Nissan Leaf et Tsunami: tout un test! (NY Times)

On ne peut parler d'un essai planfié, mais le tsunami au Japon a révélé certaines informations sur la durabilité des batteries qui équipent les modèles Leaf. Un avantage sur la Volt au plan de la sécurité? "None of the cars caught fire, and their batteries remained fully intact, shielded by an airtight steel exoskeleton and two other layers of protection that surround the 660-pound packs. “Considering how they were tossed around and crushed, we think that is a very good indication of the safety performance of that vehicle,” said Bob Yakushi, the director of product safety for Nissan North America. Nissan’s decision to encase the Leaf’s battery in steel may help explain why federal safety regulators investigating postcrash fire risks in the Chevrolet Volt do not have the same concerns about the Leaf. General Motors packages the Volt’s battery cells on a T-shaped steel tray with a plastic cover. The durability and design of the Volt’s battery have come into question since two of them caught fire after being damaged in testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The fires prompted the agency to open a formal defect investigation of the Volt, a low-volume but high-visibility model that G.M. has held up as proof it can lead the industry in advanced technology." http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/business/tsunami-reveals-durability-of-nissans-leaf.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25