Posts Tagged ‘Nissan’
Volt and Leaf have safety advantage over other small cars
The plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt, made by General Motors, and the all-electric Nissan Leaf save on fuel , but the size and weight of their battery packs add significant crash protection as well.
“The Leaf and Volt’s extra mass gives them a safety advantage over other small cars,” Joe Nolan, chief administrative officer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said on Tuesday.
The closely watched group, underwritten by insurance companies, crash tested the two first generation 2011 plug-ins that were introduced late last year as the ultimate for consumers in fuel economy.
Both earned top safety ratings, an early validation for experts who say automakers do not have to sacrifice safety for better fuel economy, that advanced technologies can achieve both…
“What powers the wheels is different, but the level of safety for the Volt and Leaf is as high as any of our other top crash test performers,” Nolan said…
The Volt and the Leaf are classified as small cars but their battery packs raise their weight closer to mid-size and larger ones…
The findings also contrasted with a lackluster Volt endorsement earlier this year from Consumer Reports on efficiency. I don’t know any experienced, savvy auto geeks who consider Consumer Reports to be anything other than incompetent, opportunist.
GM said the review was hasty. I’d say sleazy – with CR’s mind made up in advance.
This article doesn’t take the time to note special consideration made for first-responders in the very different designs of these two cars. Fire and police departments around the world have taken the time to add a bit of extra training to be certain they are prepared to deal with the much larger batteries in these critters. The manufacturers have added incident power cutoffs to aid in safety.
Nissan shows ultra-frugal Micra DIG-S
Micra’s momma was a Nissan Versa who had sex with a Ford Fiesta
While electric, hybrid and diesel power trains having been grabbing the headlines of recent times, work continues unabated on the good ol’ gasoline internal combustion engine and some significant headway has been realized with the news of a new Nissan Micra which will run a supercharged, direct injection 1.2 litre power-plant. The lightweight, low-friction, three-cylinder engine emits just 95g/km, produces 72kW and 142Nm, and delivers combined cycle fuel economy figures of a staggering 55mpg [US].
The car will debut in Geneva, will be available in both manual and CVT transmissions and will have a healthy top speed of 112mph. Technical innovation has been packed into the engine. The DIG-S uses the Miller cycle and direct petrol injection to raise the compression ratio to 13 to 1 for greater combustion efficiency and a supercharger for instant throttle response and added power.
By minimising heat, friction and pumping losses as much a possible, Nissan’s engineers have created an engine that sets the standard for the rest of the industry. Its three-cylinder configuration gives many benefits including less weight and further reductions in friction loss, thanks to having fewer moving parts. Further gains are made thanks to the adoption of advanced engine management systems with Start/Stop and energy regeneration…
The DIG-S will be given its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show (March 3-13) with sales starting mid-year.
As for a US debut? Who knows?
Losing sight of reason in the debate over quiet electric vehicles
Recently, Nissan unveiled it’s “Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians” (VSP), a wonky name for the noise added to the upcoming Leaf electric vehicle (EV) at low speeds. Doing so immediately ignited a debate about the aural aesthetics of the noise itself, but it also indirectly brought more attention to the issue of adding noise to cars in the first place.
For most of a year, it’s been bubbling under the surface, since the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has instigated legislators to believe that with their (in theory) quieter motors, hybrids and plug-ins are pedestrian-killing machines in the making. Initially, there was lots of hand-wringing over the Leaf’s acoustics specifically, whose tones many people found off-putting when heard in the initial videos. This was soon replaced by a fair amount of placation by the journalists and stakeholders flown by Nissan to Japan to test the Leaf in person. “Don’t worry about the regulation”, we’ve essentially been told in various blog posts, “the Leaf sounds aren’t so bad in person.”
Except, this isn’t about the Nissan Leaf – and it’s not really about blind people either. Or rather, it shouldn’t be…
To the extent that quieter vehicles might present a problem, the blind community is hardly the largest potentially affected group. Pedestrians in general – many of whom have less sensitive hearing than the blind and are often distracted with iPods and cell phones – and cyclists would be affected too. Of course the blind should be considered, but only as part of a much broader conversation. After all, we’re all blind to a vehicle approaching from behind.
But adding sound to transportation creates other problems – raising the general ambient noise makes it that much harder to detect any one vehicle, let alone oncoming bicycles and other pedestrian hazards. There are economic issues for communities located along freeways and major streets, whose property values are often lower largely due to increased levels of noise and pollution. And there are quality of life issues from the generally higher noise pollution levels of urban areas. The percentages can be debated, but most studies agree that some significant portion of passenger vehicles will be hybridized or electrified in coming decades and transportation in general will become quieter, added noise seems like a fairly perverse version of “keeping up with the Joneses.”
RTFA. Lots of room for discussion. I admit to almost stepping out in front of a hybrid SUV in a supermarket parking lot; but, that could have happened even if it was running on the internal combustion side of the dialectic.
Giving the NFB veto power over hybrids and EVs approaches the absurd in the realm of special interest groups. I have kin who are profoundly deaf with another set of problems that might be aided – in traffic – by having every vehicle on the road equipped with strobe lights.
Once you start, when do you stop?
Nissan Leaf is sold out for the year – worldwide
If you aren’t already on the list to purchase a 2011 Nissan Leaf, you’re officially out of luck. During a speech to the Detroit Economic Club today, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced that the U.S. market allotment for the first year’s production of Leafs is already sold out more than six months before the EV even goes on sale. Nissan has now received 13,000 orders for the $32,780 electric car – quite impressive for a vehicle almost no one’s driven.
So far, the orders are comprised of refundable $99 deposits, so it will be interesting to see how sales and orders hold up once people begin getting calls from dealers. Prior to going on sale in 2008, the Smart ForTwo also received thousands of orders before deliveries began – and we all know how well that turned out. While the Leaf will undoubtedly be a much more pleasant and practical car to drive than the Smart, it remains to be seen how customers will react once they get used to the real world electric range.
Ghosn remains extremely bullish on electric vehicles and will be adding production capacity in both the United States and Europe over the next three years.
We were on the list to reserve one; but, my wife’s ancient Volvo keeps on keeping on. What can I say?
Daimler, Nissan and Renault announce group hug!
German carmaker Daimler is to give Renault and Nissan a 3.1% stake in its business as part of a global tie-up of the brands, it has been announced.
In exchange, Daimler will take a 3.1% stakes in both Renault and Nissan, who have been in an alliance since 1999. The deal will see the companies remain separate, but allow them to share technology and development costs.
The carmakers will co-operate to make electric cars and light commercial vehicles, Nissan said.
Commenting on the deal, Daimler’s chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche said…”We know that we can make brand-typical products based on shared architectures. The individual brand identities will remain unaffected.”
The companies will co-operate on the development of the Smart car brand – made by Daimler – and a new Renault Twingo, including electric versions, the companies said.
Engines currently made by Renault-Nissan will also be modified to fit a new range of compact Mercedes Benz cars.
Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, said…”The name of the game is to be present everywhere. You have to be present in all of the emerging markets, and in every segment in those markets.”
“No small or medium car manufacturer can afford that.”
Based on 2009 sales figures, Renault-Nissan is the fourth-biggest car maker in the world, with annual sales of 6.1 million vehicles.
It ain’t ever going to be easy, though. Witness the failure of the Daimler-Chrysler attempt.
OTOH, Renault-Nissan has worked quite well. Something that may reflect the global view of Ghosn as much as anything else.
He’s an interesting dude to read, BTW.
Nissan debuts new headquarters – and their zero emissions car
It would be easy to paint Nissan as late to the burgeoning U.S. green party, as the company essentially only counts the Altima Hybrid to sell among its alt-fuel offerings – and that sedan utilizes technology borrowed from Toyota…While the company has admittedly been cautious in marketing alt-fuel vehicles in North America, they have been hard at work developing electric vehicles – as well as the advanced lithium-ion batteries to support them – since 1992. What’s more, officials say they are now singularly well-placed to leapfrog “transitional” powertrain solutions like gas-electric hybrids in favor of genuine zero-emissions vehicles, and they are promising that their first pure-electric car will reach U.S. shores late next year.
That car, the Nissan Leaf shown here, is the reason we find ourselves in the company’s brand-new Yokohama headquarters today. Designed as a four-to-five seat, front-drive C-segment hatchback, Nissan says the Leaf is not just for use as a specialty urban runabout, but rather, it was designed as an everyday vehicle – a “real car” whose 160-kilometer+ (100 mile) range meets the needs of 70% of the world’s motorists. In the case of U.S. consumers, Nissan says that fully 80% of drivers travel less than 100km per day (62 miles), making the Leaf a solid fit for America’s motoring majority, even taking into account power-sapping external factors like hilly terrain, accessory draw, and extreme temperatures…
In fact, the average commute for U.S. drivers is even less – more like 40 mpd roundtrip.
While there will probably be a few discreet changes to the Leaf (non-showcar paint, slightly different interior fabrics, etc.), this isn’t a concept vehicle – Nissan assured us that you are looking at the Real McCoy, the vehicle headed for select American, Japanese, and European showrooms next year…
Nissan shows off new Versa-based electric vehicle prototype
A week before it shows the world what its new dedicated electric vehicle will look like, Nissan is showing off its latest-generation prototype. The company’s previous iteration was based on the original Cube, but the new test units are based on the Versa/Tiida. A 108 horsepower / 206 pound-feet electric motor designed in-house at Nissan drives the front wheels, while a lithium ion battery pack created by Automotive Energy Supply Corp. stores electricity. The 24 kWh pack is fitted under the floor and is expected to yield a 100-mile range.
Nissan is aiming to make life as stress-free as possible for its EV drivers. To that end, the navigation system will automatically display the driving radius that the current battery state of charge will support. It can also download information about currently available charging stations. Drivers can also access the charging status of their cars remotely via a cell phone, so no doubt an iPhone app will be on the way…
From the press release:
The timer function enables the air-conditioner or battery charging to begin at a specified time. The air-conditioner can be pre-set while the vehicle is plugged-in to cool the cabin to a desirable temperature before driving begins, without taxing the vehicle’s battery. Meanwhile, the battery charging can be set to start at a specified time at night to benefit from more favorable electricity rates…
Nissan plans to unveil the design of the production EV at its new Global Headquarters Opening in Yokohama on August 2nd. A Nissan Zero-emission Website will also go live on Aug. 2nd.
I hope the introduction shows us something more exciting and up-to-date than 95% of Nissan’s design studio products. Yes, I realize that’s meaningless to function; but, if the critter looks as vital as a double pack of chewing gum – sales will suffer. I’d rather see what something like this can achieve in a competitive marketplace.
Nissan says the EV-11 will retail for $30,000 or less. And that’s before the federal tax credit of $7,500.
UPDATED: See the production version today over here.
Nissan to build electric cars, Li-on batteries in the United States
Nissan Micro Electric commuter car – the NuVu prototype
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission
Nissan Motor Co plans to launch production of electric vehicles and their batteries in the United States to tap low-interest loans for green vehicles, the Nikkei business daily said.
The overall investment is estimated at 50 billion yen ($516.4 million) and may rise to 100 billion yen, it said.
Under the plan, the new electric-car assembly lines are to be built at a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, where Nissan North America is based, the paper said.
The facility, capable of making 50,000 to 100,000 eco-friendly vehicles a year by 2012, is expected to first produce a small passenger car, it said.
Nissan also intends to construct a production facility for high-capacity lithium ion batteries at the Smyrna site with NEC Corp.
The company has applied for funding from the U.S. government under a low-interest-loan program to support the automobile industry.
Too bad we haven’t enough brains within the Big 3 to figure out how to do any of this. Is there something in the water in Detroit that inhibits business competence?
UK Car Magazine updates Santa’s sleigh
British buff book, Car, wrote a little letter and left it by the chimney, asking for a few auto makers to create their own take on the most famous sleigh of all.
Bentley, Ford, Nissan and Rolls-Royce answered the call and put their elves in the North Pole design studios to work. The results are here. The Bentley effort has a W-12 engine, naturally. Ford came up with three ideas (too much spare time at the Blue Oval?), while Nissan’s sci-fi contribution was penned by a Canadian, so he knows all about trying to get around in winter weather.
Being somewhat traditional, Rolls-Royce has decided to retain deer power in place of horsepower, but has given Santa an elegant and no doubt supremely comfortable carriage section.
All the sleigh images on the Car site can be sent as personalized e-cards. Ho, ho, ho.
