Nissan Debuts the 2013 Nissan Leaf - 228 km range good for commute to The House at the End of the Street

 “People who try out the Leaf are moved. But they are worried about cruise range.”

Excerpts of Senior Vice President Masaaki Nishizawa speech to the Press at the Tokyo Hotel Launch of the 2013 Nissan Leaf

Japanese Automaker Nissan’s unwavering faith in All-Electric Vehicles is on display again. This time with the launch of the 2013 Nissan Leaf Model as stated in the article “Nissan upgrades Leaf electric car, lowers price”, published Tuesday, November 20, 2012 6:41 PM, The Jamaica Observer. An improvement on the original 2011 Nissan Leaf as mentioned in my Geezam Blog article entitled “The American Race towards Alternative Energy”.

The newly redesigned 2013 Nissan Leaf addresses Japanese and American Driver’s worry about running out of Battery charge as stated in the article “Nissan upgrades Leaf electric car, lowers price”, published Tuesday, November 20, 2012 6:41 PM, The Jamaica Observer and “Nissan lowers electric car price”, published Wednesday, November 21, 2012, The Jamaica Observer.

And why not?

It’s a modest success for the world’s most popular All-Electric Vehicle, based on Nissan’s own Stats:

1.      50% of all All-Electric Vehicle sales are comprised of the 2011 Nissan Leaf

2.      43,000 vehicles sold globally since launch in 2010

3.      17,000 2011 Nissan Leaf sold in the United States alone

4.      1,500 vehicles sold each month since then

At 2.5 million yen (JA$2.8 million or US$31,000), it isn’t cheap but it’s worth it. Depending, of course, on how much you love the Environment and relish the idea of not paying for Gasoline. And it’s not a Range Extenders design like General Motors 2011 Chevy Volt, with a Gasoline-powered Generator to juice the batteries when they run out; straight battery power akin to a smartphone!

So what’s new under the hood?  The specs for the new model addresses the above concerns voiced in the comments of Senior Vice President Masaaki Nishizawa:

1.      Range increased to 228 km (142 miles) on a single charge. An increase of 28 km from 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the 2010 model

2.      Streamlined lighter Li-Ion Battery System

3.      Reduced vehicle weight by an increased use of Aluminum in the Chassis. This use of aluminium in All-Electric Vehicle Design is explained in my blog article entitled “US Automobile Industry Resurgence and Jamaica's Bauxite Industry - Scrap Metal Industry Renaissance”

4.      More space for luggage with the movement of the now smaller Regenerative Braking Gear to the front

5.      A Charge Meter to indicate how much juice is left in the Li-ion Batteries (what! So you mean this was missing from the first model?)

6.      Improved GPS Navigation system that recommends best driving route to save on Battery power

7.      Electric Motors use 40% less Rare Earth Minerals in their design

It’s sure to sell among City Dwellers with short commutes, Garage space and willing to have a 500V recharging port installed in their house. They’re a bit too small for Jamaican Politicians who apparently love their Gas-guzzling SUV’s despite setting a bad example to the public as noted in my blog article entitled “GOJ buys SUV's for Ministers of Government from Toyota Jamaica - All-Electric Vehicle Importation Support is needed from GOJ to be The Master of our Fuel Consumption”.

Still, if the growing popularity of Metis Motor’s 2^nd Generation Tata Nano as predicted in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Metis Motors intro’s 2nd Generation Tata Nano to Ja signaling Black and Yellow for All-Electric Vehicles” is any gauge for the coming popularity of smaller vehicles. As Gas prices go upwards and the Jamaican people get restive about higher fuel prices, it’ll only be a matter of time before the GOJ realizes they’ll have to “fly the gate” for All-Electric and Flex-fuel Vehicles in Jamaica.

This is a lot like our American Cousins, Jamaicans are a commuting lot, travelling great distances bridged by the highways that’s slowly but surely being built to make travel in Jamaica faster. But if you watch the commuting patterns of persons working and even living in New Kingston, as an example, the distances they commute are really small treks in the blazing noonday Sun.

Just as well I walk with an umbrella or even better, the KSAC (Kingston and St. Andrew Council) make covered pathways out of the sidewalks to make walking not only safer but Tourist-friendly in the Sun!Thus All-Electric Vehicles are perfect for such short commutes.

With this improved range, I’m now confident that they’ll start appearing in Jamaica, despite the lack of any Range Extender Technology like the Chevy Volt, which would be more suitable for Jamaica as noted in my blog article entitled “Alternative Energy and Range Extender Technology - Jamaica to Rhaatid”. Recharging is fairly easily achieved at home via the installation of an inductive charging bar in the driveway and trickle charging via Solar Panels installed at one’s home.

During the day, the Nissan Leaf then disengages from the house as the homeowner goes on his regular commute to return back in the Evening to be recharged and also act as Backup Auxiliary Batteries to power the House. No need to go to the Gas Station and JPS Co (Jamaica Public Service Company) will never get a chance to overbill you for Electricity usage.

This as the batteries in the 2012 Nissan Leaf can act as an Auxiliary Set of Rechargeable Batteries to be connected to the homeowner’s Alternative Energy Gear to support the existing set of Backup Batteries and thus get trickle charged at night. In essence, you’ve become like a Turtle, travelling with your house on you back in the form of your Li-Ion Battery pack.

The prices of photovoltaic (Solar Panels) have been falling to the point that an entire system can be fabricated from components shipped to Jamaica. This works out cheaper than shipping entire units due to less wear and tear as argued by Dwight Cousins, Energy Solutions Department Manager at Isratech Jamaica Limited in his letter to Editor entitled “More on Isratech's solar operation” published Sunday November 11, 2012, The Jamaica Gleaner.

In summary, the homeowner will save on Gasoline usage and electricity usage, as theoretically the Li-Ion Batteries could even replace the need to have Backup Batteries in such an Alternative Energy powered house. Jamaicans with 2012 Nissan Leaf’s would literally be like Turtles, traveling with the very Batteries that power their homes in their Vehicles, consolidating their Energy Bill into a single Electricity Bill instead of being split between Electricity and Motor Vehicle Fuel!

That is, once the GOJ (Government of Jamaica heeds wise council and removes the import duty on All-Electric Vehicles and Flex-Fuel Vehicles, with the Ministers of Government driving them as examples to the Jamaican Motoring Public as per my blog article entitled “GOJ buys SUV's for Ministers of Government from Toyota Jamaica - All-Electric Vehicle Importation Support is needed from GOJ to be The Master of our Fuel Consumption”.