When the Leaf debuted in 2010, it took home the North American and World Car of the Year awards. That’s right, the Nissan came out before the popular Tesla Model S. The Leaf also just happened to be the first-ever mass produced electric vehicle but only offered around 75 miles of range. At the New York Auto Show last week, Nissan senior vice president and chief planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira said that the new model will have a driving range of more than 300 miles.
Compared to the current model, which is EPA rated to deliver only 149 miles in base form and 212 miles in SV Plus form, that represents a significant increase.
Models with optional battery pack to get 300 miles
We anticipate that the 300-mile range will only be applicable to models with an optional bigger battery pack, as Pandikuthira stated that range will vary for different models of the new Leaf. This will enable the Leaf to catch up to more recent, reasonably priced EVs with longer estimated ranges, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 6 (certified at up to 342 miles) and Chevrolet Equinox EV (rated at up to 319 miles).
For the record, Nissan has already confirmed that the Leaf will utilize the NACS charging connector, which means it will be compatible with Tesla’s Supercharger network. Pandikuthira also mentioned that charging times will be much faster as Tesla chargers can juice up cars at around 250kW.
Pandikuthira stated that Nissan will not be producing an all-wheel-drive version of the Leaf, despite the fact that the vehicle’s body form is shifting toward a more crossover-like design for this generation. This suggests that instead of having two motors like the electric Ariya SUV, the Leaf will most probably only have one motor and front-wheel drive.
With a starting price of just under $30,000, the outgoing model of the Leaf is now the lowest priced EV in the United States, so we’re interested to see how the price changes as it enters this new generation.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
After all this time, seeing a Leaf delivering over 300 miles is a relief given that the original 2010 model started out with just 75 miles of range. When the new model is released, that price will undoubtedly increase, but Nissan claims the Leaf will still be far less expensive than the Ariya, which has a starting price of $41,160. Later this year, we will find out more about the new Leaf.