Nissan to Offer an Array of Different Battery Packs For Leaf

By Eric Loveday

Eric Loveday

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2,199 views Nov 21, 2009

Nissan LEAF Charging Port

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Additional sources are now confirming a story we brought you a few days back about the Nissan Leaf.  According to the Detroit Bureau, an automotive industry site, a senior Nissan planner has confirmed stories about offering additional battery sizes later in the Leaf's product cycle.

As the Detroit Bureau reports, "A senior Nissan planner tells TheDetroitBureau.com that the company eventually give BEV buyers the electric vehicle's equivalent of choosing engines, offering an array of different battery packs.  That would allow a motorist to choose between a lower-range, lower-cost pack, or batteries delivering perhaps twice the mileage, at a higher price, of course.  And, as battery technology improves, eco-minded motorists might also be offered batteries that would add a bit more muscle to their green machines."

As it is right now, the Leaf is incapable of carrying a larger sized battery, but battery technology could soon diminish the size of batteries resulting in additional range from a comparably sized battery.  Nissan suggests that a range of 150 to 200 miles could be possible in the Leaf within a few years.

Range is not the only aspect that Nissan discussed with the Detroit Bureau.  The company also said that they could offer batteries with higher "power density" which in turn would result in a higher performance vehicle.  As auto analyst Stephanie Brinley of AutoPacifi, Inc said, "Ultimately, people will want varied levels of performance.  So, with an electric vehicle, instead of upgrading from a V-6 to a V-8, you'll get a different battery."

Think about one more potential future option too.  Aftermarket companies could at some point offer replacement upgrade batteries for vehicles like the Nissan Leaf.  When Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn was asked about this possibility he quickly sidestepped the question and stated, "Without a doubt, Nissan would be open to working with such a vendor if one comes along with batteries better than ours."

The options for the upcoming Leaf keep coming.  With potential range upgrades, power upgrades, and possible aftermarket support, the Leaf could continue to evolve throughout its product cycle to suit the demands and needs of buyers.  This flexibility may prove essential to the success of the EV.

Source:  The Detroit Bureau