2013 LEAF Specs, Pricing, Options Released In Japan

All the specs are out! (at least in Japan)

Range bump 200 to 228 in the JC08 (14% bump would be 83 miles on EPA if percentages hold)
New S Model that is 12% cheaper (would make US entry at least $31,500 or lower)

3 new colors: Dark Metal Gray, Brilliant White Pearl and White
17"wheels, 16" wheels and 16" caps
"elegant" black interior
175lbs lighter
Personal fav: Remaining battery capacity shown by percentage in the Multifunction Display

http://insideevs.com/nissan-officially-announces-2013-leaf-in-japan-more-range-less-money-new-functionality/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(I've also embeded the Japanese conference call on the new LEAF for those of us who can understand...as well as about as many pictures as I felt the story could hold)

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Exterior
•Sporty and stylish 17-inch aluminum wheels (standard on G)
•16-inch aluminum wheels used in the current model are available as a factory-installed option (on X)
•16-inch full-wheel covers (standard on S and X)
•LED headlights with auto-leveling using blue reflection LED lights (standard on G, factory-installed option on S and X)
•Front fog lights (standard on G, dealer-installed option on S and X)
•Seven available body colors, including three new colors: Dark Metal Gray, Brilliant White Pearl and White.

Interior
•Chic, elegant black interior
•Genuine leather seats available on G and X as a factory-installed option (Airy Gray color for previous model is available on G and X)
•Pop-up and down adjustable rear center seat headrest
•Increased luggage space from 330L to 370L, realized by moving a downsized onboard charger from the back of the car to the front
•Remaining battery capacity shown by percentage in the Multifunction Display
•Foot-operated parking brake.

Basic EV structure
•High voltage unit, including an electric motor, inverter and DC/DC converter, was integrated, resulting in a 30 percent volume reduction and a 10 percent mass reduction
•More responsive and exhilarating acceleration feel delivered by a newly designed motor
•Weight reduced by about 80kg compared to previous model. Achieved by combined powertrain unit, integrated functions, streamlined battery module and case structure, and use of lighter parts
•B range that generates deceleration without feeling a change in noise and gravity even on a downward slope (standard on G and X)
•Enhanced driving performance achieved by improved steering response in the medium-speed range and optimized suspension characteristics associated with weight reduction.

Improved power consumption
•Reduced power consumption with a heat-pump cabin heater, heated seat for all seats, heated steering wheel and heat shield ceiling
•Changes to the regenerative brake control system enable more efficient power generation when the brakes are operated.

Charging
•Long-life mode (where the battery is charged to 80% to extend the battery life), now available in any charging mode
•Improved convenience of the charging port, including a locking mechanism for the normal charging connector, LED light for charging at night and electromagnetic opener for the charging port lid.

EV IT
•Addition of "Stop-off charging spot guidance" function, "Power-saving route guidance" function and "Battery capacity at a destination forecast" function which can allay potential range anxiety
•New ways to search for and locate charging spots easily and quickly. Adoption of "Charging spot availability information provision" function, "Quick charger location display" function and "Unavailable charging spot display" function.

Additional enhancements
•Lighter-weight, highly efficient BOSE® seven-speaker system: Energy Efficient System (factory-installed option on G and X)
•Around View Monitor shows an image of the vehicle's surroundings that is not easily visible (factory-installed option on G and X)
•Highly concentrated Plasma Cluster Ion generator which eliminates odors and kills germs (standard on G)
•Hill Start Assist which enables a driver to start the LEAF on a slope without worrying about rolling backward

Nissan LEAF has been developed in line with Nissan's commitment to using recycled materials where possible to minimize environmental impacts. In addition, the amount of the rare earth element dysprosium used in the newly designed motor of the updated Nissan LEAF has been reduced by about 40 percent compared to the previous model—without sacrificing performance.


http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2012/_STORY/121120-01-e.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDIT: Here is a shot I found of the new entry level LEAF in Dark Metal Gray (with the new headlamps and hubcaps)

Increased luggage space from 330L to 370L, realized by moving a downsized onboard charger from the back of the car to the front

Click to expand...

On top of the awesomeness of the possibility of increased rante this is one that's been rumored for a while that makes a lot of sense and would be pretty nice.

Any idea what this means?

heat shield ceiling

Click to expand...

gsleaf said:

Increased luggage space from 330L to 370L, realized by moving a downsized onboard charger from the back of the car to the front

Click to expand...

On top of the awesomeness of the possibility of increased rante this is one that's been rumored for a while that makes a lot of sense and would be pretty nice.

Any idea what this means?

heat shield ceiling

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Not sure yet. Video conference is still going on. They are doing some Q&A and observations (albeit in Japanese). I have the conference embeded on my site (will be on a loop after it is completed if anyone wants to go through it). I also just added a shot of the new rear cargo area/configuration.

What, no 6.6 kW charger ? That sucks.

mkjayakumar said:

What, no 6.6 kW charger ? That sucks.

Click to expand...

My guess is that the Japan version may not 'need' a 6.6 kw onboard charger
since their Chademo DC QC deployment is more widespread in Japan.

They may yet be able to offer it on the US version despite the higher
cost of the 6.6 kw because of the lower production cost of the
US-built LEAFs.

mkjayakumar said:

What, no 6.6 kW charger ? That sucks.

Click to expand...

No worries. Yes there is 6.6 kW for the 2013 in the US...works a little differently in Japan

Heat Shield ceiling, I would say that it's insulation in the roof to keep the heat of the sun out.

How about the "Highly concentrated Plasma Cluster Ion generator" sounds like mister fusion to me.

Bigboler said:

How about the "Highly concentrated Plasma Cluster Ion generator" sounds like mister fusion to me.

Click to expand...

Plasmacluster ionizer has been available on some Toyota for years...

Anyhow, sounds like a lot of great changes, some in response to some of the complaints brought up (e.g. light interior gets dirty to easily, % SoC indicator). It'll be interesting to see if there will be a de-contented lower end model than SL and what it'll lack.

I wonder if the full-wheel cover reference == steel wheels w/hubcaps on the cheaper trims?

Statik said:

•Remaining battery capacity shown by percentage in the Multifunction Display
•Foot-operated parking brake.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing that the percentage charge remaining (is this SOC% or a more useful measure of coulombs stored?) will replace the current charge capacity bar display that Nissan likely regrets including in the current model. OR is this really a percentage version of the current 12 bar pack capacity display?

I'm happy enough with the electronic parking brake. I hope that the foot operated parking brake doesn't add clutter to the pedal arrangement and/or replace the "dead pedal" left foot rest.

•B range that generates deceleration without feeling a change in noise and gravity even on a downward slope (standard on G and X)

Click to expand...

Wha? Is this a control that invokes enhanced brake regen without having to go into ECO mode? What does "without feeling a change in noise and gravity" mean?

gsleaf said:

Any idea what this means?

heat shield ceiling

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Click to expand...

Click to expand...

It is in Japanese, but I think this illustration from the presentation says it all:

Statik said:

Personal fav: Remaining battery capacity shown by percentage in the Multifunction Display

Click to expand...

If this is percent SOC rather than percent Gids (hopefully more accurate Gids) it isn't going to be nearly as useful as it should be. Calibrating your brain to an ever changing meaning of how much energy is in 1% isn't going to help you estimate remaining range. Common sense says it should be percent Gids (meaning 100% reading for a new Leaf that is fully charged, 92% or so for a Leaf that is fully charged and about 1 year old). However, that would make it obvious that battery capacity is declining, so I am pretty sure Nissan will go with percent SOC. If they do, I would much rather have a Gid meter.

More pictures from Japan.

http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/22/20121022_2_2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/22/20121022_2_3.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/22/20121022_2_4.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/22/20121022_2_5.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/22/20121022_2_6.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/23/20121023_1_2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/23/20121023_1_3.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/23/20121023_1_4.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/23/20121023_1_5.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/24/20121024_1_1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/24/20121024_1_2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/24/20121024_1_3.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/24/20121024_1_4.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/25/20121025_1_1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/25/20121025_1_2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mag-x.com/images_new/201210/25/20121025_1_3.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hopefully this will be an accurate SOC percentage, so that we could stop counting bars. While less useful than Gids, it's a lot better than what's in the car today. The ActiveE has a similar gauge, and it worked great for me when I needed it.



Very happy to see this as well, the old lever looked like something that was recycled from the Versa:

I love that it's 80 kG lighter. That's huge!


"Weight reduced by about 80kg compared to previous model. Achieved by combined powertrain unit, integrated functions, streamlined battery module and case structure, and use of lighter parts"

Yes, but I wonder on which model that is... It sounds like there will be a number of options available and they will all add some weight... The fully loaded model might actually be as heavy as the current SL...

It will also be interesting to see what the 2013 with all these improvements does to the resale market for the 2011 and 2012 models as they come off of lease...

The 10 mile bump in range - if real - is nice but not really enough to make THAT much difference for most. It might help as the battery degrades however...

And do we really need two more whites???

PaulScott said:

I love that it's 80 kG lighter. That's huge!

Click to expand...

PaulScott said:

I love that it's 80 kG lighter. That's huge!


"Weight reduced by about 80kg compared to previous model. Achieved by combined powertrain unit, integrated functions, streamlined battery module and case structure, and use of lighter parts"

Click to expand...

They could just throw out that heavy electromechanical parking brake and heavy lead acid battery to get a big chunk of this, along with lightening the wheels. I suspect we won't have a 1500 watt DC-DC converter any more :? If they leave off the weight of all the CHAdeMO cables and bits, that could be another source of the miraculous diet.

Unfortunately, I have big reservations about the range increase. I suspect that is the usual Nissan-Smoke-And-Mirrors(TM); playing with data about the reduction in LOST range with the resistance heater over the heat pump, and calling that an increase in range.

Sure, if the car is lighter, it should do a wee bit better. They were bragging about a 250km / 155 mile range this summer (50km more than the 200km / 124 mile range previously in Japan). It was, and is, all bullshit. If EPA increases the range, I imagine it might be an early Christmas present from Uncle Sugar.

Remember folks, it's the SAME battery. Knocking off 80kg / 176 pounds is NOT going to add 10-20% in range. Plus, I'll bet the loaded LEAF with leather, 17 inch wheels, heat pump, power seats, etc, is HEAVIER than a 2011-2012.

For the new gas gauge, yeppers, I absolutely bet that's an SOC %.... it will ALWAYS say 100% when full, regardless of temperature energy reductions or degradation. We will absolutely still need a Gidmeter, but this is a HUGE improvement over the 12 bizarro fuel bars.

TonyWilliams said:

...For the new gas gauge, yeppers, I absolutely bet that's an SOC %.... it will ALWAYS say 100% when full, regardless of temperature energy reductions or degradation. We will absolutely still need a Gidmeter, but this is a HUGE improvement over the 12 bizarro fuel bars...

Click to expand...

"gas gauge"?
"fuel bars"?

IMHO, the "problem" with the current LEAF indicator is the GOM range number, not the bars of fullness.
Actually I like the way the bars work, but I just ignore the miles of range estimate number.

TonyWilliams said:

They were bragging about a 250km / 155 mile range this summer (50km more than the 200km / 124 mile range previously in Japan).

Click to expand...

The old model is still being advertised with 175 km (109 miles) on Nissan's German website as of this writing. Although some popular mainstream publications peg it between 109 and 150 kilometers (68 to 94 miles).

TEG said:

IMHO, the "problem" with the current LEAF indicator is the GOM range number

Click to expand...

Yes. It's unbelievable how many newly minted owners believe the GOM to the letter. As Marc Geller put it, that gauge does not help much, and it can actually induce range anxiety. We just had another case earlier today on Facebook: GOM says 13 miles in ECO mode, and I need to go 11. Can I make it? Whew! :roll:

That smaller EVSE that is in the sales brochure looks just like the Panasonic one in my Rav4. It's smaller, no doubt cheaper to include, and is not capable of 16 amp upgrades.

I just got mine back with a 240v/12amp/2.88kW upgrade. I hope to never need this unless it's overnight (which wouldn't fill my 41.8kWh battery).

The Rav4 has B mode, which I like. It doesn't screw with the heater/AC like the LEAF does, and it doesn't change the gas pedal sensitivity.... it just assists with Braking by increasing regen. Simple.

Maybe the 2013 will operate this way in Drive-B mode.

When people see a digital range number on their new car, they want to think it is magically accurate.