Nissan takes EV battle to Tesla with longer-range Leaf
Nissan Motor launched a revamped Leaf electric vehicle (EV) on Wednesday, going head-to-head with Tesla Model 3 and hoping to blunt criticism of limited driving ranges undermining EVs’ massmarket appeal.
The automaker said it aims to “double, even triple” annual sales of the previous incarnation, jumpstarting demand in major markets such as the United States, and packing new technologies to make up for a shorter driving range than rival offerings.
“If it’s successful, the Leaf will be a major part of the portfolio of Nissan,” Chief HIROTO SAIKAWA Executive Hiroto Saikawa said at a launch for the new version of the world’s best-selling battery-powered car. “EVs will no longer be a niche product.” The car, on sale in Japan from October 2 and elsewhere in early 2018, can run for 150 miles (241 kilometres) on a single charge according to US regulator estimates, up from its predecessor’s 107 miles due to a bigger, 40 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery. Prices in Japan will start from 3.15 million yen ($28,992). The launch comes after luxury electric car maker Tesla made its first foray into the Leaf’s more affordable price band in July with its $35,000, 220-mile Model 3. Tesla has said it has received half a million orders for the Model 3, indicating the challenge Nissan has in preserving the Leaf’s numberone rank.