![2011 Nissan Leaf electric car after battery-pack replacement [by owner Tim Jacobsen, Concord, CA]](http://images.hgmsites.net/tmb/2011-nissan-leaf-electric-car-after-battery-pack-replacement-by-owner-tim-jacobsen-concord-ca_100599982_t.gif)
In designing, testing, and producing the Nissan Leaf, the first modern electric car sold in volume, Nissan made a design decision that some other companies didn't. It chose not to build an active thermal-conditioning system (otherwise known as cooling) into its battery pack. Instead, it relies on ambient air to shed heat—which got the maker...