Electric vehicle OEM Nissan is claiming a victory for the lithium-ion battery over combustion engines after posting an almost 100 percent success rate in its LEAF EV cars.
Proprietary data released by the Swiss firm shows 99.99 percent of its 24KwH lithium-ion battery units remain fit for purpose – five years after the launch of the EV.
The failure rate of the battery power unit is less than 0.01 percent – or around three units in total.
In 2014 the LEAF sales accounted for more than a quarter of electric car market with 15,098 sales. The company’s cites the LEAF’s three main components – the on-board charger, inverter and motor – as a reason for its success.
Launched in 2010, the Nissan has sold more than 165,000 LEAF vehicles globally, more than 35,000 of which have been sold in Europe.
Although Nissan’s claims are good for the lithium-ion battery market, it still has some way to making a dint on the global market, which saw almost 8,000,000 vehicles sold in the US during 2014 alone.
