Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model.
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Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range.
Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.
Nissan has also moved the charger from the boot to the front of the LEAF freeing up extra boot space in the process and improved the regenerative braking too which has increased the theoretical range to 145 miles.
But perhaps the most important move is to launch an new entry-level LEAF – the LEAF S – which does away with some of the toys to create a more affordable model. The Nissan LEAF S still won’t be cheap (it’s likely to cost at least £25k – before the taxpayer chucks in a £5k bribe), but it will move the electric LEAF a bit closer to an ICE alternative.
Will the tweaks and the new entry-level model be enough to see Nissan LEAF sales take off? Time will tell.
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