MK2 LEAF Battery and Drive train photos

[OrientExpress]

It make have been done for packaging and installation economies.

Now all of the motor and its associated subsystems as well as charging systems are on one subframe which cuts down on assembly steps and costs.

Here is a shot of the new motor being installed in a car at the plant in Oppama.

Notice the top of the motor stack has blue bootie to keep it from getting scratched during installation. Everything is on the front subframe, and the 3 cables the need to be connected to the battery are hanging behind. Steering, driveshafts, brakes, shocks are all ready installed. The battery has already been installed about 3 stations previous to this one.

 

[edatoakrun]

It make have been done for packaging and installation economies.

Probably. And all the other accessories (A/C, brake bits, 12v battery, etc) aren't shown but if one looks under the hood of their current LEAF they can see there isn't a ton of room.

Still would be nice to get enough room freed up front for a frunk like the Tesla. I would still opt for another 20% range over frunk space, though.

Actually, moving the charger forward means the 2013 looks to have less wasted space under the hood than the 2011-2. I always wondered about that in my 2011. Maybe Nissan was planning ahead:

="OrientExpress"

While in Japan last week I had the opportunity to see up close the 2013 LEAF in all three trim levels and examine the new power-train. Here are some photos that I thought might be of interest...

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10933" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The frunk is actually the primary Tesla S design failure, IMO, the result of designing a RWD BEV to look like an ICEV with the engine up front, which resulted in the long hood, with nothing to put under it.

 

[TomT]

And it is also part of what gives the S its delicious and sleek looks... Without that "wasted" hood it would not have the same visual appeal, something that is very important in cars in that class and price range. It may also play a part in crash performance and aerodynamics... I hardly consider it a "design failure..."

The frunk is actually the primary Tesla S design failure, IMO, the result of designing a RWD BEV to look like an ICEV with the engine up front, which resulted in the long hood, with nothing to put under it.

 

[TonyWilliams]

And it is also part of what gives the S its delicious and sleek looks... Without that "wasted" hood it would not have the same visual appeal, something that is very important in cars in that class and price range. It may also play a part in crash performance and aerodynamics... I hardly consider it a "design failure..."

The frunk is actually the primary Tesla S design failure, IMO, the result of designing a RWD BEV to look like an ICEV with the engine up front, which resulted in the long hood, with nothing to put under it.

The frunk is also where the motor will go for the All Wheel Drive version, likely to come out shortly.

 

[Nubo]

Note that Mk1 batteries will be in a grey enclosure and Mk2 batteries will be in a black enclosure.

Who'da thought that changing the color could save 300lbs - Genius!

As far as the layout goes, you would think that someone could have spoke up and said "how about instead of stacking all this stuff one on top of another, we put them side by side." Lower center of gravity and make a small cradle to hold the L1 EVSE under the hood (can anyone say 'frunk' ?). Its almost like they didn't know what to do with all the space under the hood so they stacked everything up as high as it would go. :lol:

I wondered about that too, more from a layout perspective if they went to another platform like a sporty low-slung convertible roadster . But I wonder if the close integration is to allow the shortest possible run of high-power AC interconnects. 90kW AC is a lot of EMI to contend with.

 

[edatoakrun]

Note that Mk1 batteries will be in a grey enclosure and Mk2 batteries will be in a black enclosure.

Who'da thought that changing the color could save 300lbs - Genius!

As far as the layout goes, you would think that someone could have spoke up and said "how about instead of stacking all this stuff one on top of another, we put them side by side." Lower center of gravity and make a small cradle to hold the L1 EVSE under the hood (can anyone say 'frunk' ?). Its almost like they didn't know what to do with all the space under the hood so they stacked everything up as high as it would go. :lol:

I wondered about that too, more from a layout perspective if they went to another platform like a sporty low-slung convertible roadster . But I wonder if the close integration is to allow the shortest possible run of high-power AC interconnects. 90kW AC is a lot of EMI to contend with.

The Esflow was (is?) planned to have two motors for the RWD design. The inability to use the LEAF power-train in it may be one reason why it is not yet planned for production, while the Nissan e-NV200 minivan is.

If Tesla does ever build a AWD S, twin motors for the front axle could produce obvious benefits, leaving the frunk largely available, for whatever purposes you can use it for now.

 

[jkirkebo]

If Tesla does ever build a AWD S, twin motors for the front axle could produce obvious benefits, leaving the frunk largely available, for whatever purposes you can use it for now.

A single motor+inverter for the front wheels would only take up the "extra" space in the frunk, behind the cargo net. You'd still have the main frunk available, just not the "cavern" in the back of it.

 

[N952JL]

More than happy with the Gen1 cargo space. How many kWH of batteries can you fit into 2 cubic feet?

I like the way you think! Don't forget they also removed 300 lb. of weight. 36 kWh battery, anyone? Six-cell modules should get us to that point!

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