The Stig Test Drives the Nissan Leaf Electric Car

[llandudnoboy]

I am sure it will take off at just over £28,000, that's £9000 more than the highly impressive VW Golf TDi Bluemotion.

£9000 buy's you a lot of diesel and the resale value of the Golf will be far superior to the Leaf.

If the Leaf cost £14,000 then it makes sense but it costs twice that much.

Too expensive

[tsport100]

@llandudnoboy Hows your Maths? According to recent headlines, Diesel in the UK has hit a record price of 141p a litre with more rises expected. That's US$8.17 per US Gallon, and you're happy to pay that when a Leaf costs just £0.02 per mile?

Seeing as the Leaf has only been on sale 1 year, depreciation is a total unknown plus there's a £5,000 plug-in car grant and other tax discounts available.

[MrOxinova]

yeah its stig

[jko8888]

@kiiiro You're absolutely right about not being good for road trips. Something like the Chevy Volt would be an alternative. Otherwise, the Leaf is awesome for local driving and will save money and be better for the environment.

[therealalexrider]

I like the volt, it's a lot better with that range extender and you can use it for long journeys so it can be your primary car

[mando1337]

I would LOVE to have this as our second car and use it for our daily commute. It takes us over 1 hour to do a 13 miles trip and I'm paying lots of money just to sit in the traffic.

It's cheap to "fill it" up and servicing is... What servicing? This engine doesn't have oil or oil filters. And I don't really need 0-60 in 6 seconds and perfect handling around town. For that I can have our second, "weekend" car

[GiantMoosin]

You're screwed when the battery runs out;

what if you wanted to use air conditioning or the radio? That would decrease the range substantially

[Scarab5527]

@GiantMoosin From what I understand most drivers of these cars warm up/cool down the car while it's still plugged in to get it comfortable and there is a solar panel that can power the stereo system. Still there needs to be more charge stations.

[mahballzrhari]

i love these cars but imagine a ford f 150 crashing into you @ 40 mph, no chance of survival.

[tsport100]

@mahballzrhari You might be surprised! Many new cars are built using Boron based Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS) while F150s are all made from cheese, as most Fords are! I have seen accident where the driver of an F150 died after a head on but the Camry driver he hit survived. Do some research!

[DownWithBMX]

@tsport100 Thats funny. the new f150's have lots of boron steel

[MIT2004]

@tsport100 LIES. i have seen several different types of rices hit f-150 and man do those ricers get fucked up

[tsport100]

@kiiiro The greatest benefit: $0.02 per mile to run.

[macgyver2210]

That is not the Stig. The Stig is everywhere and nowhere at once. He is invisible without the white suit, and will kill a tame human on sight. He regularly has tea with the Predator, and the Queen asks HIM for advice. This is NOT the Stig.

[m1aws]

No wonder they sacked the real Stig from Top Gear.

Admitting he enjoyed driving an electric car.

Whatever next?

[safijunior]

why is every electric car is so ugly?!

[Medifro]

The Stig reviewing cars, how ironic is THAT

[3089280288]

what's with this constant cross promotion? Everyone does not have a gotdamm iphone.

[bsomers77]

you don't need an iphone, you can use your pc or mac. also the app will be available for android.

[Evan2718281828]

windscreen

petrol

windsheild

gas

[villager0809]

I don't understand why top gear fakes the breakdowns of electric cars - rather sick joke which puts me off the whole programme and its presenters - the fly in the ointment. Shame on Top Gear for stooping so low!

[Argoon1981]

@villager0809 They do that because they don't want electric cars to become the norm, many people will fight them with all they got because they like what the ice engines do (they are called petrol heads by the way), the explosive noise of the motor, the smoke of the pipes and the sound of changing gears, some people just vibrate with this, they don't care if the electric car is fast, if it don't makes their familiar sounds and smoke they don't like them.

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500

Why electric cars are a win.

Less net energy used to make energy for the vehicle, plus,the vehicle itself takes the least energy.

A recap, hydrogen cars are crap! The ones that use a engine to burn hydrogen is stupid inefficient, and the kind that uses fuel cells are stupid inefficient as well because tons of energy is used to gather Hydrogen, tons of energy is used to turn that Hydrogen back into electricity via the fuel cells to power the electric-drivetrained, hydrogen car!

[derbigpr500]

@danwat1234 How can you say "hydrogen cars are crap" if the technology still hasnt even been developed to 1% of its potential. Thats like going back to late 19th century and saying "internal combustion engine is crap". And yet, look where we are now. Electric cars simply have no future, at least not fully electric cars.. End of story. EVERY SINGLE engineer that know what he's talking about will tell you that.

[derbigpr500]

@derbigpr500 The reason why hydrogen cars might be the future (unlike electric cars) is because we have infinite amount of hydrogen, we just havent found the way to produce it, store it and use it efficiently. Same as at the beginning of petrol / diesel engine era. Were petrol engines efficient and fast at in the 1910's? Are they today? The future of cars are hydrogen powered cars because in long terms they are the most efficient...and if they will produce pure H20, thats another plus.

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500 Hydrogen cars are ELECTRIC cars being fed electricity by converting Hydrogen back into electricity with devices called a Fuel Cell.

Unless your talking about the kind of Hydrogen vehicle that has a Hydrogen-burning engine in it? These vehicles don't have high performance or efficiency.

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500 If we can find a way to efficiently gather Hydrogen, then yes Hydrogen could be the future. But so far it is energy intensive.

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500 I agree that we can find ways to store hydrogen in a tank more densely (with higher pressure and with super cold temperatures).

But Lithium Ion battery technology is not at the end of the road yet. Nano-technology will come along to increase the density of these batteries so we won't have the range issues of today.

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500 Electric car batteries already last farther than 100K miles, and in the future they will last even longer, have higher energy density, weigh less for the same energy and cost less.

Now, if you look at how much energy it takes to gather hydrogen, and the energy it takes to take crude oil and convert it to petrol that cars can use, you will see that pure electric vehicles are the future.

continued.

[Tippey764]

60-100 mile range? That is a main in the ass

[daguzify]

This is a perfect 2nd car......if you already have a sports car or do not need one. For me, this is perfect, I drive 3 miles to work every day and 15 miles total all day. If I have to do more traveling, my 4 cylinder Subaru will do the trick.

[AlexandrGreen]

I think that all of them need solar power cell to fit on their car bodies.

[GodBotherer1]

@AlexandrGreen

Don't speak too soon, oil companies my have already "made go missing" the person who planned that idea in the first place.

They have no conscious at all, they want you to pay $20 per-litre for gasoline before they will let you drive any style of car powered by the sun or any non-oil form of energy.

[NitroExplosion88]

This car Destroys other eletric and hybrid cars, Say hello to the new master of the Prius and Volt!!!

[danwat1234]

So.. the Stig from Top Gear is unmasked then??

[derbigpr500]

@danwat1234 Its ex-stig. He was fired from Top Gear because he revealed his identity in season 16.

[daswada9]

@danwat1234 its his brother :D

[DeLorean4]

I'm putting my money on steam power.

[soogoonu]

did he said how many miles endures the batteries (maybe I missed out)

'cos it is the only thing I'm interested about these cars actually

[addictedtopiano]

@soogoonu taxies in japan have already done 250k+ miles without swapping the battery pack

[soogoonu]

@addictedtopiano ow that's nice - 250.000 miles is much more road I'm probably gonna make in my entire life

[brain96969]

We need more cars like this!

[ROCKSOLID19]

So............this is THE STIG. I need to put a deposit on this car asap.

[aaaarrrgggghh]

The americans created a beautiful electric car I think it was in 1993, very fast, silent and everything, they sold many of them, then somewhat it was all hush hush all cars were TAKEN AWAY from their owners, money was given back, I think all cars were destroyed and nobody is talking about any of it anymore and the ones who do are "known to disappear" or something similarly american.

[dhymers]

@aaaarrrgggghh that'd be the GM EV1, yeah lets not go there, its a sore area for people who love EVs. .... :(

[Argoon1981]

@aaaarrrgggghh Yes that was the GM EV1, and no people are not disappearing that is a myth. Chelsea Sexton (former GM employee) is still around and fighting for the electric cause as his also all the other more passionate former EV1 drivers.

"Plugin america" and "revenge of the electric car" blogs are from two former EV1 drivers, the later is a blog from a wip documentary film of the director of the must see documentary film "Who killed the electric car?" .

[aaaarrrgggghh]

@Argoon1981 thanks for the extra info, I appreciate that.

[aliesneo]

when will this be available in the united states? i just dont understand why people are not embracing these cars? they provide all the comfort of regular internal combustion engines at a fraction of the cost in terms of fuel (instead of dropping $12.5 for every 100 miles you go, assuming a mileage of 20 miles to a gallon and a $2.5 a gallon, this would give you 100 miles for every charge that is about $1 increase in your electricity bill assuming one pays about $0.1 per kilo watt hour).

[tsport100]

@aliesneo This first phase of reservations is sold out with 20,000 orders already taken. The Leaf will be available for sale throughout the U.S. by the end of 2011

[mikebarneynissan]

@tsport100 The EPA just issued the LEAF's fuel economy label at 99 mpg - average. Based on current electric rates - prime time, and driving 15,000 miles a year - in the US, the LEAF will cost you about $45 a month to power. Remember, there no oil to change, no filters, no maintenance, and never needs to stop at a gas station. NICE VIDEO BY THE UNMASKED STIG!

[claytonraymond2004]

@aliesneo Part of the reason is range. There is simply too much wait time between the 100 mile jumps. I know this isn't a problem for many or for everyday trips, but what if you want to take a weekend somewhere? What if you want to go see a concert 2 hours away? etc. Currently, it's just too limiting for many people.

I'd love to have an electric car, but with the trips I do, it just isn't practical.

[toyotaprius79]

@claytonraymond2004 Wait for the Telsa Model S, it's proven to do 300 miles. Or rent a car (DON'T BUY A SECOND CAR, NOW THAT'S NOT PRACTICAL). Try a bus/coach or train or tram or metro or ect...If it can get to your desired destination or even try your friend's car if it can get there. BTW For the majority of people in so many countries 60miles, 100km is the most many drivers squeeze per day. These long trips are quite rare, like 6 times per year if you think about it.

[claytonraymond2004]

@toyotaprius79 The Model S is also a $50k car. Last time I checked, not many people (including me) can afford a $50k car.

Renting a car would end up costing more money than just owning a car.

Buses/Trains/Trams/Metros etc don't exist where many people live in the US.

Using a friends car isn't very practical or likely as they have to go places too.

I never said anything against most people doing less than 60 miles in a day. My point is about American drivers.

[derbigpr500]

@claytonraymond2004 How can you NOT afford a car that costs 50k $ in a country that has $48k GDP per capita? Thats very cheap, especially for americans. Are you aware that cars in europe are 2-3 times more expensive? You cant even buy a diesel hatchback for 50k $ in most european countries, and in USA for that money you can get a V8 muscle car. Americans really have NO RIGHT at all to complain about car prices or fuel prices.

[claytonraymond2004]

Most Americans take long trips all the time. It's part of the American way.

[derbigpr500]

@claytonraymond2004 Everyone takes long trips today. Most businessmen in europe make 70-80k miles per year. You can rarely find a used BMW or Mercedes that 3-4 years old and has less than 200k miles on it here. Those could save a lot of money.

[derbigpr500]

@toyotaprius79 Electrical cars are not the solution for the future. They might provide some alternative now, and they help car manufacturers leave an impression as if they care about environment , but electrical cars are NOT a long term solution. Its too expensive to make those cars, and even harder to make them efficient. Hydrogen fuel cells are the future. Cars that run on hydrogen will be the same as those that run on petrol in terms of performance, efficiency, sound...

[derbigpr500]

@derbigpr500 Also, Hydrogen is everywhere, we just gotta work on cheap way to extract it and store it..... and i bet you ANY MONEY that extracting hydrogen and storing it is much much easier than digging into the earth 2 miles under the ocean and pulling out oil... everyone knows that, but those petrol companies know that it would be the end of them..thats why they dont allow the development of new technologies...who knows how much they pay car companies to stunt their development....

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500 I am sorry but u are wrong. Hydrogen powered cars are not as efficient as those that run on petrol (in terms on performance, efficiency). There are 2 way a car can be powered by Hydrogen. One is by having a engine that burns hydrogen, but this results in low efficiency and performance. Take for instance the 12-cylinder BMW hydrogen concept. The second way is by making electricity from hydrogen via fuel cells and the drive train of the car is electric. Yes, electric.

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500 Hydrogen powered cars with fuel cells are more efficient than hydrogen cars that have a hydrogen ICE in it.

But, still not as efficient as just having a straight electric car in the first place. It takes bundles of energy to extract hydrogen from water. I'm sure there are other ways to gather hydrogen but I'm sure all take a lot of energy to gather and store hydrogen.

Electric cars enable 'Smart Grid', which is make power plants be far more efficient, continued..

[danwat1234]

@derbigpr500 'Smart Grid' will allow power plants to be more efficient, electric cars can give back to the grid during peak load times of the day, allowing power plants to not need as many generators online. Then, electric cars can charge at night to capture unused resources @ the plants during the night.

Believe it or not, looking at the electric car itself, it is the most efficient drive train. The internal combustion engine and crappy inefficient. Just imagine all the heat loss from it!

[toyotaprius79]

@derbigpr500 wtf? Electric cars are super efficient, and there are much more ways to make them more efficient (e.g) YASA motors. Hydrogen's just to keep Oil lobbies happy because the cars use their hydrogen product, even for the most available element it costs the same as petrol, fueling them is less efficient than charging, they're definitely the future but not for cars. Also hydrogen cars cost more than €2 million. If we still make batteries, the cost of EV's will go down, and it has.

[omgsean2]

@toyotaprius79 torque from electric motor make more than gas engine?

[toyotaprius79]

@omgsean2 Well, for a motor that is as small as a tiny engine 800cc from a Kei-car, it has the torque as a very good diesel, 280Nm ( 207lb/ft ). Similar torque to a VW 2.0l TDI.

[Argoon1981]

@omgsean2 Depends on the motor but what a electric motor can do that a ice motor can't is give 100 torque in the first rotation, this is to say that a electric motor can accelerate faster them a ice motor of the same power.

[toyotaprius79]

@aliesneo $2.5 a gallon, aren't you lucky. I live in Ireland and petrol has soared through the roof to a maximum of €1.56 per liter in places or even more, diesel is slightly cheaper but not that much, that's why I'm taking a tram now! There would be roughly 4 liters in a gallon....4 x 1.56 = €6.24 that's around $9!

[aliesneo]

@toyotaprius79 i did not mean it as some pejorative statement, i was simply remarking that since united states is usually the brimstone for most automobile industries, success here determines success globally. however in the united states people are skeptical of such vehicles for some of the most absurd reasons. one of which is the initial cost of the vehicle. as you stated, since petrol is underpriced here, if the same pricing was applied to united states, people would be flocking to buy this!

[daswada9]

@toyotaprius79 how about LPG ?

[DCDigitalStudios]

@toyotaprius79 Where the hell is it 2.50$ a gallon! I would love to live there. Even though gas is only 4$ a gallon, I think this car would be most suitable for markets with higher gas prices.

[munteruk]

Great to see an accomplished driver enthusiastic about electric cars. Naysayers and Luddites take cover! The mass produced electric car is coming!

[Seadogstudio]

He is quite a good presenter. It's a shame that he is trying to make money of selling the stig secret. He should just keep being the stig and be Ben Collin as well. Keep those two identity seperated.

[fakenphoney]

give me a diesel toureag over this poor excuse for a vehicle. I love electric and innovation, but come on this thing is a rolling coffin.

[idontcare80]

@fakenphoney What are you talking about? Diesels are noisy, filthy, expensive, gutless and they aren't even all that efficient compared to some of the later gas (petrol) vehicles. This car is VERY quiet, will need almost no maintenance, doesn't ever need to change gears and is very inexpensive to operate. I can hardly wait to buy one.

[cyborgtroy]

that iphone thing would be convenient if I didn't hate iphones.

It would be nice if the car could just connect to my WLAN and message me via XMPP or something.