The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nissan reveals a new Leaf, putting pressure on rivals
Firm’s electric car has stronger battery, longer range than last model.
The battle for control of the small but increasingly competitive electric vehicle market got a little hotter Tuesday night as Japanese car company Nissan unveiled a new Leaf with a stronger battery and longer range — at a price well below rival electric cars.
At a glitzy ceremony near Tokyo, Nissan executives said the car has a range of 150 miles and will be sold for about $31,000.
That makes the new Leaf, set to go on sale in Japan next month and globally not long thereafter, a serious competitor to current EV leaders, namely the recently introduced Chevrolet Bolt EV and the just-arriving Tesla Model 3.
Nissan executives also said the company will produce a bigger and more powerful battery, which will power a longer driving range, next year.
Based on the numbers, Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Karl Brauer said: “The Leaf is again a viable EV consideration, especially at that price. You can get more range with a Model 3 or a Bolt EV, but you have to pay more money.”
The Leaf, which Nissan introduced in 2010 and later proclaimed the world’s bestselling battery electric vehicle, has lost luster as the new cars from Tesla and Chevy have hit the market.
Long the third bestselling BEV, after Tesla’s Model S sedan and Model X SUV, the Leaf recently ceded that position to the Bolt EV.
The new car features substantial upgrades from the 2017 Leaf, a four-door sedan that offered a maximum range of 107 miles, was powered by a 30 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and retailed for just over $31,000.
The new car has a 40 kWh battery, and at 150 miles produces about 40 percent more range.
Those figures, however, fall short of the competition: Both the Bolt EV and the upcoming Model 3 boast bigger batteries, and consequently longer ranges.
The Bolt EV has a 60 kWh battery, while the Model 3 is powered by either the standard 50 kWh battery or the more expensive 75 kWh option.
The Bolt EV boasts a range of 238 miles between charges, the Model 3 220 miles with the smaller battery and 310 with the larger.
But the Bolt EV and Model 3 are more expensive. Before taxes and licenses, and before rebates and incentives, the Bolt EV average sales price is just under $38,000, according to Consumer Reports, while the Model 3 will typically sell for about $42,200 for the smaller battery version and $57,700 for the bigger one.
At the proposed manufacturer’s suggested retail price, Brauer added, Nissan is bringing the Leaf to market below the average price of a new car sold in America — which for 2017 has been estimated at $34,500.