Nissan Hypermini Urban Electric Vehicle Testing
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA), which is part of DOE’s FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program, in partnership with the California cities of Vacaville and Palm Springs, collected mileage and maintenance and repairs data for a fleet of eleven Nissan Hypermini urban electric vehicles (UEVs). The eleven Hyperminis were deployed for various periods between January 2001 and June 2005. During the combined total of 439 months of use, the eleven Hyperminis were driven a total of 41,220 miles by staff from both cities. This equates to an average use of about 22 miles per week per vehicle. There were some early problems with the vehicles, including a charging problem and a need to upgrade the electrical system. In addition, six vehicles required drive system repairs. However, the repairs were all made under warranty. The Hyperminis were generally well-liked and provided drivers with the ability to travel any of the local roads. Full charging of the Hypermini’s lithiumion battery pack required up to 4 hours, with about 8–10 miles of range available for each hour of battery charging. With its right-side steering wheel, some accommodation of the drivers’ customary driving methods was required to adapt for different blind spots and vehicle manipulation. For that reason, the drivers received orientation and training before using the vehicle. The Hypermini is instrumented in kilometers rather than in miles, which required an adjustment for the drivers to calculate speed and range. As the drivers gained familiarity with the vehicles, there was increased acceptance and a preference for using it over traditional city vehicles. In all cases, the Hyperminis attracted a great amount of attention and interest from the general public.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE - EE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 911263
- Report Number(s):
- INL/EXT-06-01072; TRN: US200724%%635
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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