For the last couple of years, EV fans have been eagerly awaiting a new version of the LEAF with a 200-mile range to match that of the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Nissan did launch a redesigned 2018 LEAF, with a 40 kWh battery pack and 150 miles of range, early this year, but… Read more »
Bidirectional charging technology (vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-building) has the potential to help reduce utility costs by using EV batteries to store energy and release it at times of peak consumption. Now Nissan, in partnership with Fermata Energy, a vehicle-to-grid systems company, has launched a pilot program that uses LEAFs equipped with bidirectional charging capability to partially… Read more »
Carlos Ghosn, the head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance and one of the global auto industry’s most prominent proponents of electrification, has been arrested in Tokyo over “financial misconduct.” Along with Nissan Director Greg Kelly, Ghosn was arrested for “reporting compensation amounts in the Tokyo Stock Exchange securities report that were less than the actual amount,… Read more »
The federal EV tax credit is something of a blunt instrument, but there’s little doubt that it has encouraged a substantial number of EV purchases. The future of the $7,500 tax credit is uncertain. Recently, one Republican senator introduced a bill to expand the credit, and another introduced a bill to get rid of it… Read more »
The Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission, Nissan’s first EV made for the Chinese market, has begun rolling off the production line in Huadu, where joint venture partners Dongfeng and Nissan operate a major manufacturing facility. Nissan developed the new model based on the platform of the LEAF and the Sylphy, Nissan’s best-selling sedan in China. “Growth… Read more »
Perhaps you’re tempted to upgrade to a new 2018 LEAF, but need a little extra sweetener to close the deal. If you’re a customer (or employee) of Duke Energy in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina or Florida, you may be eligible for a special incentive of $3,000 off MSRP. Nissan is offering the… Read more »
Some UK buyers of Nissan’s new 2018 LEAF are ever so cross. As the BBC reports, some say charging the LEAF can take three times longer than claimed on Nissan’s website, and others have found that the range is far shorter than the 235 miles (378 km) they were promised. Nissan denies that there’s a… Read more »
Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) will be providing batteries for Nissan’s Sylphy electric sedan, which is scheduled to hit the Chinese market in the latter half of the year. This marks the company’s first deal with a Japanese automaker. The Sylphy, one of 20 electrified vehicles Nissan plans to release in China… Read more »
Carlos Ghosn, Chairman of the Nissan/Renault/Mitsubishi alliance, says EV range anxiety is pretty much a thing of the past, and that his companies will now focus on lowering vehicle prices. “We have seen that consumers do not talk anymore about range or autonomy as long as you guarantee more than 300 km,” Ghosn recently told… Read more »
Starting in May, Japanese LEAF owners will be able to exchange their old batteries for refurbished ones. Nissan will initially offer 24 kWh refabricated batteries for ¥300,000 ($2,853) each. Prices for brand-new replacement batteries range from $6,182 for a 24 kWh battery to $7,800 for the 40 kWh version. Nissan is using the battery-rebuilding capabilities… Read more »