# [EVDL] EVLN: 2013 Leaf EV: 6.6kW Charger, Better Heater, Leather Option



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

20 to 25 miles of improvements? That's a lot. If they are already using a
heat pump, what kind of improvment could make that much difference?

Peri 

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of brucedp
Sent: 21 March, 2012 2:58 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [EVDL] EVLN: 2013 Leaf EV: 6.6kW Charger, Better Heater,Leather
Option


Upgraded 2013 Leaf produced in Smyrna, TN in December 2012 After you fill
your ice tank, you get ticked off and you say, 'I want to look at an
electric.'

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1074273_2013-nissan-leaf-better-heater-l
eather-option-6-6-kw-charger
[images] 2013 Nissan Leaf: Better Heater, Leather Option, 6.6-kW Charger By
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield Mar 20 2012

Nissan's all-electric Leaf hatchback has only been on sale in the U.S. for
the past 15 months, but Nissan has already confirmed it will get some
much-needed upgrades for the 2013 model. 

Speaking to The Detroit News yesterday, Mark Perry, director of product and
advanced planning for Nissan Americas confirmed that the
2013 Leaf will get an improved heating system and an upgraded interior
fitted as standard. 

Although the electric-powered air heater found in the 2011/12 Leaf is
adequate enough to keep the interior warm in all but the coldest of
temperatures, its use comes with a caveat: a drop in range of as much as 30
miles. 

As we've found in the past, sacrificing heat for range is hardly
pleasurable. 

Neither Nissan nor Perry has detailed how the heating system in the
2013 Leaf will be different, but we do know it will improve winter
performance. 

[image] [2012] Nissan Leaf Winter Test
"You may not see much change on the EPA rating, but in cold-weather
conditions you may see 20 to 25 miles of improvements," Perry promised,
although it is important to note Nissan hasn't mentioned a change in either
battery pack capacity or chemistry.

The other major improvements -- aside from the 6.6 kilowatt charger that
Perry promised last year -- are focused on the car's interior. 

When the Leaf launched, its white seats made from recycled plastic bottles
may have been environmentally responsible, but not everyone liked them,
Perry admitted. 

"We were like, 'Ah, let's do the clean, green recycled materials.'" 
Perry said. But as Nissan soon found out, customers wanted other options,
especially those with children or pets. 

As a consequence, the 2013 Leaf will be offered with optional Leather seats,
as well as a choice of light or dark interior trim ...

At the moment, little else is known about the 2013 Leaf, except that it will
be manufactured in the U.S. at Nissan's Smyrna plant in Tennessee. 

Some analysts have suggested that the domestic manufacture of the Leaf will
also help Nissan keep its price down, but Nissan has yet to confirm official
pricing.
[C 2011 Green Car Reports All Rights Reserved]



http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120320/AUTO01/203200342/Nissan-debut-im
proved-Leaf-December?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
[image] Nissan to debut improved Leaf in December Leather seats, better
heating system, new interior ahead for EV By David Shepardson Mar 20 2012

Nissan says a more efficient heater is expected to help extend the Leaf's
range in cold-weather conditions by "20 to 25 miles." (Nissan)

Washington -Nissan Motor Co. is upgrading its electric vehicle Leaf when it
rolls out a new version by year's end, adding leather seats, a darker new
interior and a more efficient heating system.

Mark Perry, director of product and advanced planning for Nissan Americas,
said the Japanese automaker is on track to double sales in 2012; it sold
about 9,700 Nissan Leafs in the United States in 2011. 
Nissan only recently rolled out the Leaf to all 50 states a few weeks ago.

When Nissan was designing the Leaf five years ago, it thought about leather
as an option. "We were like, 'Ah, let's do the clean, green recycled
materials,'" Perry said in an interview.

But Nissan's customers told them otherwise, saying they want leather, Perry
said. "People want a dark interior, so we're to give them a dark interior,
too." ... about three-quarters of Volt [plug-in series hybrid] models sold
or leased have leather.

The Leaf [EV] - by far the best-selling electric vehicle in the United
States - outsold the Chevrolet Volt in 2011 ...

Nissan will unveil the upgraded 2013 Leaf in December when it begins
producing the car in Smyrna, Tenn. Nissan won $1.4 billion in Energy
Department loans in January 2010 to build batteries and up to 150,000
electric vehicles annually in the United States.

Buyers in Minnesota had been waiting for 18 months until it went on sale
recently. As a result, Minnesotans have had the highest daily volume buyers
of the Leaf in recent days, Perry said.

Consumer Reports' senior director of its auto testing center David Champion
has said the range of the Leaf dropped dramatically in cold weather when the
heater was turned on. Perry says the 2013 Leaf will have a "much, much more
efficient" heater that will dramatically extend the Leaf's range in cold
weather.

The Environmental Protection Agency rates the Leaf's range at 73 miles, but
Nissan has said it can go up to 100 miles on a single charge, depending on
driving conditions and weather. "You may not see much change on the EPA
rating, but in cold-weather conditions you may see 20 to 25 miles of
improvements," Perry said.

Nissan will unveil a prototype of a concept Infiniti electric vehicle at the
New York International Auto Show next month.

The company hasn't named the EV or said when it will be available.

Perry said that high gas prices are causing more people to consider buying
EVs. "After you pay that $80 to fill up your tank, you get ticked off and
you say, 'I want to look at an electric.'"
[C 2011 The Detroit News All rights reserved]


http://wot.motortrend.com/2013-nissan-leaf-updates-may-include-darker-interi
or-leather-seats-more-efficient-heater-181407.html
2013 Nissan Leaf Updates May Include Darker Interior, Leather Seats, More
Efficient Heater by Jake Holmes Mar 20 2012 ...

Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman said he couldn't confirm the report from The
Detroit News, but did confirm the Leaf enters production in Smyrna later
this year.

[image gallery
http://wot.motortrend.com/2013-nissan-leaf-updates-may-include-darker-interi
or-leather-seats-more-efficient-heater-181407.html/2011-nissan-leaf-front-4/
] [C 2012 MotorTrend Magazine All rights reserved] ...
http://www.inautonews.com/upgraded-nissan-leaf-to-debut-in-december
Upgraded Nissan Leaf to debut in December




http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Three-Elec
tric-Vehicles-From-The-Big-Three-td4488085.html

{brucedp.150m.com}

--
View this message in context:
http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-2013-Leaf-
EV-6-6kW-Charger-Better-Heater-Leather-Option-tp4491770p4491770.html
Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at
Nabble.com.

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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

> Peri Hartman wrote:
> > 20 to 25 miles of improvements? That's a lot. If they are already using a
> > heat pump, what kind of improvment could make that much difference?
> 
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Yes, the media's "artistic license" explains a lot  

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of Willie McKemie
Sent: 21 March, 2012 8:01 AM
To: Electric Vehicle Discussion List
Subject: Re: [EVDL] EVLN: 2013 Leaf EV: 6.6kW Charger, Better Heater,Leather
Option



> Peri Hartman wrote:
> > 20 to 25 miles of improvements? That's a lot. If they are already
> > using a heat pump, what kind of improvment could make that much
> difference?
> ...


----------



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

The current Leaf does not use a heat punp. It uses simple resistance
heating. It helps a lot when you preheat the car while it is plugged
in. The power to heat it comes from the power lines and it doesn't
take so much power to keep it warm. However, when parked somewhere
without being plugged in, and having to warm the interior from the
batteries, it will consume a lot of power, power you can no longer use
to drive the wheels. My range dropped from close to 100 miles to
around 70 miles or a little less in 25 degree weather. I never saw
fewer than four bars on the battery temperature gauge, but now that
I's seeing six bars, my range has increased dramatically.

Dave



> Peri Hartman <[email protected]> wrote:
> > 20 to 25 miles of improvements? That's a lot. If they are already u=
> sing a
> > heat pump, what kind of improvment could make that much difference?
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

I haven't seen anyone say they are already using a heat pump, It has air
conditioning so the equipment would be easy to modify into a heat pump and
when I drove one in 2011 they mentioned heated seats and electrically
defrosted windshield.
Regards,
*Dennis Lee Miles* (Founder)
*"**Electric Car Service Shop"*
*[ the Forgotten Infrastructure ]*
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


> Peri Hartman <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> > Yes, the media's "artistic license" explains a lot
> >
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Peri's message in this thread said:

> > 20 to 25 miles of improvements? That's a lot. If they are already
>> > using a heat pump, what kind of improvment could make that much
>> difference?

My statement was in response to his comment. I have noticed that my
range decrease in the summer isn't near what the heater costs me in
winter, so if Nissan is using a heat pump in the 2013 model, it could
make a large difference. I also understand that the 2012 owners can
use less heat when using the heated seats and steering wheel. Mine is
a 2011, so I'm stuck with using the heater, unless I install heated
seats myself (as some on the www.mynissanleaf.com forum have done.

Dave




> Dennis Miles <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I haven't seen anyone say they are already using a heat pump, It has air
> > conditioning so the equipment would be easy to modify into a heat pump and
> > when I drove one in 2011 they mentioned heated seats and electrically
> ...


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