2017 Nissan Leaf: What We Know So Far About New Electric Car
By John Voelcker

The Nissan Leaf is by far the highest-volume electric car ever sold, with total sales now approaching 200,000 units.
First launched for 2011, the Leaf got some updates in the 2013 model when production for North American sales moved from Japan to Smyrna, Tennessee.

Since then, the Leaf has pretty much stayed the same--but we know an all-new model is coming sometime next year or the year after. So here's what we know thus far about what we're calling the 2017 Nissan Leaf electric car. This information is gathered from industry sources, off-the-record chats with people who work with Nissan, and media reports from around the world.

DESIGN
The styling of the 2011 Leaf was certainly distinctive, but it was also polarizing. In form, today's Leaf is an upright five-door hatchback that's either a large compact or a small mid-size car, depending on how you measure. But the details--the rounded ends, the very long lights topped with little fins that stretched to the base of the windshield, and a Space Age-y interior--added up to a car that some loved but others clearly disliked.

Discussions since then have indicated that the next Leaf may be somewhat more conventional in appearance. One possible indicator of styling direction is the Nissan Sway concept unveiled this month at the Geneva Motor Show, which the company said pointed toward its future small-car design language. While widely presumed to be a lightly disguised version of the next Micra minicar, the five-door hatchback concept is a bit larger than that. We suspect it has elements that will show up in the 2017 Nissan Leaf, and or at least point in that direction.

Nissan design chief and senior vice president Shiro Nakamura said last fall that to expand the next Leaf's appeal into a larger market--beyond early adopters--would require to be be a nice-looking car. Then, he said, designers could add more 'spice' in the design for those buyers who might want it—rather than starting with specific design traits that label the vehicle an electric car.

The next Leaf won't necessarily be more conservative, Nakamura argued during an interview at the Paris Motor Show, but simply a very stable, nicely-proportioned car. And for buyers who want to emphasize the Leaf's electric-car nature, there will be trim, lamps, or gauges that do that if desired.

BATTERY RANGE
Perhaps the single most important facet of the 2017 Leaf will be its rated range, or the different ranges offered if there are multiple battery-size options. A year ago, Andy Palmer--who then headed Nissan product development--suggested that the next Leaf would have a range of perhaps 120 miles, possibly as high as 150 miles. And he strongly hinted that the car might offer a range of battery options at different prices.

We expect at least one model of the next Leaf to offer a range of about 120 miles, and hope for more. (Some confusion occurs when Nissan executives, discussing projected range, fail to make it clear whether they're referring to tests conducted on the gentler Asian or European test cycle or the more demanding U.S. EPA cycle. The U.S. tests are viewed as producing lower but more realistic range ratings.) Knowledge of battery chemistry, production technology, and management strategies has progressed considerably since 2009 and 2010, when the specs for the first Leaf battery were frozen.

The 2013 update boosted range from 73 miles to 84 miles (using consistent test parameters). Four years later, another substantial boost should be on tap. More than that, a range like 120 miles will likely make the Leaf a more viable alternative for some buyers who simply felt 70 to 85 miles was too little to accommodate their needs.

Meanwhile, the new Leaf will face formidable competition from the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt, a slightly smaller five-door hatchback that's expected to offer 200 miles of range. The Chevy Bolt will go on sale very early in 2017, at the same time or perhaps even before the new 2017 Leaf.

BATTERY CELL SUPPLIER
Since the Leaf launched, Nissan has produced its own lithium-ion cells through its joint venture with NEC, known as Automotive Electric Supply Corporation or AESC. But the company's alliance partner, the French maker Renault, has also used cells from leading producer LG Chem in its own lineup of battery-electric vehicles. LG Chem not only supplies cells to the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car but has supply contracts with several other global car makers for plug-in hybrids as well.

Reports over the last 18 months indicate that Nissan has wrestled with sourcing cells from LG Chem versus its own partially-owned supplier. It's possible that different battery options may use different cell suppliers; on that one, we have to wait and see.

Now that the 2016 Chevrolet Volt has been revealed, and its technical specs are known (or most of them), the next eagerly awaited high-volume models on top of the energy efficiency scale are the second-generation Nissan Leaf and the fourth-generation Toyota Prius hybrid.

Both of those cars are expected to break ground during the next year, with the 2016 Toyota Prius now likely to appear at the Tokyo Motor Show. It's possible that the 2017 Leaf would appear there, but we think it's more likely to appear early in 2016.

As always we'll keep this article updated as we learn more.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/109 ... ectric-car

saw this, not much info available so far. Much different than the initial launch, where details trickled in regularly.