Yanquetino
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 11, 2010
- Messages
- 479
When I examined the Leaf on tour, I was struck with how cavernous the cargo area is in back. Here is a photo I took of it:
One of the reasons that "hole" is so deep is because Nissan has wisely decided to eliminate a spare tire to save weight. However, if you fold the rear seats forward, the enlarged cargo area is not flat --something that I much prefer when hauling paraphenalia. It seems to me that perhaps there might be better ways of using that space.
My suggestion is obviously way off in the future, when Nissan produces "Leaf 2.0," but here it is. I would fill the front area of that "hole" with another 24-module battery array, still safely between the wheels and rear axle (like in a Tesla Roadster), but slightly higher than the array under the rear seats. I would then put a storage box, with a lid, behind those batteries for items like the 110V charging cable, flashlights, window scrapers, etc. Yes, there would be less useable cargo room, but at least the surface would be flat when the seats are folded forward.
And if we're going to add batteries, why not put also put a few under the floor of the front seats, just like in the rear?
Anyway, here is what I am envisioning from the side:
And this is an illustration from above:
I concede that the suggestion could cause more problems than it is worth. For example, the additional batteries would add weight, and disproportionately to the rear, but perhaps Nissan's up-and-coming "lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode" battery would ameliorate this problem...? And there is, of course, the problem of additional cost. After all, if (<--note italics) Nissan's battery pack really does cost $18,000, adding 32 more modules would raise that cost to $30,000 --and the price of the vehicle itself to about $45,000 before incentives. On a positive note, however, the range might theoretically increase to about 160 miles per charge. My guess is that the vast majority of consumers would not be willing to pay that much, even for the greater range --but I would!
Yeah, yeah, I know: pie-in-the-sky, right?
One of the reasons that "hole" is so deep is because Nissan has wisely decided to eliminate a spare tire to save weight. However, if you fold the rear seats forward, the enlarged cargo area is not flat --something that I much prefer when hauling paraphenalia. It seems to me that perhaps there might be better ways of using that space.
My suggestion is obviously way off in the future, when Nissan produces "Leaf 2.0," but here it is. I would fill the front area of that "hole" with another 24-module battery array, still safely between the wheels and rear axle (like in a Tesla Roadster), but slightly higher than the array under the rear seats. I would then put a storage box, with a lid, behind those batteries for items like the 110V charging cable, flashlights, window scrapers, etc. Yes, there would be less useable cargo room, but at least the surface would be flat when the seats are folded forward.
And if we're going to add batteries, why not put also put a few under the floor of the front seats, just like in the rear?
Anyway, here is what I am envisioning from the side:
And this is an illustration from above:
I concede that the suggestion could cause more problems than it is worth. For example, the additional batteries would add weight, and disproportionately to the rear, but perhaps Nissan's up-and-coming "lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode" battery would ameliorate this problem...? And there is, of course, the problem of additional cost. After all, if (<--note italics) Nissan's battery pack really does cost $18,000, adding 32 more modules would raise that cost to $30,000 --and the price of the vehicle itself to about $45,000 before incentives. On a positive note, however, the range might theoretically increase to about 160 miles per charge. My guess is that the vast majority of consumers would not be willing to pay that much, even for the greater range --but I would!
Yeah, yeah, I know: pie-in-the-sky, right?