MANILA, Philippines — Though the Nissan Leaf isn’t sold in the Philippines, it is quickly gaining popularity in First World countries. Over 15,000 units of the Leaf have found their way to satisfied owners in Japan, the US and a number of European countries. Not bad for an all-electric vehicle designed and built for the mass market. Here are a few things that every car enthusiast should know about the Leaf, and why Nissan believes that all-electric cars are the way of the future.

Battery range anxiety

There is skepticism about the Leaf’s 160-kilometer battery range, even if it is acknowledged that this figure is well above the average distance traveled by 95 percent of motorists worldwide. Even in Metro Manila, a range of 160 kilometers is more than enough. Nissan engineers say that they can make a battery with a 1,000-kilometer range, but it might weigh half a ton, take up half the cabin and cost a small fortune. For the engineers of the Leaf, obtaining a “balance” was a priority. Nissan had to offer customers a car that delivers clear savings.

Apart from the battery, electric vehicles are potentially much less expensive to build and maintain than conventional cars. An EV involves fewer moving parts and fewer components overall: no engine block, no valves or oil pumps, no transmission, and no exhaust system. If battery costs can be reduced dramatically, EVs should be able to compete with conventional vehicles in terms of sticker price and cost of ownership.

Nissan is already working on how to make batteries cheaper to be able to produce more of them. If millions of units are produced, then the cost of each one goes down too.

Can the EV be more than a car?

After the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011, power was in short supply. The Leaf was a hot topic because of this. There were comments that driving an EV was irresponsible because it required electricity. But then it quickly began to occur to Japanese that an EV just might be useful if the grid went down. Customers asked if they could connect the Leaf to their freezers to keep food from spoiling, or charge the car using solar panels. The answer was a yes.

Nissan engineers were already working on a concept called the Smart House and Power Control System that links up with the Leaf. If the grid goes down and the sun doesn’t shine, a full Leaf battery can meet all the power needs of an average Japanese household for two days. When networked together via the car’s onboard navigation system (a function already in place), theoretically five million batteries could work as a single system to store energy for the electrical grid. How cool is that?

Can an EV be fun?

Nobody expects that the Leaf is fun to drive, but its acceleration is quick and furious. In fact, its electric motor is more powerful than a 3.5-liter V6. Zero to 100kph happens in just nine seconds. With its battery lo-cated in the middle and beneath the floor, the Leaf has a very low center of gravity. See the Leaf Race Car? Nismo, the racing arm of Nissan, is already looking into the possibilities of all-electric racing cars.

Can the Leaf handle collisions and floods?

In the US the Leaf was selected as a “Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In Europe, this car received a five-star safety rating from Euro-NCAP. Demonstrations of the Leaf crossing floods showed that the electrical system is sealed from leaks. Regardless of any untoward incident, the Leaf has been proven to be as safe as a conventional automobile.

Battery lifespan

December 2010 was the inauguration of AESC, a joint venture between Nissan and electronics giant NEC. It is also worth noting that Nissan has been working on EV battery research since 1992. NEC had materials know-how, while Nissan had application and manufacturing skills. Is there a potential for battery failure? With 48 separate modules, each with four cells, it’s unlikely that all would fail at once.

Nissan engineers recommend that to get maximum battery life it’s better to charge the car battery overnight at home. It’s also better to charge it to 80-percent capacity, and better to wait until it is below 80 percent before recharging.

When will the EV become mainstream?

It will still be decades before everybody is driving a car free from emissions. It is still a long way, but Nissan’s environmental strategy starts right now and extends to 2050 –the target date for slashing CO2 emissions by 90 percent. The Leaf is a big part of that beginning. It is a bold step. All that’s needed is critical mass to motivate progress in vehicle and battery technology.