Nissan LEAF

Nissan Japan recently held a press event to prove the all-electric LEAF vehicle could survive winter weather.

With the temperature averaging a little more than 15 degrees Fahrenheit, the event was held near the northern city of Shibetsu, Hokkaido.

Japanese automotive journalists looked-on as the EV was tested on three snowy courses. The overall consensus of the journalists was that the LEAF exceeded expectations.

According to Green Car Reports, Nissan technicians reported the temperature of each test car’s battery packs used never dropped below 41 degrees F. Additionally, the battery packs were only slightly below optimum operating temperature.

None of the LEAFs tested were equipped with an on-board battery heating system, which is now a standard to U.S. market LEAF vehicles. Nissan says the temperatures in Shibetsu were not cold enough to justify using battery heating.

Nissan’s Hiroyoshi Kato, says the LEAF’s great road handling in bad weather are because of its design.

“The footwork of the LEAF is smooth and nimble because the heavy components, such as batteries, are mounted under the floor, and the center of gravity is low and in the middle,” he explained. “As you may have seen, a car can easily slip or drift on snow or ice. As for the LEAF, the changing attitude of the car — the start of slipping, etc. — is very smooth and easy to control compared to conventional front engine/rear drive or front engine/front drive vehicles. “