Nissan Leaf to get sharp new look and range boost Exclusive images show better look for new Nissan Leaf,
while new battery tech boosts range to 186 miles Auto Express
By Luke Madden
26 Aug, 2014
Nissan is hard at work developing the next-generation Leaf, focusing on improving the range with new battery tech and – as our exclusive images show – a more conventional look. The new car is expected to be on sale late in 2016, with prices starting around £17,000.
Clearly, the introduction of Tesla’s Model S – and its claimed 312-mile range – has changed the electric car market, making the current Leaf’s real-world range of 85 miles seem a bit old-hat.
Nissan bosses are promising new battery technology is on the way, with better energy density for a more usable pure electric vehicle. A figure of about 186 miles is likely to be the target.
There’s a good chance Nissan will offer smaller battery packs with less range, like Tesla does with its 60kWh and 85kWh packs. The new battery technology and motor will be shared with Nissan’s luxury brand, Infiniti, too.
I never really cared for the Leaf, but this next-gen looks great. I really hope that the rumored 200mi Chevrolet Sonic based EV will look just as dynamic/stylish - or even better.
I never really cared for the Leaf, but this next-gen looks great. I really hope that the rumored 200mi Chevrolet Sonic based EV will look just as just as dynamic/stylish - or even better.
I really like that new design direction. Around a 200 mile range would definitely make the car more practical. Electric cars can't be beaten for operational costs -- and they aren't the long term maintenance nightmare of a gas hybrid, either. For a city dweller, this car would make a lot of sense to own.
Mmm LOL you are right, Nissan Engineers said will give the Leaf crap better aerodynamics add a big grille air dam on the new generation Leaf, how is this a step FWD?
This new Leaf has a front grille that looks like it will act as a massive air dam, l thought grilles front air dams were banned on Electric cars because of the induced drag they cause, this is a Auto Express rendering with a grille, the production version won't have one and looking at the renderings will make the Leaf total pig ugly with out a grille.
Battery innovation is driving the improved range, going the Tesla route, they are downsizing from Tesla battery to make it cheaper with a much small range.
New added Leaf big AE fake grille an aerodynamic brick wall, not normal found on an EV, a big rad on an EV LOL?
Auto Express air dam grille might make it look good put lipstick on a pig ugly Leaf, but aerodynamically it's total crap to fit a front grille, the grille won't be fitted in the real world version. The older Leaf has a more slippery front end than the new AE version with a grille.
Improved battery technology/ management/smaller batteries lighter weight are driving the range improvements but still crap compared to a Tesla that uses better 85 kWh batteries.
This is a HUGE improvement. The current leaf actually looks worse in person than it does in photos. The first time I saw one (was at an Auto Show) I couldn't believe how bugeyed the thing is.
Much better looking than the current generation. ASSUMING Nissan has improved the recharging time to something like 10 minutes, where does that leave the presumably more expensive Voltec?
Anything would look better than the current thing. I do wish however that manufacturers would get more creative with the packaging and design freedoms afforded by the electric powertrain.
I could see there being some additional complication just because you have 2 different systems and potentially more components having to work and interact with each other. Not necessarily taking a side on this specific car though. I'm glad they improved the styling to something reasonable, I'll say that much.
I think Nissan needs to add a low cost range extender to the Leaf instead of increasing the range of the battery. 70-80 mile battery range plus an onboard small backup range extender like the one in the I3 makes more sense to me than a 200 mile battery.
and add a LOT of complexity for little VALUE as the LEAF buyers are OK with the range and are NOT looking for a hybrid but an EV car
IMHO Nissan should go for a "true" 100 MILE battery (one that delivers OVER 100 miles in NORMAL driving conditions NOT some "ECO" special mode)
Those are certainly eye-opening numbers for the Quant, but I'll withhold my excitement until a 3rd-party gets a hold of the car for a proper drive. We've seen lots of pie-in-the-sky stories like this before, only to have reality turn out to be completely different.
Within a few years, I think buying an electric car to replace our 2009 Focus. We will move to a neighborhood closer to my work and we will be able park cars at home. For now, we have to park on the street and we could not recharge an electric car.
I can walk to my workplace. It's a 25 walk. Il will be less than 10 minutes. The workplace of my wife, which is located about 22 km from the area where we want to live, employee parking will be equipped with charging stations next spring. A Leaf would be more useful than a Volt. We will continue to use the Grand Caravan for long trips, family vacations, to buy stuff for home imrovement and I'll take for the few day where the weather is to bad to walk to the school where I teach. We do around 7,000 km per year with the van, mostly on the highway.
An electric car, LEAF, Focus or other, could make around 16,000 km per year. Here gasoline is very expensive ($1.40 ~ $1.50 /L, about 5 USD/gal) and electricity is affordable ($0.07/kWh). I would have no reason to pay more for a car carrying an onboard generator. The range of electric cars is strongly affected by winter and that was my main concern. With charging stations at work, my wife will have to plug her electric car a few hour on the very cold days and she will be assured of being able to go home in her car.
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