An electric Leaf out of Nissan’s book
The EV pioneer has unveiled a fleet of cars that use clever technology that it has been developing for more than a decade
● When Nissan launched its battery-powered Leaf vehicle in December 2010, at a time when it seemed little could challenge the dominance of the internal combustion engine, it was a revolutionary all-electric car. The motor business was an “unassailable moat”, as investment guru Warren Buffett has said of the protection he prefers for the industries he invests in.
Nothing has higher barriers to entry than the automotive industry — and space travel — and the sectors seemed immune to outside disruption. Or so they thought. The arrival of Tesla cars set the cat among the pigeons and spurred a flurry of development of electric vehicles (EVs) by all the carmakers.
With all the current excitement about battery electric vehicles, it’s worth noting how Japanese motoring giant Nissan quietly became an EV pioneer.
The Leaf was unveiled 12 years ago in Japan and the US, and a year later in Europe. Nissan has now sold 577,000 Leafs globally, which have collectively driven 9.8-billion kilometres. The Leaf won 2011 European Car of the Year, 2011
World Car of the Year and Car of the Year Japan 2011/2012 .
Much of the fanfare in the past few years has been about new EVs from major car manufacturers and newcomers like Tesla, while Nissan has spent over a decade making better EVs.
The new flagship Ariya was slick and smooth around the Jamara racetrack in Madrid, where I drove the new electric lineup of many of Nissan’s topselling cars last month. I was impressed with the design, performance, speed and handling, as well as the overall, well, Japanese-ness of the car. It is understated, yet it oozes quality. It is powerful and agile.
Nissan has also released a range of electric versions of its popular cars — the Juke, Qashqai, X-Trail and the Townstar van.
It’s part of the Japanese car giant’s bold vision for the EV era — it is planning to launch 23 electric models by 2030. “We need to write and publish the next chapter,” says François Bailly, Nissan’s senior vicepresident for planning in Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania.
Nissan plans to reinject its Japanese DNA into its lineup, especially in terms of design.
The Ariya will come in two battery sizes, with a range of 300km, and the choice of twoor four-wheel drive. These options will also apply to the SA-bound Qashqai e-Power and the X-Trail e-Power. “The new powertrain is 25% more powerful than an internal combustion engine,” Bailly says.
The new X-Trail combines two of Nissan’s new technologies: e-Power is a clever combination that includes an internal combustion engine to charge the car’s battery, while e-4orce refers to all-wheelcontrol. The e-Power drivetrain is an interesting development, especially in emerging markets, where many car owners don’t have a way to charge their cars overnight.
“It is also a way to introduce customers to an EV experience without the range anxiety associated with EVs, as the ePower system doesn’t need charging because of the internal combustion engine,”
Stefan Haasbroek, Nissan SA marketing director, tells the FM.
This is a balancing act between the benefits of environmentally friendly car technology and the need to charge these vehicles as efficiently as possible.
New technology revolutions happen as much because of radical technological breakthroughs as they do because of an easeof-use factor — the iPod wasn’t just radically better, it was easier to use. Similarly, electric cars employ wonderful technology and are great for the environment, but if you can’t charge them easily as part of your daily routine, they’re a lot more frustrating than a 10minute petrol stop.
I drove an all-wheel e4orce car and an e-Power, and both were quiet and comfortable.
Best of all is the Ariya, which is Nissan’s first “all-electric coupé-crossover and the pinnacle of what Nissan does best”, it says. And it is that. Smooth, powerful, a pleasure to drive one-handedly (while shooting iPhone images at 120km/h) and as silent as an early morning in the Karoo.
The Ariya is the electric car you never knew you wanted to drive, from the electric pioneer you probably didn’t realise was so innovative.
“Nissan is charging towards an electrified future,” says Guillaume Cartier, the company’s chair of its Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania region.