Nissan has released a significant range increase to its best-selling Leaf EV.
Featuring a comprehensive battery update, the new Leaf 30kWh offers drivers a range of 155 miles – a 25 per cent increase on the previous model. This is down to a new 30kWh battery which slots into the existing car’s set-up. That means that the family-sized hatchback keeps the same interior space as the current 24kWh Leaf and only weighs 21kg more.
The key to the new battery’s performance is an update to its internal design and chemistry, with changes to electrodes and cell lay-out. Nissan is confident enough in its battery engineering to cover the Leaf 30kWh by an eight year/100,000 mile warranty. As with current models, the new Leaf can be recharged from homes, public chargers or from a rapid charger.
Another significant update to the car sees the Leaf’s new NissanConnect EV system installed, which adds a number of new features to existing elements. Users can now see a charging map, showing which charging points are available and being used on the car’s navigation system. To deal with this new element, the car’s satellite navigation and entertainment system has been completely over-hauled, improving the interface, navigation tools and maintenance alerts and adding DAB radio and a smartphone-style touchscreen control. It also retains the ability for users to connect to their car via a smartphone for functions such as pre-heating the cabin – which is now possible without using the car’s battery energy.
Available in Visia, Acenta and Tekna trims, the new Leaf will go on sale from December 2015 with prices starting at £24,490 for the Acenta trim – a premium of £1,600 over the equivalent 24kWh Leaf.
