Full 2013 Nissan LEAF Specs out

[Nubo]

The 2013 All-american Nissan LEAF Product Highlights (and some new details)
Enjoy!

Lol, "Low friction brake calipers".... :shock:

I think I know what they mean; disk brakes do have a slight and constant drag and they must have come up with a way to reduce it. But it did make me do a double-take

 

[LEAFer]

The motors in the 2011 and 2012 are identical.

Ok ... but that does not prevent a SOFTWARE change ... remember -- it's a computer on wheels ! ( I am neither confirming nor denying any knowledge of what Nissan may have actually tweaked. )

 

[TonyWilliams]

Another random thing. Nothing official but the scuttlebutt is that pricing (maybe range)will be out for the NAIAS/North American debut next week (15th).

I was told personally by the number 2 dude at Nissan last night to not expect an increase in the EPA range on the Monroney sticker.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Homelink is not an option on either S or SV? That's one of our favorite features, if for no other reason than our garage door openers eat batteries like candy!

You can buy Homelink at BestBuy!!

 

[IBELEAF]

According to specs I see that torque on 2012 is 207 (same as 2011), where did it say that 2012 had 187 torque?

 

[OrientExpress]

Nissan sources the Homelink mirror from Mito Corp..

You can buy the "factory" Homelink mirror direct from them and install it yourself.

 

[TonyWilliams]

The person that has a 2012 and told me that said he thinks it's to help the BP to not degrade as much due to the rabbit starts.

I owed both a 2011 and 2012 (overlapping for about 6 weeks). I even raced the 2012 at Laguna Seca in July 2012.

I never noticed any reduction in power with either car.

 

[TonyWilliams]

FYI: The new upgraded charger is 6.0kW not 6.6kW. Just like the old one is 3.3kW not 3.84kW (what it draws). We specify the power by what it delivers, not what it consumes.

-Phil

Ya, I noticed that in the spec sheet. Unfortunately, Tesla (and Toyota) didn't get that memo.

My Rav4 is advertised as a 10kW (250v * 40 amp) charger, and that's exactly what it will pull from the wall.

 

[DesertDenizen]

The person that has a 2012 and told me that said he thinks it's to help the BP to not degrade as much due to the rabbit starts.

I owed both a 2011 and 2012 (overlapping for about 6 weeks). I even raced the 2012 at Laguna Seca in July 2012.

I never noticed any reduction in power with either car.

Yea! Thanks Tony, that makes my evening, I didn't want to lose that torque. (Not that I use it all too often, just on occasion because it is fun to watch the others fade away in the rear view mirror.)

 

[Ingineer]

Ya, I noticed that in the spec sheet. Unfortunately, Tesla (and Toyota) didn't get that memo.

My Rav4 is advertised as a 10kW (250v * 40 amp) charger, and that's exactly what it will pull from the wall.

Actually, I think they did. If you run your charger on 277v, you get 11kW in, and then it can put out 10kW. Apparently they use 9 of them in the supercharger running on 3-phase 480v. (277 per leg) Which is likely why it's built to run on 277v.

-Phil

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Ya, I noticed that in the spec sheet. Unfortunately, Tesla (and Toyota) didn't get that memo.

My Rav4 is advertised as a 10kW (250v * 40 amp) charger, and that's exactly what it will pull from the wall.

Actually, I think they did. If you run your charger on 277v, you get 11kW in, and then it can put out 10kW. Apparently they use 9 of them in the supercharger running on 3-phase 480v. (277 per leg) Which is likely why it's built to run on 277v.

-Phil

If nothing else, the 10kW is a little misleading. Where is one going to find 277V? Then again, where is one going to find 250V? In the US, it's nominally 240V, although I've measured about 235V at my house when installing my EVSE.

 

[Ingineer]

If nothing else, the 10kW is a little misleading. Where is one going to find 277V? Then again, where is one going to find 250V? In the US, it's nominally 240V, although I've measured about 235V at my house when installing my EVSE.

277v is very common for commercial buildings where it's used extensively for lighting. It should be possible to build a 277v EVSE for charging the Rav. You could even buy a transformer and install it at home for the extra oomph! You only need about 35 extra volts at 40A, so this is only a 1.5kW transformer. In fact, I bet you can get one out of a forklift battery charger for next to nothing.

-Phil

 

[mwalsh]

If nothing else, the 10kW is a little misleading. Where is one going to find 277V? Then again, where is one going to find 250V? In the US, it's nominally 240V, although I've measured about 235V at my house when installing my EVSE.

277v is very common for commercial buildings where it's used extensively for lighting.

-Phil

Yup. I can give you 277v within a minute of you arriving at my office!

 

[EVDrive]

Better with a 6kwh charger but I want more range. I'll limp along in my 2011 a little longer. I only made it 50 miles today before vlbw. My car goes from lbw to vlbw in about a mile after 24k miles. Scarey. I was going 70 mph though and it was 45 out

More range, more range, or an option for more range. Plenty of room below the trunk for extra kwh's... Sigh.

I like the expanding sun visors as well though just not enough to trade up. I really like the 2011 parking break and the torque so I have 2 things better than the 2013. Haha.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Andy did express the possibility of a Tesla-esque battery option for LEAF; two different sizes of main battery (unspecified in size) and a further option to fill the trunk with an optional extender battery.

The rumors of a smaller battery pack option for Japan was just that.

 

[abasile]

On a minor note, I like that the 2011 model has a switch to disable the noisemaker ("pedestrian alert"). Late at night in quiet residential areas, it can be desirable to turn off the reverse beep. You just have to make sure not to back into anyone walking around...

The 6 kW charger in the 2013 would make a big difference for us, though.

 

[NSXTASY]

The person that has a 2012 and told me that said he thinks it's to help the BP to not degrade as much due to the rabbit starts.

I owed both a 2011 and 2012 (overlapping for about 6 weeks). I even raced the 2012 at Laguna Seca in July 2012.

I never noticed any reduction in power with either car.

same experience here. I rented a 2011 for a week just before leasing my 2012 and did not notice any changes. I am not your average Joe out there (working in the car industry in the testing field)

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

How about those 17s? With Michelins. Wasn't that high on a lot of people's lists?

 

[cdub]

On a minor note, I like that the 2011 model has a switch to disable the noisemaker ("pedestrian alert"). Late at night in quiet residential areas, it can be desirable to turn off the reverse beep. You just have to make sure not to back into anyone walking around...

The 6 kW charger in the 2013 would make a big difference for us, though.

Well it's now against the law to have the ability to turn it off I believe. (at least for new cars)

 

[KJD]

Andy did express the possibility of a Tesla-esque battery option for LEAF; two different sizes of main battery (unspecified in size) and a further option to fill the trunk with an optional extender battery.
The rumors of a smaller battery pack option for Japan was just that.

This would be the best change Nissan could make to the Leaf.

Keep the 24kw pack for people that need a low purchase price and offer a couple of options for larger packs at a higher cost. It was very interesting to see that most of the Tesla buyers were going for the largest pack size in spite of the higher cost.