AUG 30

Starting tomorrow, you can officially order a Nissan LEAF, and I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that we've been pretty excited about this vehicle.  It will be the first mass-produced all-electric car on the market and, with federal and state incentives included, it will also be affordable.  But I'm getting a bit nervous as well.

As we've mentioned before, this crowning of the LEAF as the inaugural mass market electric vehicle is both a blessing and a curse for Nissan and those of us who strongly support electric cars.  The LEAF will enjoy a bit of fame, but a lot of pressure rests on its wheels to prove that electric cars can easily take the place of their gas-fueled counterparts.  And there's one particular feature that may hold it back.

The LEAF has been criticized by competitors and auto enthusiasts alike for lacking an active thermal management system for the battery pack.  It has a passive cooling system that features a single fan to distribute heat evenly over the pack.  The LEAF has an official range of 100 miles, but under extreme hot or cold weather conditions, without a competent system to keep temperatures in check, the range could plummet to as low as 40 miles.

Elon Musk has said that the LEAF's thermal management system is primitive and would lead to "huge degradation" in cold environments and that the battery pack would just "shut off" in hot environments.  If you live in Maine or Texas (as well as any other area that sees temperature extremes), that would be a major problem.

If the LEAF rolls out and enough people complain of limited range and consistency issues, it could be spell the end for the LEAF and could make convincing the average person to buy an all-electric an even harder feat.  I've got to believe that Nissan has fully tested the battery pack under extreme temperature conditions and hopefully this all amounts to a bunch of competitive gossip, but I'll be keeping my fingers crossed just in case.

Comments (8)

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All Lithium batteries are not made equal
written by evnow, August 30, 2010

Tesla uses consumer grade batteries. They are small cylinders and use Cobalt Oxide.

Nissan uses autograde flat (prismatic) Manganese Spinal batteries. These have much better thermal characteristics and low internal resistence.

Tesla batteries need extensive thermal management - Leaf's not so much.

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Yes, there is a problem.
written by EV, August 30, 2010

All lithium batteries, regardless of type, will degrade quickly in extreme environments. Exposure to heat or cold will rapidly decrease the capacity of these batteries, especially when recharging. The heat in Texas and the cold in the north will degrade these quickly. Expect owners of the first generation LEAFs to start complaining about battery life two years after purchase.

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8-Year warrenty
written by shaun, August 31, 2010

If there is a problem,.. Nissan will be on the hook, not the customer.

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...
written by Ronald Brak, August 31, 2010

The LEAF batteries should do just fine in the areas it is being released for reasons mentioned in the first comment. But I would check with Nissan before taking it into an extra cold or extra hot environment.

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Leaf Blown?
written by Joe, September 01, 2010

Excellent article. Have Nissan rushed this and put the whole market sector at risk? I hope they are working on a potential fix if the problem does come up. Can't wait to get my hands on one!

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Nissan has tested the Leaf in Arizona heat and Hokkaido cold
written by Andrew B., September 01, 2010

Here's an interesting reference:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/vi...&start=10

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Nissan Has Tested their Gear
written by EVsRoll, September 09, 2010

Nissan is a forward thinking company http://www.evsroll.com/Nissan_electric_car.html.

Nissan has been testing EVs under adverse conditions since the last century. It seems unlikely that given the weight of their decision to grow the Leaf that they would skimp on thermal management.

EVsRock!

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Future Development
written by Electric Cars, September 09, 2010

I would say Nissan company always known for innovative product.Keep continue! http://www.thegreenautos.com/r...-2010.html

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