Junk under the trunk?

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

DarkStar

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2010
Messages
2,066
Location
Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
Okay, I'm curious what is underneath the trunk of the Leaf.

Here is a view from the top:

5015393741_b28eac6dba_z.jpg


And here is a view from the bottom:

gallery-13.jpg


It appears that there is "something" in-between, but I'm not sure what. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out when I go to the Drive Electric event on Sunday, but maybe others can provide some insight here...
 
That is quite a bit of wasted space if empty, perhaps they are hiding the extra 6kwh of pack in there:) I see a couple access plugs but thats it. There are some stand off posts there so something is likely bolted under the hole on the left and its not a fuel pump! It also looks like air is circulated about the outside of the pack and back out, there are also air ducts in tha back section.
 
Gonewild said:
It is the hidden compartment where you put the drugs when you come home from Mexico


Mexico, "you may go in but you won't come out, at least not in one piece".
 
what is really is, is access for the "fuel pump" when the sheet metal is used for a "Versa".
I am convinced the Leaf is built with the same CNC parts as a Versa, at least some of it is...
those holes are just plugged up with inserts, it's cheaper than designing a new sheet metal part.
 
DarkStar said:
Okay, I'm curious what is underneath the trunk of the Leaf.

Here is a view from the top:
When we poked through the trunk at the tour, I unscrewed the larger black plastic cover in the rear left. There was a metal cap/plug with an interesting off-center, angled allen head screw. I asked around but no one there knew. :?:

DarkStar said:
Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out when I go to the Drive Electric event on Sunday, but maybe others can provide some insight here...
Perhaps, bring a set of allen wrenches .... ?
 
Those could be impact sensors for pack disconnect, etc. Something is mounted as there are three reverse bolt studs it appears.
 
cdub said:
JPVLeaf said:
Perhaps, bring a set of allen wrenches .... ?
Ha! Yes let's disassemble the entire LEAF while we're at it.

Wait - I don't think they'll like that.
Ha! I just suggested bringing a set of (small) allen wrenches.
I did not say what you should do with them when you get there. ;)
(insert appropriate non-liability, disclaimer language here)
 
cdub said:
JPVLeaf said:
Perhaps, bring a set of allen wrenches .... ?

Ha! Yes let's disassemble the entire LEAF while we're at it.

Wait - I don't think they'll like that.


Yeah, but FORUM MEMBERS would like it! :) Maybe I'll do so on Friday for my test drive. Just to see the looks on their faces when I start unscrewing things at random!
 
blorg said:
Yeah, but FORUM MEMBERS would like it! :) Maybe I'll do so on Friday for my test drive. Just to see the looks on their faces when I start unscrewing things at random!

Wear a black polo shirt and nobody will know you don't work for nissan. Everyone is a temp, and they don't know each other.
 
mitch672 said:
what is really is, is access for the "fuel pump" when the sheet metal is used for a "Versa".
I am convinced the Leaf is built with the same CNC parts as a Versa, at least some of it is...
those holes are just plugged up with inserts, it's cheaper than designing a new sheet metal part.

LEAF is an all new, unique EV platform. It shares nothing with any current Nissan/Infiniti product. That will change in the future when Infiniti brings out their first EV based on the LEAF chassis.

That's yet to be confirmed 100%. If it were all new they sure made most everything look like all their other cars, what about the car is so unique and different? I saw some reused parts from another NIssan on one of the demo cars.
 
Some new news, there is some "junk under the trunk" and it all has to do with the parking brake! Apparently it is an electric hydraulic system that has some of its equipment under the trunk area. That's why there is no spare tire, but there are some access ports under the trunk floor mat.
 
DarkStar said:
Some new news, there is some "junk under the trunk" and it all has to do with the parking brake! Apparently it is an electric hydraulic system that has some of its equipment under the trunk area. That's why there is no spare tire, but there are some access ports under the trunk floor mat.


That device is quite small and would not be the reason for excluding a spare. Since EVs have limited range the spare is usually eliminated as a weight saver.
 
This might explain some of what's under there.

http://nissan-leaf.net/2010/11/07/weekly-roundup-all-the-leaf-and-other-ev-news-that-didnt-make-the-headlines-4/

Check out the animation shows the charger in that location.
 
Nice find! Good video.
I thought the AC-to-DC charger was in the center spine of the battery pack? The video says -- certainly not, and that does make more sense from a safety/replacement standpoint.

What's the big black box inside battery pack attached to the main rails? I thought it was the charger, but it might be just the switch/relay?
whatsit.jpg


I didn't think the charger would be as large as it looks in the animation. That's a huge charger!

Seems like the long-term future for a wildly-successful EV would be DC chargers everywhere, and none in the car.

Does anyone have a picture of the Tesla Roadster charger, as a module? It would be interesting to compare.

I wish I had spent more time at the open battery taking detailed pictures of the inside.. could probably learn a lot just from the wire routing, wire gauge, and connector pinouts.
 
There appear to be two DC ports on the battery pack -- one on top, and one on the 'front'. The animation shows the power going out the front to the inverter/motor, and the charger feeding into the back.
I think maybe the charger is actually feeding via the top port instead.

The top port has two high-power sockets, and a very small 2-pin (data?) port.
top-port.jpg
 
garrytman said:
This might explain some of what's under there.

http://nissan-leaf.net/2010/11/07/weekly-roundup-all-the-leaf-and-other-ev-news-that-didnt-make-the-headlines-4/

Check out the animation shows the charger in that location.

why are they showing the charger doing the regeneration instead of the inverter? This is the first time i've seen this done. This will limit regen to 3.3kw, will it not? Is the animation incorrect, or is this a new way of doing this?
 
Back
Top