Carmaker Nissan is claiming running costs of only 2 pence per mile for its Leaf electric car…
The Japanese manufacturer is banking on tight family budgets to drive sales. It sold 3,584 Leaf EVs in the UK in 2014. That compares to 22,284 petrol-driven Nissan Notes sold to British drivers looking for an economical, eco-friendly five-seater saloon. Future Intelligence test driver Jane Whyatt tried both models.
“The Note seems quite sluggish by comparison to the Leaf. With instant acceleration and braking the Leaf is nippier to drive. And the rear-view parking assistance video camera makes it much easier to manoeuvre.”
Battery life
The Leaf has a top speed of 89 miles per hour – forward or reverse – and an optional regenerative braking driving mode that feeds energy back into the battery every time the car slows down. Nissan claims it will run for 124 miles before the battery needs a top-up, and plots 3,009 locations where charging points are available to the public.
In practice however, Nissan Innovations Specialist Glen Aygie told FI
“You shouldn’t wait until the battery is less than 20% full before topping up.”
He is selling the Nissan Leaf as a low-cost motoring option rather than a high-performance prestige car like the Tesla S
The Tesla S costs around £85,000. Nissan’s Leaf starts at £16,000 and there is an option to lease the battery rather than buying it outright. Aygie says this makes it affordable as well as cheap to run..
Yet the Leaf also boasts zero emissions, making it a ‘green’ vehicle that is welcome in congested and polluted cities. London’s £12-a-day congestion charge is waived for the Leaf, and the company has commissioned pollution-busting artworks created using the Leaf’s electric motor in London and Hamburg.The artist, known as Moose, says,
“Electric cars and alternative fuelling systems provide the brightest future we’ve ever known. It’s a pleasure to be given the opportunity to create public art in this way, and I’m very pleased with the iconic simplicity of the mural and its message.”
He chose a grimy wall in Shadwell, in London’s East End, and covered it with a custom-made stencil of the London skyline with iconic buildings such as Big Ben, the London Eye and the Gherkin as well as a picture of a Nissan Leaf. Then he plugged in a powerhose to the Nissan, using an inverter, and washed away the dirt, leaving behind the stencilled images in a process he calls ‘reverse graffiti”.
Climate control
Country dwellers also appreciate the pollution-free Leaf, one Cornish minicab company has notched up 73,000 miles in its Nissan EV. The car has smart features for easy driving – it is keyless and the climate control can be activated from a smartphone app.
“If it’s cold outside you don’t need to go down and scrape the ice off the windscreen” says Glen Aygei. “You can stay in bed and click on the app. When you’re ready to drive away, the ice has gone and the car is nice and warm for you.”
Likewise in summer when the car has been parked in the hot sun all day the driver can cool it down whilst still at work and drive away with the air-conditioning already at the right temperature.
Topping up
Charging electric cars – even with the current tally of 7,538 charging points available in the UK – is still the biggest obstacle to adoption.
The Nissan Leaf has a smart screen in the dashboard. When connected to a smartphone it lets the driver phone ahead to the nearest charging point to find out whether it is available and how long it will take to fully re-charge the car’s battery. Rapid chargers can deliver 80% in just half an hour, but most EV owners opt for overnight charging at their home addresses, taking advantage of UK Government grants to get price reductions of up to 25% and free installation of home charging points.
Pod point
A new innovation – currently crowdfunding – is the Podpoint network. Inventor Erik Fairbairn plans to lease his network of car charging points to the National Grid to boost capacity at peak times. So the car owners would experience a one-minute gap in the charging process, and the grid would benefit from a swift surge to cope with extra demand for electricity – for example during a cold snap in the weather. Individual households can also make money from their own charging points by offering top-ups to passing motorists.
Rival car manufacturer Audi has just announced plans for two new all-electric vehicles. Yet with the price of oil – and petrol and diesel – falling rapidly, the economic advantages of the electric car are being eroded. At this rate, Fairbairn’s idea of an electric charging point on every street corner may take many years to come true.
