2 Black Leaf's Testing in Phoenix 6-10-10

[mwalsh]

that is standard for any car shipped from overseas. have to have some way of securing them for the trip.

I think he is referring to the eyelet coming out a hole cut out of the front of the body, not the normal underbody tow hooks. In the second high-res photo it is pretty clear, silver eyelet against the black body.

Yes, tow-hook per race cars, not the ones that everyone has on the underneath of their car (though it still remains to be seen where the Leaf's are or how they'll be accessed).

 

[DeaneG]

The Leaf does seem to photograph like something only it's mother would love. We'll have to see how it looks in person, in silver.

 

[Carlos]

Great catch... Funny to see my buddies truck repair shop in the background. (19th Ave & I-10 s/b)
The temp isn't even HOT today. Average is 103 with a record of 111 (1978).
Check the wind chill temp.... Goose Bumps.. :lol:

Updated: 12:06 MST on 6/10/10
Currently:
94.4°F
Clear High: 95.0°F
(12:00)
Low: 78.2°F
(5:27)
Wind: 4 mph from the SSE
Gust: 7 mph
Today's High Wind: 12 mph at 10:20 MST
Humidity: 18%
Pressure: 29.77 in and Steady
Pressure Rate: -0.019 in/hr
Dew Point: 44.4°F
Wind Chill: 94.4°F
Heat Index (feels like): 90.5°F
Comfort Level: Uncomfortably Hot
Temperature Rate: 2.05°F/hr

 

[mwalsh]

Looks like Green Car Reports has picked up your story:

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1046023_spy-shots-nissan-leaf-caught-on-the-street

 

[DanCar]

4.) Those front headlights really bulge out a lot, like a sore thumb!

Nissan took out a patent on those. They say it reduces wind noise around the side view mirrors.

Holy Hades. The black color will put the A/C to the ultimate test in Phoenix. I'll be curious to see if the results echo Mark Perry's prediction of "maybe a 10% drop of range if you're running your air conditioner."

A black interior would cause the A/C to work harder.

 

[palmermd]

Map? on the dashboard?

That paper taped to the dash is actually in front of the passenger seat. The nav should be just below the two climate control vents and the hazard button that you can see in the middle of the car. Not sure what the paper is, but it may be something that the passenger is using to log data from an on-board laptop and some of the sensors such as the mysterious tube above the rear door.

I like the look of the car without the chrome "teeth" above the mouth of the catfish.

 

[LakeLeaf]

Yellow tape on the door handles and the center of the back door - probably covering up some nice Leaf signage?

Note the white sticker on the back window - if you zoom in on it you can clearly see it is my reservation number!

 

[BrendanDolan]

That's a great shot! Looks like I made the right choice on color.

One thing I do miss about living in AZ was seeing all of the cars doing hot weather testing. I lived in Prescott for four years, and between magazine comparison testings, you'd see all kinds of pre production mules running around, especially up I-17 to tackle the 8% grade just south of Cordes Junction.

 

[LeafHopper]

The towing hook is a new feature. When there is a shortage of charging stations, you can recharge the battery while getting towed. Similar to the old friction toy cars of the 50's and 60's.

 

[palmermd]

The towing hook is a new feature. When there is a shortage of charging stations, you can recharge the battery while getting towed. Similar to the old friction toy cars of the 50's and 60's.

That's a great idea. While going down the freeway you just put out a claw that reaches forward and grabs onto the bumper of a big rig and then you lightly push the brake pedal to start the regen process. Once your topped up you release from the rig, and give him a wave "thank you" as you drive by.

 

[TEG]

Nice reflection of your friend's car.

 

[evnow]

They might be going south of Phoenix about 40 miles to the Nissan Technical Center. It is a huge test track.

Use this address in Bing Maps to have a look:

7815 North White and Parker Road Stanfield, AZ 85172-9642

The Google Maps view is not clear.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=32.941621372473435~-111.98661680944825&lvl=14&sty=h&where1=7815%20N%20White%20And%20Parker%20Rd%2C%20Stanfield%2C%20AZ%2085172-9642

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Holy Hades. The black color will put the A/C to the ultimate test in Phoenix. I'll be curious to see if the results echo Mark Perry's prediction of "maybe a 10% drop of range if you're running your air conditioner."

I always assumed lighter cars are cooler in the sun than dark ones, but at the same time noticed white cars get hot as a pistol too. Some of what I've read lately suggests it may not make that much of a difference.

 

[JasonT]

Pics have made it to Autoblog:
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/06/11/spied-pre-production-nissan-leaf-caught-in-action-wearing-nothi/

 

[DanCar]

So does an expert know what the tube is for? We've heard guesses of TV camera, wind sensor, temperature sensor.

 

[hill]

Edit 2: The antenna is different from the shark fin I've seen in Nissan's photos.

Looks like the shark fin antenna has gone the way of cost cutting!

Meah ... no big deal. Taller antennas work better. Ever see a radio station use a sharrk fin?

Yep the shorter the antenna, the less gain. Why pay more, for less?
But that silver tube on the roof? It looks like some kind of a home made rheostat ... or an RF choke. Anyone else care to guess?

 

[garygid]

Wind speed sensor.