Nissan engineers create prototype Leaf with 48kWh battery – in their spare time

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Nissan engineers have created in their spare time a prototype Leaf with a 48kWh battery that is twice the size of the original Leaf production model, providing a 75% increase in driving range in everyday conditions. It was created by a group of engineers at Nissan’s Technical Centre in Barcelona (NTCE-S), whose passion and commitment to their work has given rise to the Nissan innovation team.

The prototype, codenamed Cocoon in reference to the American sci-fi film of the same name, was built to compete in the Spanish ECOseries race, a new initiative that rewards ‘efficiency and fuel economy rather than outright speed.’

Dario Fernandez, senior engineer at NTCE-S, said, “It has been a great privilege to work on this project and to see our finished prototype race in the ECOseries. We all have a real passion for what we do and being able to work on prototype projects gives us the creative freedom to be as innovative and forward-thinking as we possibly can.

“Battery range improvement is important to the on-going adoption of electric vehicles, so this was a great opportunity to utilize our knowledge of zero-emissions technology to look at how battery range could potentially be extended in this particular application.”

Extra-curricular projects such as this feed into Nissan’s intelligent mobility vision and allow employees to draw on their expertise, skills and experience to experiment with technology, design and engineering.

July 26, 2016

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John joined UKi Media & Events in 2012 and has worked across a range of B2B titles within the company's automotive, marine and entertainment divisions. Currently editor of Automotive Testing Technology International, Crash Test Technology International and Electric & Hybrid Marine Technology International, John co-ordinates the day-the-day operations of each magazine, from commissioning and writing to editing and signing-off, as well managing web content. Aside from the magazines, John also serves as co-chairman of the annual Electric & Hybrid Marine Awards and can be found sniffing out stories throughout the halls of several of UKI's industry-leading expo events.




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