Chevy Volt Tops Nissan LEAF In Safety Tests

In the latest round of IIHS safety tests, the Chevy Volt earned top scores, while the Nissan LEAF was one of the worst performers on the new safety tests. The tale of two plug-in cars continues…

The IIHS praised the Volt’s safety and named it the safest of the dozen small cars they put through the paces. Only half of those cars earned and “Acceptable” rating in the 40 MPH small overlap front crash test, and only the MINI Cooper Countryman earned a “Good” rating. The Volt took top honors, however, thanks to its collision warning system, which the MINI and most of the other competitors lacked.

Meanwhile the Mazda5, Kia Forte, Nissan Versa and Nissan LEAF (which is based on the Versa) were singled out as the worst performers in the battery of safety tests. The IIHS was especially critical of the LEAF;
“The instrument panel, parking brake pedal and steering column were all pushed back toward the driver. Injuries to the left knee and left lower leg would be likely in a crash of this severity, and injuries to the left thigh would be possible.” The LEAF, along with the Mazda5, Forte, and Versa, were all rated “Poor”, with the Mazda5 also receiving a less-than-acceptable rating in the side-impact test.

Don’t take their word for it though; watch the cringe-worthy crash test video below, and then compare that to the Volt’s crash test. Which car would you rather be in?

Source: Gas 2.

Bhutan Hatches Ambitious Plan To Convert All Cars To EVs

Situated on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalayan mountains, the Kingdom of Bhutan has fewer people than the state of Rhode Island and even fewer cars on its poorly-paved roads. But after several visits between Bhutan officials and executives for Nissan and Mitsubishi, an ambitious plan to replace all of Bhutan’s cars with EVs has been hatched, reports Autoblog Green.

Initially, a meeting between Bhutan’s Prime Minister and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, with the two discussing the possibility of bringing 2,000 electric vehicles to the capital of Thimphu. From there the plans only grew, with Prime Minister Tobgay recent visit to Japan. While there, he asked executives at Nissan and Mitsubishi to help him replace every car on the capital’s roads with EVs.

Furthermore, these EVs would be powered by green, sustainable hydropower, which Bhutan operates 100% on. It actually produces so much excess power that 95% of it is exported to neighboring India. Bhutan had been trading this excess energy for petrol to power vehicles, but now that energy could be directed right back to residents’ homes. Could Bhutan be the first nation to go 100% electric?

Norway might have something to say about that.

Siurce: Gas 2.

Nissan LEAF Replacement Battery Priced At $5,499

Replacement batteries for the Nissan LEAF electric vehicles are now available through authorized Nissan dealers. The price is $5,499, including a credit of $1,000 for the return of the old battery, and trading in the old battery is a requirement of purchase.

The new batteries are the same as those used in the 2015 LEAF and incorporate everything Nissan has learned since it first brought the LEAF to market 4 years ago. It also comes with a new warranty of 8 years/100,000 miles. Known as the “lizard battery”, it takes advantage of internal changes that make it more tolerant of high temperatures. Some customers living in hot climates have complained that their batteries have degraded rapidly and Nissan has taken steps to address those concerns

While Nissan is supposedly working on a 150-mile range version of the LEAF, these batteries are rated for 84 miles per charge. Owners of 2010-2012 model year cars will be required to purchase an adapter kit to retrofit the new batteries to their cars, and there is also an installation charge set by the dealer for the exchange. The process requires about 3 hours to complete.

Now that Nissan has established a price for the replacement batteries, it is possible to calculate the cost per kilowatt hour, which works out to be $270/kWh. That number is considerably lower per kWh cost when the LEAF was introduced in 2010, so greater volume is in fact driving down the cost as anticipated.

The company is finalizing the details of a financing program to make the purchase of new batteries affordable for owners, and Nssan expects the monthly cost under that program to be about $100 per month.

Source: Nissan