Video: Nissan LEAF NISMO RC shakedown

Nissan to unveil LEAF NISMO RC

Nissan will unveil the LEAF NISMO RC at the New York Auto Show, which doesn't have much in common with the production model. It uses a Li-Ion battery pack and it uses a carbon fibre monocoque platform, making it 40% lighter than the production model. The concept will be used for demonstration purposes only.

Nissan LEAF scale model by Kyosho coming soon

Kyosho will bring out a 1/43 scale model, as part of the J-Collection, of the Nissan LEAF in white and blue. The release date hasn't be disclosed yet.

More photos after the jump!

Nissan presents GT-R RC and LEAF Aero Style Concept at 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon

As already posted in the past, Nissan has presented a number of concepts at the Tokyo Auto Salon, with the most interesting one being the LEAF Aero Style Concept. Oh, I do like a lot the Elgrand Rider Premium Concept as well... and the lady at the front!

The LEAF Aero Style Concept is fitted with aero parts providing better seperation of air flow and thus improving the flow from the front to the side. To be honest, I would really like to see the aero bits of the LEAF to hit the market! 

Nissan has also launched the NISMO GT-R RC production model race car.

The NISMO GT-R RC is the latest entry to the RC (Racing Competition) line of high performance, production model race cars developed and outfitted by NISMO. The body has been lightened, fitted with slick tires and equipped with safety equipment to ready it for competition use. During the car's development, it was entered in the 2010 SUPER TAIKYU Round 4 at Fuji, where it confirmed its high performance, reliability and durability.

The car runs on a VR38DETT engine that exceeds 357 kw /485 ps in power with over 588 Nm / 60 kgm of torque. To trim body weight, carbon fiber is used for the bumper, hood, trunk lid & rear wing, and the rear window is made of acrylic. Specialized aeroparts boost aerodynamic performance.

Particular attention was given to optimizing overall vehicle balance. The car was outfitted with height adjustable suspension along with large front (410mm) and rear (380 mm) brake rotors.

Safety features include an FIA standards-compliant weld-in roll cage, bucket seat & driver safety harness, fire extinguisher, ATL 120 liter safety fuel cell and air jacks, making your GT-R RC track-ready on delivery for production car races around the world.

The Nissan NISMO GT-R RC is “made to order” and will be sourced directly from NISMO. Its price is 20,790,000 ¥.

More photos after the jump!

Become a champion in your region by driving a LEAF...

Hmm, I am really wondering where we are heading to next... Nissan has created a system, called CARWINGS (カーウイングス), which connects all LEAFs to a network, wirelessly feeding their economy statistics. The point of all that? Well, there is a regional ranking system comparing the driver's energy economy to other LEAF drivers, and the winner gets... a gold medal on the navi screen.

At the moment, CARWINGS is only available in Japan and it includes also other services, such as 24-hour driver support.

[Source: Mashable]

Nissan to fill LEAF orders by summer 2011

As it is already known, Nissan struggles to fill LEAF orders and therefore, even dealers are getting less demo cars. But things may not be so bad (relatively speaking...) since, in an article published by Mercury News, Nissan's spokesman Tim Gallagher indicated that Nissan tries to fill all the order by the end of summer.

Hm, imagine when you will get yours if you place in order now...

Nissan Leaf's aerodynamic design

Following the post about the Nissan Leaf's rear aerodynamic design, here is an interesting photo showing the underfloor design at the front.

Portugal first European country to get LEAF - Prime Minister first head of state to use EV for official matters

The first 10 LEAFs have been delivered in Europe and to be more precise in Portugal, as a recognition of the country's pioneering work in the electric mobility field with the MOBI.E Program. Portugal has a a dedicated nation-wide smart grid for electric vehicles.

The Prime Minister of Portugal, Jose Socrates, has become the first head of state in the world to adopt an EV, which will be used for his official travels around Lisbon.

The MOBI.E network currently spreads over 25 municipalities throughout the country with over 50 charging points already installed. The plan is to install more than 1300 normal charging points and 50 quick charging stations by mid-2011.

[Source: Carscoop]

Nissan delivers first 10 LEAFs in Japan

Nissan today announced it has delivered the first 10 units of its 100% electric and zero-emission Nissan LEAF in Japan to the Kanagawa Prefectural Government. Six of these vehicles will be designated for official prefecture use and four will serve as rental cars to be used in the prefecture's "EV Sharing Model Business".

Kanagawa Prefecture has announced comprehensive and proactive support measures to quickly achieve the adoption of 3,000 units of EV within the prefecture.

Nissan at 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon

Nissan will showcase in total nine models at 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon. Photo of the Leaf concept has already been posted (earlier post) and those are some new photos of all the models to be displayed.

• Leaf Aero Style Concept 
• JUKE Sporty Package (with dealer installed exterior accessories designed for the European and North American markets)
• Elgrand Rider Premium Concept (specifically tuned up for a higher level of driving performance)
• Serena Rider
• March Bolero
• Nissan NISMO GT-R RC (specially developed for circuit driving)
• NISMO Version FAIRLADY Z (engine output is increased to 261kW (355PS), a higher level of sporty handling is realized through special body and suspension tuning and modification of the power steering characteristics. For the exterior, excellent aerodynamic performance is achieved through use of special body components providing greater downforce and reduced air resistance)
• Elgrand S-tune 
• MOTUL AUTECH GT-R

Nissan Leaf b Concept at 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon

As I have already written, the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon is going to take place in January, opening on January 14, and here is the first info about Nissan's booth.  Nissan will exhibit 9 cars in total, and among them will be this Leaf b concept, which looks really cool and I guess it's an attempt to prove to the world that EVs can not only be fun to drive, but also cool to look at them. Don't expect anything new apart from the aero bits and pieces.

Nissan Leaf's EV-IT demo (Japanese)

Nissan Leaf’s dynamic online digital brochure

Check out the Leaf's dynamic online digital brochure! It describes every innovation that makes up this historic car.

Real-time info of EV chargers in Osaka to be delivered to navi systems

Osaka Prefecture (大阪府) announced that real-time information from the fast chargers will be able to be delivered to EV's navigation system. This system will enable the efficient operation of the 50 Nissan Leafs which are planned to be used as taxis and for car sharing. Among the information to be provided will be the location of the fast chargers, condition of use, condition of state (full or empty) and availability time. Also, reservation of chargers will be possible via the phone. The system has been developed by Unisys.

The charger infrastructure network in Osaka consists at the moment of 17 fast chargers with two 200V chargers. Forty more 200V chargers, where the telecommunication facility will be installed, are scheduled to be set up in the near future.

[Source: Response]

Delivery of the world's first Nissan Leaf

Official trailer: Revenge of the Electric Car

Infiniti EV sedan coming in 2013

Infiniti is already working on a compact model (earlier post) and also, on an EV sedan. The latter is sceduled to go on sale in 2013. 

According to managing director Shiro Nakamura, the sketch shown above is a very good indication of what to expect to see on the streets. The final design is going to be decided in the middle of 2011.

[Source: Response]

Nissan Leaf's rear aerodynamic design

Since fuel efficiency, range in the case of EVs, plays a very important role nowadays, it is self understanding that among top priorities when designing a new car is aerodynamics.Inoue Makoto, chief designer of Nissan's Global Design Product Division, gives Leaf's rear design as an example.

The air flows coming from the roof, side and under the floor had to be separated. For that reason, the taillights have a a more convex shape in order to act as spoilers. Also, the lack of an exhaust sysem has enabled a much better design, aerodynamically, which would not be possible in the case of a car equipped with an internal combustion engine. 

Even the design of the antenna has been carefully considered in order to limit the generated wind noise. Therefore, the antenna has a pentagon shape with a round tip. Another important area was the edge of the rear bumper, in order to have a clear separation of flow.

[Source: Response]

Nissan and Mitsubishi dealer alliance for mutual use of fast chargers

Nissan and Mitsubishi EV dealers across Japan have agreed for mutual use of the quick chargers. I reckon that this is a smart move and it will encourage people to buy an EV...

[Source: GAZOO.com]

Nissan Leaf's power system among '10 Best Engines' for 2011

Ward has announced yesterday that Nissan Leaf's power system is included on its prestigious '10 Best Engines' list for 2011. As you can imagine, it is the first time that a power system which doesn't have an engine is included. 

The Leaf features a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor powered by a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery manufactured at the Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) operation in Zama, Japan, which is a joint-venture of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and NEC Corporation. Both motor and inverter have been developed by Nissan, and the power system generates 107 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. The power is transferred to the wheels through a single-speed reduction gear.