NISSAN LEAF
An EV for those who just go from A to B
For forward-thinking ‘environmentally friendly’ cars, one could argue there are two main models. The first is the Toyota Prius, a hybrid, which saw its popularity grow as the taxi industry embraced its fuel savings and reliability. The second is the Nissan Leaf, which didn’t see the same level of popularity as the Prius but started to warm buyers up to the idea that an electric car in Australia could work. The second-generation Leaf does away with the concept car look from the first-generation. Minor unique design elements remain, like the gear selector but everything else feels like every other internal combustion car. One odd choice was the omission of an electric parking brake, opting to go for a foot-operated one – in an electric car that was a first for me.
Range, safety and comfort have all been improved dramatically, but it doesn’t push the envelope as far as the likes of the Tesla Model 3. Unlike the Tesla, it feels like Nissan is playing it a little safe in the hope to attract curious buyers, or to appeal to fleet buyers where they don’t want their employees needing to learn how to drive all over again.
Unfortunately for EV’s, driving range is still a hot topic. If you’re living in the city, don’t often make long road trips on the weekend and can charge your car overnight in your garage, range anxiety isn’t a problem at all. Driving an average of 25,000 km per year, you’d be needing to charge just twice a week with the 270km range.
You will need to consider your usage if you live in an apartment and can’t easily plug into an outlet, or if you park your car on the street. The number of chargers still isn’t adequate for the growing number of electric cars and for those who live further out from the CBD, especially in Brisbane.
Nissan has done a good job, and the price point is certainly an attractive one against other EV’s. However, unlike some other EV’s, it didn’t leave any lasting impression. Perhaps that’s a good thing, not all cars need to make that connection, but it may be the factor that has you opting for another choice.