Leaf wins Ward's "10 Best Engines"

[lne937s]

http://wardsauto.com/home/names_best_engines_101207/

"Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. manages the first-ever Ward’s 10 Best Engines award for an all-electric vehicle, the Leaf. True, the Leaf has no engine – just a battery-powered electric motor that turns the wheels through a single speed reducer.

What’s remarkable about the Leaf is how much it feels like a conventional car, with four doors, five seats and accelerator and brake pedals that could have been borrowed from a Nissan Versa, or any other gas-driven subcompact. The Leaf is affordable – about $25,000 with a federal tax credit – and a thrill to drive.

Range anxiety is a hurdle, just like in 1908, when the first Ford Model T buyers worried about finding gas stations. But an electrical socket – ubiquitous in the developed world – is all that is needed for people who want to own and drive a Leaf, while consuming no gasoline and creating zero emissions. As a propulsion system, it truly deserves recognition."

 

[Uncanny]

Pretty cool.

BTW, your link didn't work for me.

 

[DeaneG]

http://wardsauto.com/ar/names_best_engines_101207/

 

[Nubo]

Seems a bit confused. Is there anything particularly noteworthy in the Leaf's motor compared to, say, the Tesla's? The Volt's? The Prius? I agree that the Leaf represents a milestone in affordable and use-able electric transport. But that in itself doesn't necessarily imbue the "engine" with distinction. The LEAF's secret sauce is in the battery, imho.

 

[lne937s]

Seems a bit confused. Is there anything particularly noteworthy in the Leaf's motor compared to, say, the Tesla's? The Volt's? The Prius? I agree that the Leaf represents a milestone in affordable and use-able electric transport. But that in itself doesn't necessarily imbue the "engine" with distinction. The LEAF's secret sauce is in the battery, imho.

Nissan did develop an application-specific electric motor in-house. It is liquid-cooled and easily the most advanced electric motor in a car to date. It is comparatively more advanced than the air-cooled motors from outside suppliers in the Volt, Tesla, Prius, etc.

However, even though it is the most advanced electric motor in a car today, that is just one piece of what makes the LEAF what it is.

 

[Nubo]

Nissan did develop an application-specific electric motor in-house. It is liquid-cooled and easily the most advanced electric motor in a car to date. It is comparatively more advanced than the air-cooled motors from outside suppliers in the Volt, Tesla, Prius, etc.

Thanks for that. I'll need to do some more reading on the motor.

 

[LEAFguy]

I have followed the Ward's "10 Best" list for a number of years, as Nissan is the only manufacturer that has had a powerplant on the list for 14 years in a row. One interesting adjustment I notice that they've made this year is referring to the "powerplant" as opposed to the engine. While not as all-encompassing as a driveline, this gave the editors a little more freedom to include a vehicle such as the LEAF - which has no engine.

 

[garygid]

If the "Engine" (or Motor) is the device that converts "fuel" into mechanical motive power:

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)
Electrical Engine (EE)

But some seem to prefer Steam or Gas Engine, and Electrical Motor ... but the motor is just PART of the Electrical Engine. Like the carborator or injectors are part of the ICE, the Inverter is part of the EE.

The electrical motor is more like the pistons and crankshaft, and the inverter part of the EE is more like the injectors, valves, spark, and timing components of the ICE.

 

[planet4ever]

The electrical motor is more like the pistons and crankshaft, and the inverter part of the EE is more like the injectors, valves, spark, and timing components of the ICE.

Interesting argument, but I don't need an inverter to plug an electric motor in at home, except when my home power is being supplied by my solar panels. So it seems to me that the inverter is logically part of the power source rather than part of the process to convert electric energy to mechanical energy. That would make the LEAF's inverter part of the battery system. (Yes, I do realize that the inverter controls the speed of the motor, which kind of wipes out my argument as well. How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?)

 

[garygid]

Not many people know that answer:
Normally, 3 angels on one pin, but 7 if they are all close friends.

 

[Nubo]

I guess my original objection to the article still stands. The purpose of a "10 best engines" list is to extoll the virtues of various engines. Let's not get hung up on the semantics of "engine" vs. "motor". We know what they are talking about -- the motive unit.

The reason to have such a list is to review current technological advances and state of the art, in context of how well the engines do their jobs compared to others. What are their advantages to the motorist or enthusiast. This should be strongly dependent on objective criteria such as

-efficiency
-durability
-low maintenance requirements
- power
- smoothness
-noise
-size/weight per horsepower
-innovative use of new materials or manufacturing processes

Unfortunately, the article's reason for choosing the LEAF boils down to "Oh, it's an electric car".

What’s remarkable about the Leaf is how much it feels like a conventional car, with four doors, five seats and accelerator and brake pedals that could have been borrowed from a Nissan Versa, or any other gas-driven subcompact.

Again, interesting observations, but getting from the number of seats, doors, and location of the pedals, to "best engine" is a bridge too far.

In years to come there will be more electric vehicles and then maybe they can get down to business comparing their "engines" in a useful way, to each other, as well as to gasoline cars.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I guess my original objection to the article still stands. The purpose of a "10 best engines" list is to extoll the virtues of various engines. Let's not get hung up on the semantics of "engine" vs. "motor". We know what they are talking about -- the motive unit.

The reason to have such a list is to review current technological advances and state of the art, in context of how well the engines do their jobs compared to others. What are their advantages to the motorist or enthusiast. This should be strongly dependent on objective criteria such as

-efficiency
-durability
-low maintenance requirements
- power
- smoothness
-noise
-size/weight per horsepower
-innovative use of new materials or manufacturing processes

Unfortunately, the article's reason for choosing the LEAF boils down to "Oh, it's an electric car".

What’s remarkable about the Leaf is how much it feels like a conventional car, with four doors, five seats and accelerator and brake pedals that could have been borrowed from a Nissan Versa, or any other gas-driven subcompact.

Again, interesting observations, but getting from the number of seats, doors, and location of the pedals, to "best engine" is a bridge too far.

In years to come there will be more electric vehicles and then maybe they can get down to business comparing their "engines" in a useful way, to each other, as well as to gasoline cars.

I agree. In addition there is noting special or advanced about the Leaf motor compared to those made 10 years ago.