Photo: Nissan
Tesla made pretty much every automaker aware of how the future will unfold, and while everyone is bracing for the electric onslaught, Nissan is reminding us that the Leaf is still king of the hill. The Leaf, which launched in December 2010 in Japan, one-ups its "best-selling electric vehicle" title with more than 300,000 examples delivered to date.
Impressive stuff through and through, but don’t forget the efforts Nissan made to help the Leaf reach this status and maintain it. In addition to its affordability ($22,490 including federal tax credit), don’t forget that the Leaf also plays the availability card much better than Tesla’s Model 3.
What do you get for your money? Starting with the 40-kWh lithium-ion battery and 110-kW electric motor that drives the front wheels, the Leaf S comes standard with automatic emergency braking, automatic climate control, and the e-Pedal which helps with the EPA-rated 150-mile range.
"The new Nissan Leaf is the icon of Nissan Intelligent Mobility because it delivers an even more exciting drive and enhanced ownership experience and contributes to a better world. It will take Nissan's EV leadership even further,” declared Nissan’s executive vice president, Daniele Schillaci.
Deliveries for the United States, Canada, and Europe start this month, and given time, the 2018 Nissan Leaf will arrive in more than 60 markets around the world. The U.S. makes up for most of the sales (114,827 units), plus more than 90,000 cars in the automaker’s domestic market of Japan.
The question is, is the Leaf relevant in the day and age of customers who want electric vehicles for the long haul? To combat those who suffer from range anxiety, Nissan will treat the compact hatchback with an optional 60-kWh battery, which is expected to improve the range to 225-plus miles.
The bigger battery is anticipated to come with a more powerful motor (160 compared to 110 kW), but don’t expect Tesla PxxD-rivaling performance from this fellow. In other news, it’s likely the 2019 model year Nissan Leaf will introduce a faster internal charger (22 kW) and an upper limit of 100 kW for the DC fast-charging system.
What do you get for your money? Starting with the 40-kWh lithium-ion battery and 110-kW electric motor that drives the front wheels, the Leaf S comes standard with automatic emergency braking, automatic climate control, and the e-Pedal which helps with the EPA-rated 150-mile range.
"The new Nissan Leaf is the icon of Nissan Intelligent Mobility because it delivers an even more exciting drive and enhanced ownership experience and contributes to a better world. It will take Nissan's EV leadership even further,” declared Nissan’s executive vice president, Daniele Schillaci.
Deliveries for the United States, Canada, and Europe start this month, and given time, the 2018 Nissan Leaf will arrive in more than 60 markets around the world. The U.S. makes up for most of the sales (114,827 units), plus more than 90,000 cars in the automaker’s domestic market of Japan.
The question is, is the Leaf relevant in the day and age of customers who want electric vehicles for the long haul? To combat those who suffer from range anxiety, Nissan will treat the compact hatchback with an optional 60-kWh battery, which is expected to improve the range to 225-plus miles.
The bigger battery is anticipated to come with a more powerful motor (160 compared to 110 kW), but don’t expect Tesla PxxD-rivaling performance from this fellow. In other news, it’s likely the 2019 model year Nissan Leaf will introduce a faster internal charger (22 kW) and an upper limit of 100 kW for the DC fast-charging system.
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