I wanted this Nissan to break down on me, but the LEAF electric car actually worked in the real world!
We all know by now that Ireland - and in fact all of Europe - has to be carbon neutral in the near future or we'll be in more trouble than we're already in - if that's possible! Cars will have to be even greener, but so too will our industries - including the power-generating firms that make our electricity. So the future for motoring is wind power and electric cars, or is it?
Motors went to Lisbon to test drive the first production version of Nissan's LEAF electric car. LEAF goes on sale in Ireland for the new year. We found out just how well it worked in the city and on the open road, and the results surprised even us.
LEAF is a five-seat Focus/Golf-sized hatchback that has front-wheel drive, lots of standard equipment and a sub-€30,000 asking price (including the new €5,000 Government grant towards the purchase of an electric vehicle).
The exterior is less than interesting (and hardly a rival to an Alfa Giulietta on looks alone) but inside the interior is very comfortable, airy and modern with a nice hint of hi-tech to the instrumentation. Under the bonnet is... nothing - well, nothing in terms of a petrol or diesel engine. In fact, LEAF is more closely related to your washing machine than your lawnmower!
LEAF has a powerful electric motor that uses rechargeable batteries to get its power. There is an additional (and conventional) 12-volt system that powers the same stuff it does in cars today, eg electric windows and lights etc. The car has a battery range of 250km (most petrol cars today have double that range). Instead of a fuel gauge you get a battery reserve indicator that displays remaining 'driving time'. With LEAF (like some auto stop/start conventional cars) you only use power when you're moving and not when stopped. This is the tricky fact to get your head around but it makes complete sense.
We took the LEAF around Lisbon's wide main streets in mixed traffic conditions, enjoying the car's impressive pulling power. Storming away from faster cars at traffic lights was good fun - much to other drivers' bemusement. LEAF was very nimble on Lisbon's less-than-smooth back streets also.
A quick spin up to Estoril to catch up with the Moto GP crew let the car stretch its 'legs' on the motorway. Motorway is a road type least favoured by EVs because there is no chance to regenerate power except from braking and the consistent high speed is a big drain on the battery. Surprisingly, the LEAF could manage healthy and enthusiastic speeds that would leave one confident of being able to overtake motorway traffic if needed ("Honest, Officer, I wasn't speeding").
So what is LEAF like to charge? You pull up at a dedicated parking space where there is a tall power point - much like a petrol pump. You wave a special credit card (from the Portuguese ESB equivalent) at a point above a keypad then connect your car.
Under LEAF's front badge is a socket that you connect to via a nozzle and thick cable - similar to a conventional fuel line in a filling station. You then punch in your pin on the machine and the charging begins.
A display tells you the percentage charged and gives an indication of how long the remaining charging will take. There is an iPhone app on the way that allows you get remote updates from the car on how well it is charging. You will also be able to control the car's climate control etc via your smart phone and get it to do lots of things like warm up in the morning while it is still connected to the mains at home - thereby saving battery power.
Most charging will be done at home via a special plug installed by the ESB. We are assured that on our road network there will be quick charge points in every major town and city, plus at regular intervals on our motorways.
Michael Sheridan
