lithium battery pack will make its first sale
Nissan is working with state and local governments and utilities, just as GM did, as well as with technical support supplier Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. (eTec) to ensure that sufficient public charge stations will be available in the five markets (Seattle, San Diego, Oregon, Tennessee, and the Phoenix/Tucson area) where the car will arrive first. Also, Nissan is talking with Better Place about adding potential quick battery swaps in the future.
We’re paving the road, laying the groundwork, for all OEMs.According to Nissan’s LEAF announcement press release (read it in this post), Renault-Nissan’s zero-emission mobility programs "include partnerships with countries such as the UK and Portugal, local governments in the Japan and the USA, and other sectors, for a total of nearly 30 partnerships worldwide." These partnerships will focus on three major areas: 1) development of a comprehensive charging infrastructure through public and private investment, 2) incentives and subsidies from local, regional, and national governments, and 3) public education on the individual and societal benefits of zero-emissions mobility.
"We’re paving the road, laying the groundwork, for all OEMs," Dominique says.
Over lunch, we learned that LEAF’s claimed 100-mile range is based on EPA’s L.A.-cycle test, and Dominique believes that is a realistic estimate for real-world usage, depending on speeds, driving style, weather and terrain. And it will use somewhat less of its lithium battery pack’s total 24 kWh capacity (we’re guessing 16-18 kWh) to lengthen the pack’s life and avoid the safety risks of discharging Li-ion to near-zero state-of-charge (SOC) or pumping it to 100 percent. Similarly, GM’s Volt lithium battery pack will use just half of its 16 kWh capacity between 30% and 80% SOC. Nissan’s fast-charge capability will stop at 80% SOC for durability and safety reasons.
Dominique’s presentation had followed those of Ford Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth and new GM Product Development Vice Chairman Tom Stephens. After lunch came a session called, "Sustainability of the Automobile (Industry) in an Era of Climate Change," which featured talks by Ford Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering Group VP Sue Cischke, Toyota Public Policy and Government/Industry Affairs Group VP Josephine Cooper and Environmental Defense Fund Executive Director David Yarnold, among others.
The previous day’s speakers had included Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s new President, Edward Montgomery, who is executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, and Ron Bloom, senior adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury, assigned to the President’s Task Force on the Automotive Industry. The final day’s "Advanced Powertrain Forum" featured fact-filled presentations by Toyota Advanced Powertrain Program Manager, Advanced Technology Vehicles, Fuel Cell and Hybrid Vehicle Group, Justin Ward, GM Global Vehicle Engineering, Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries, Bob Kruse and high-level representatives from battery makers A123 Systems and Compact Power. Heavy duty! We’ll cover what some of these folks said another time. |
