Video of LEAF Crash Test

Here's an interesting video of the crashing testing of the Nissan LEAF.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePS3wxrc-Xc[/youtube]

that's quite a bit of penetration from the rear. But theres no telling what speed this was at. My guess the pack will not be as isolated in a side impact as in these front/rear crashes....


Thanks for posting!

turbo2ltr said:

that's quite a bit of penetration from the rear. But theres no telling what speed this was at. My guess the pack will not be as isolated in a side impact as in these front/rear crashes....


Thanks for posting!

Click to expand...

In a catastrophic crash, you WANT a lot of penetration (to absorb the energy) through the crumple zones, but not so much that the passenger compartment is breached/disfigured. At that point, they're not looking for repair, they're looking to save the occupants.

Jimmydreams said:

turbo2ltr said:

that's quite a bit of penetration from the rear. But theres no telling what speed this was at. My guess the pack will not be as isolated in a side impact as in these front/rear crashes....


Thanks for posting!

Click to expand...

In a catastrophic crash, you WANT a lot of penetration (to absorb the energy) through the crumple zones, but not so much that the passenger compartment is breached/disfigured. At that point, they're not looking for repair, they're looking to save the occupants.

Click to expand...

I agree, but if that was 20 mph, there's a significant problem. Until we know the speed, the video is merely eye candy.

The passenger compartment looks like it held up well and the doors stayed well aligned. This is a good sign!

That's clearly a significant crash and I think the crush zones absorbing the energy to protect the batteries shows an optimal result. The one thing that kills electric cars and the Leaf specifically is if there are fires caused by crashes. The whole leaf project is ultimately for PR..and that is the one thing that would make it all a failure.

I think the battery itself could absorb quite an impact and assist in preserving the cabin space.
I honestly don't think much would happen if the batter itself was severly damaged. JMO

I suspect it's a 40mph crash test, similar to what evnow has posted. http://img291.imageshack.us/f/leafsafety.png/

SteveInSeattle said:

The whole leaf project is ultimately for PR..and that is the one thing that would make it all a failure.

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PR? Come on. The LEAF is for a revolution.

cdub said:

SteveInSeattle said:

The whole leaf project is ultimately for PR..and that is the one thing that would make it all a failure.

Click to expand...

PR? Come on. The LEAF is for a revolution.

Click to expand...

PR : Public Revolution ;-)

That video is an excerpt from one of Nissan's design videos. I suspect it was intended to show pack survivability and not represent any of the standardized insurance crash tests.

AndyH said:

That video is an excerpt from one of Nissan's design videos. I suspect it was intended to show pack survivability and not represent any of the standardized insurance crash tests.

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That sounds right. Appears it's showing the LEAF can withstand a 40mph crash with no damage to the battery pack. What velocity is attained for the standardized insurance crash tests?

While we are waiting for the official crash test for the LEAF here it is the EURO NCAP (European standard crash test) results for the Mitusibishi I-MIEV.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.ancap.com.au/pdf/377.PDF

ruimegas said:

While we are waiting for the official crash test for the LEAF here it is the EURO NCAP (European standard crash test) results for the Mitusibishi I-MIEV.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.ancap.com.au/pdf/377.PDF

Click to expand...

Hello Rui, how are you?

That document is from Ancap, Australian NCAP.
The car got 4*.

I think the Euro iMIEVs cars are different from Japonese ones. And America's will receive another version.
What car specs do they use in Australia? Maybe it will score 5* in Euro Ncap if there is a different version from this one.

Vgomes