Leaf battery and plug
I had 2 questions come up repeatedly:
1. How big is the battery? I hadn't really thought about it, so we popped the hood and looked. I guess everyone was thinking that to power a whole car it would be the size of a cooler. It wasn't.
It looked regular-sized, but slightly narrower.
2. How do you plug it in. Easy. Just pop open the small door in the hood and you snap in the plug. The other end has the regular 120 volt 3-pronged plug you have in garages and home. The other plug in the hood is where you snap in the 240 volt plug when charging it at work in the specially designed charging stations (the plugs you have for your washer or oven).
Ed Cassavoy
Senior Editor, Special Sections
The battery in the Nissan Leaf is squished under the floor and rear seat, what you were looking at under the hood was the electric motor. The Leaf also has a regular 12V battery. under the hood on the driver side.
Posted by: Paul | 04/30/2012 at 09:41 PM
Sorry to point this out, but the battery you're viewing in the picture isn't "the" battery. The battery in the picture is the auxiliary battery, used to powering things like interior lights, the radio, wipers, etc.
"The" main battery (the one that makes the car go forward), is quite big, and is hidden under the seats. Google "Nissan Leaf battery" for much more information.
Posted by: A. Nelson | 05/02/2012 at 01:51 PM
I think that's "one" battery.
Not "the" battery.
Posted by: Mark Henschel | 05/04/2012 at 08:38 AM
I believe that it worth stating what the cost of the 240v charging stations are for both cars as this is definitely the way people will have to go to get faster charges overnight in off-peak hours. I have not seen anything on the Leaf but GM has said that the SPX 240v Home Charging Station will cost $490.00 in the U.S. plus installation coming in between $1,100.00 - $1,495.00. for an "easy" installation with access to the electric panel. So the owner is looking at just under $2,000.00. One U.S. post said that his cost for the Leaf charger was $2,700.00. Assuming the ongoing differences between U.S. and Canadian automobile accessory prices I'm thinking it will be closer to $3,000.00 in Canada.
This is another cost that needs to be factored into the overall operational costs of the cars.
Posted by: Keith Pitts | 05/08/2012 at 08:17 PM
I think you're confusing the 12 volt battery that runs the gasoline engine etc. The main battery is under the car. And its much bigger.
Posted by: David | 05/18/2012 at 02:58 PM
Are you kidding me? Please do a little research Mr. Ed Cassavoy Senior Editor before writing that the battery for the Nissan Leaf is so small. That is an accessory and not the main power for the car. The main power for the car comes from a battery that takes up about 1/3 of the undercarriage. It's a huge 24kw-h lithium ion battery and not the lead acid battery you are showing.
Posted by: Chris | 05/18/2012 at 05:02 PM
Dear Ed. I really do have to point out that is NOT the battery which powers the whole car. Rather the battery which may power the other car items like radios etc...If you do a search on Google you'll find that the batteries for hybrids are very large. For the leaf its located under the the seats near the back. Hope that helps. This is a great blog otherwise to help educate the EV's out there. Best Regards, Kris @ Siemens Canada EVI group.
Posted by: Kris | 05/19/2012 at 01:27 PM
Hi Ed, The battery you think powers the car isn't. I'm surprised you would have though that. It's the heaviest component of the vehicle, located on the floor pan.
Brian
Posted by: Brian Rahilly | 05/19/2012 at 02:51 PM
Is this a joke or is the writer truly clueless about technology?
Does Ed really think that an ELECTRIC car can run solely on a battery that's SMALLER than the regular battery in a gas-powered vehicle?! Does that sound possible at all?!?! Even if you don't know anything about automotive technology you should have some common sense and maybe some basic reasoning abilities.
In reality the Leaf's battery pack is huge and is mounted below the entire cabin floor and rear seats. This thing weighs 600 pounds alone.
The little 12V battery under the hood is only for powering accessories (radio, interior lights, wipers, etc) and headlights/tail lights.
Posted by: Alex | 05/20/2012 at 02:41 AM
That's not the battery that runs the car. That's for accessories. The battery that runs the car is massive and is under the seats for low center of gravity.
Posted by: I Know | 05/20/2012 at 05:13 AM
With regards to answer 1. :Is this a poor attempt at humour or just some more misinformed, irresponsible "who can be bothered with research" journalism.
Take 5 minutes and do some basic research. Here's a start.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nissan_Leaf_012.JPG
Posted by: shocked | 05/20/2012 at 12:00 PM
Umm.. that is not the drive battery that is part of the 12V system.. radio, headlights etc..
The drive battery is under the floorpan and is quite large. You would have to get down on your back and crawl under the vehicle
Posted by: Brent Wilson | 05/20/2012 at 04:34 PM
i believe you're confused. This battery is not responsible for propel the car, this is just to power accessories. The propulsion battery is hidden from the user.
Posted by: Rafael | 05/21/2012 at 10:38 PM