Leaf e+ gets over 40% additional range; high-capacity battery and more powerful motor combine to produce 160 kilowatts of power and 340 Nm of torque, enabling faster acceleration.
09 Jan 2019 | 9757 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Nissan today took the covers off the new Nissan Leaf e+, further broadening the appeal of the world’s best-selling electric car by offering a new powertrain with additional power and range. The 'e+' refers to the increased energy density of the model’s battery pack and the higher output of its powertrain. The ...
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Nissan today took the covers off the new Nissan Leaf e+, further broadening the appeal of the world’s best-selling electric car by offering a new powertrain with additional power and range. The 'e+' refers to the increased energy density of the model’s battery pack and the higher output of its powertrain. The new powertrain adds to the car’s range by approximately 40 percent.
“The Leaf e+ is more Leaf, offering customers more choice in terms of power and range,” said Daniele Schillaci, executive vice-president of Nissan. “By offering customers a choice of powertrains to suit their needs, the award-winning Nissan Leaf is now more convenient and appealing than ever.”
More than 380,000 Nissan Leaf cars have been sold globally since the 100 percent electric model first went on sale in 2010. Equipped with advanced technologies including the ProPILOT semi-autonomous driving system and e-Pedal mode for one-pedal driving, the Nissan Leaf embodies Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company’s vision for changing how cars are powered, driven and integrated into society.
The Leaf e+ is scheduled to join the Leaf at Nissan dealerships in Japan in late January 2019. U.S. sales are expected to begin in the spring of 2019, and European sales will commence in mid-2019.
The Leaf e+ represents a step forward in each of the three key areas of Nissan Intelligent Mobility: Intelligent Power, Intelligent Driving and Intelligent Integration.
Increased range and performance: The Leaf e+ features a new version of the Leaf’s revolutionary electric powertrain, delivering excellent energy efficiency and robust torque and power output. While the Leaf has a driving range of up to 322km (estimated WLTC Japan cycle), near-silent operation and smooth and responsive acceleration, the Nissan Leaf e+ offers more than 40 percent additional range of up to 458km (WLTC Japan cycle).
The high-capacity battery and more powerful motor in the Leaf e+ combine to produce 160 kilowatts of power and 340 Nm of torque, enabling faster acceleration when driving at high speeds. Accelerating from 80kph to 120kph is nearly 13% quicker. The top speed has increased by approximately 10% for comfortable cruising.
Thanks to an available new 70 kW (100 kW peak) Quick Charging system, the 2019 Nissan Leaf e+ can charge more efficiently than ever. Based on early testing, Nissan Leaf e+ owners can expect similar charging times when hooked up to a 100 kW charger as current Nissan Leaf owners do with a 50 kW charger, despite a 55% larger battery storage capacity.
Even with a 25 percent increase in energy density and the increase in energy storage capacity, the Nissan Leaf e+ battery pack is almost the same size and configuration as the pack in the Leaf. Other than a 5-millimeter increase in overall height (16-inch wheels), the car’s exterior and interior dimensions are unchanged.
“The Nissan Leaf caters to 99% of the expected electric vehicle buyers in the marketplace,” Schillaci said. “Between the two powertrains and available technologies and features, Nissan LEAF customers can choose their best option to accommodate their lifestyle.”
ProPILOT features and smooth e-Pedal operation: Playing a leading role in Nissan Intelligent Driving is ProPILOT, an in-lane semi-autonomous driving technology that can automatically adjust the distance to the vehicle ahead, using a speed preset by the driver (between about 30 kph and 100 kph). ProPILOT can also help the driver steer and keep the vehicle centered in its lane. If the car in front stops, ProPILOT can automatically apply the brakes to bring the vehicle to a full halt if necessary.
After coming to a full stop, the vehicle can remain in place even if the driver's foot is off the brake. If traffic restarts, the car will resume driving when the driver touches the steering wheel-mounted ProPILOT switch again or lightly presses the accelerator to activate the system. All these functions can reduce stress when driving on the highway in both heavy and fast-moving traffic. ProPILOT Park (available on Japan and EU models only) is a system that can provide vehicle acceleration, braking, handling, shift changing and parking brake operation to guide the car into a parking spot.
Further enhancing the Nissan Leaf’s driving experience is e-Pedal, which allows the driver to start, accelerate, decelerate and stop using only the accelerator pedal. To match the Nissan LEAF e+’s additional power and increased mass, Nissan has reprogrammed the e-Pedal software for smoother operation and enhanced pedal feedback, especially for operation in reverse, and for smoother and more rapid deceleration, making it easier to stop the car using e-Pedal, even when backing up.
In addition to ProPILOT and e-Pedal, every Nissan LEAF is available with advanced safety technologies including Intelligent Lane Intervention, Lane Departure Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Intelligent Around View Monitor with moving object detection.
Updated interface, larger display and convenient updates:
The new Nissan Leaf e+ links drivers, vehicles and communities through its convenient graphic-based Human Machine Interface. It allows the owner to use the NissanConnect smartphone app to perform tasks such as monitoring the vehicle’s state of charge, scheduling charging to benefit from optimal energy tariffs, finding the nearest charging station, and heating or cooling the car before getting in.
Other new features include Door-to-Door Navigation, which syncs the vehicle’s navigation system with a compatible smartphone for seamless driving and walking directions. The Connections feature allows any of the car’s passengers to quickly and easily connect to a device within the vehicle.*8