Professor Pecht was recently invited by Nissan to present a talk titled “Problems and Countermeasures of Electronic Products Reliability that Enterprises Face.”  Nissan is especially interested in electronics reliability as it plans to introduce its new 100% electric car, the LEAF, in 2010. The zero-emission LEAF will rely on power coming from a 24kWh lithium ion battery pack. The LEAF will have a daily range of 100 miles, be able to be recharged in about 8 hours, and is predicted to have a life of up to 10 years. The LEAF also features LED headlights and taillights and an energy-recovering braking system.

Prof. Pecht was given a special tour of Nissan’s next generation power engine modules. He also had very productive discussions with Nissan engineers about Nissan’s new design methods and test approaches, with emphasis on advanced diagnostics and prognostics. Nissan understands that being able to assess and ensure the reliability of the electronics in their vehicles is more important now than ever.