The Nissan Leaf is perhaps the iconic original OEM BEV. Therefore, interesting to see how it performs against the competition over the years.
The pack gravimetric density versus year of introduction is an interesting plot. Arguably the energy density should be outstanding as these packs are passively cooled. However, they are also conservative with respect to chemistry and design.
OK, our data is still sparse and we are adding to it continuously. Also, this is a plot that includes all forms for automotive HV traction battery (HEV, PHEV and BEV).
Having said all of that these packs are interesting and we will be sharing a more detailed review of each design.
2010 Nissan Leaf
- Usable energy = 22kWh (24kWh total)
- Configuration = 96s2p
- Cell = AESC 32.5Ah pouch cell
- Pack weight = 294kg
2015 Nissan Leaf
- Usable energy = 27kWh (30kWh total)
- Configuration = 96s2p
- Cell = LG Chem 43Ah “lizard cell”
- Pack weight = 315kg
Difficult to find many details on the cell used in the 30kWh pack, however, it did degrade much faster than the original pack (this was shown to be a BMS error and a software update corrected values). This pack upgrade was made to fit within the existing envelope by increasing the number of cells in each module from 4 to 8. This saved on the overheads associated with modules.
2017 Nissan Leaf
- Usable energy = 36kWh (40kWh total)
- Configuration = 96s2p
- Cell = AESC 56.3Ah pouch cell
- Pack weight = 303kg
2019 Nissan Leaf
- Usable energy = 56kWh (62kWh total)
- Configuration = 96s3p
- Cell = AESC 56.3Ah pouch cell
- Pack weight = 410kg
Why gravimetric density when volumetric density is more important in vehicle design?
Key Pack Metrics
When designing a battery pack you will always be asked to benchmark it. For this there are a number of key metrics