nice vehicles and usually drive high end vehicles. I personally love the comfort, fit, and finish. Yes, the cloth armrest are another matter, but...
It's not perfect, but isn't beauty in the eye of the beholder.

 

[LEAFfan]

Well, I for one would never consider the Focus for several reasons. One being the battery placement, stuffed in the trunk so there are very little usable space left. The other important reason is no CHAdeMO port, which means no long-distance driving. The 6.6kW charger is totally uninteresting to us. Slow charging will be overnight anyway, on the road 6.6kW is pitiful against Nissans ~45kW CHAdeMO port.NAV and stereo don't concern me much, we don't need the NAV and only listen to radio. I would have preferred a darker interior option, but the fabric is nice (I hate leather). I hope the paint holds up though.
Telematics ? As long as the remote start of heating and cooling from our iPhones work, I don't care about the rest. SOC would be nice but I'll get a kit instead. No big deal.
Basically, they got the important parts right, loads of interior space and fast charging possibilities.

+1! Well said!

 

[TonyWilliams]

There is a reason the LEAF NAV is different than their other cars and stripped down of features and functionality.

"Unveiled this week at the SAE Convergence conference in Detroit, the latest version of Windows Embedded Auto includes Tellme speech recognition (allowing voice control of the in-dash interface and text messaging), tools for integrating third-party systems, and a version of Silverlight for 2-D and 3-D graphics.

In the Nissan LEAF, an earlier version of the Windows Embedded platform will power what the companies are calling an “information hub.” This is part of the EV-IT system first described during the vehicle prototyping stage last year. It encompasses an onboard transmitting unit connected through mobile networks to a data center. In-vehicle IT services include a display of the radius that the car can drive using the current battery charge, as well as the location of nearby public charging stations.

Perry told us in July that the automaker is working with AT&T to provide a connection for digital services for the car, which also has a dedicated iPhone application. Using the app, LEAF owners will be able to remotely monitor the state of charge of the battery, and can pre-heat or pre-cool the car. And as we all know, the iPhone — one of the most important platforms for mobile application development — is still exclusively on the AT&T network.

According to Perry, using Windows Embedded for the LEAF was a joint decision by Nissan and Clarion, which is supplying the hardware box and touch screen for the information hub. Nissan gave Clarion a set of specifications, he said, and then Clarion, a subsidiary of Hitachi selected the best platform to deliver those requirements. "

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/why-nissan-tapped-microsoft-for-the-electric-leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[evnow]

I give credit to Nissan for the speed to market yet it is clear they actually reduced the quality of the car to save money and rushed the telematics to the market, this is clear.

All V1s have problems - since there is never enough time to get everything perfect before shipping.