When the topic is electric vehicles, the brand that rolls off the tip of your tongue is undoubtedly Tesla, and the image that flashes before your eyes is dollar signs. A lot of them. This trend is set to change with the arrival of Nissan’s second generation electric vehicle Nissan LEAF.
Surprisingly, Nissan has a long history of producing electric vehicles (EV) with their first creation rolling off the production line in Tokyo in 1947. The Nissan LEAF itself was first introduced to Australia back in 2012 and was popular around the globe selling over 400,000 units and winning the title of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle. The newly released model, as you would expect, boasts meaningful improvements and importantly a significantly increased range.
With a contemporary design consistent with expectations of a mid-sized hatchback the vehicle is perfectly poised for mass appeal, and with a price tag of $49,990 (plus on road costs) the Nissan LEAF is also mass affordable. Packed with a host of technological features that may or may not push your buttons such as e-pedal, touch screen displays and intelligent safety sensors, there are three key features that we’re excited about.
Sustainability
The reason electric vehicle usage is on the rise is no secret – they’re better for the environment than traditional fossil fuel burning vehicles. As you’d expect from an EV, the Nissan LEAF is fully electric with zero tail pipe emissions.
Range
A vast improvement on the earlier model, the second-generation Nissan LEAF can travel up to 315km on a single charge making it ideal for both daily city driving and longer journeys.
Intelligent Integration
What Nissan is calling “intelligent integration” could prove to be a game changer – the car acts as a mobile power source with bi-directional charging, allowing energy stored in its battery to be shared. Potentially the next big thing for electric vehicles, this technology could have your car sharing its energy with your home, business or even community.
As the pioneer of electric vehicles globally, the new fully electric Nissan LEAF represents the future of Australian motoring
Nissan Australia managing director Stephen Lester
Producing electric vehicles is about more than just selling a car though – the vehicles aren’t possible without adequate infrastructure to support charging points outside of the home, something that’s previously caused range anxiety for EV motorists. Public charge points are rapidly becoming more available throughout Australia and through private car clubs such as RACV. Nissan continues to invest in accessibility and awareness of charge points through their recently announced partnership with Chargefox – Australia’s largest ultra-rapid EV charging network, offering discounted charging rates to Nissan LEAF owners.
The Nissan LEAF will be available in 89 dealers nationally from 1 August 2019.
