Nissan staffers build 48 kWh Leaf prototype in their spare time

In a demonstration of their passion for innovation, Nissan engineers have created a prototype Nissan LEAF with a 48 kWh battery – in their spare time.

Following the manufacturer’s principles of ongoing research and development of electric vehicles, the 48 kWh prototype carries a battery twice the size of the original Nissan Leaf production model, with a 75 percent 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 team of volunteers take on a range of exciting endeavours, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with electric vehicle technology.

The prototype, codenamed ‘Cocoon’ in reference to the American sci-fi film of the same name, was built to compete in the Spanish motorsport event, ECOseries – a new initiative which 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 utilise our knowledge of zero-emissions technology to look at how battery range could potentially be extended in this particular application.”

Gareth Dunsmore, Director of Electric Vehicles at Nissan Europe, said: "Whilst there are no plans to put this prototype into production, it serves as a useful exercise in thinking outside the box, something our engineers and designers do on a daily basis. The Nissan Leaf 48 kWh showcases the passion our employees have for their work.”

Nissan introduced the Leaf as the world’s first mass-market, 100 percent electric vehicle in 2010. Since then, the carmaker has continued to design and produce innovative zero emission solutions, including the e-NV200 pure electric light commercial vehicle and a longer range Leaf with a 30 kWh battery.