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Nissan unveils the third-generation Leaf EV
Nissan has announced the 2026 Leaf, bringing its once ground-breaking EV to par with today's market.
Nissan's Leaf S is now the cheapest EV in the US at $27,400
Nissan has unveiled its 2022 Leaf with more features and a lower base price tag that makes it the cheapest EV in the US.
Nissan's Re-Leaf prototype is a mobile power supply for disaster response
Nissan's all-electric Re-Leaf is an EV designed to provide a mobile power supply during disaster recovery.
Nissan looks set to debut its Ariya EV in July
The hotly-tipped Nissan Ariya could arrive next month.
Nissan crams more safety tech into the base 2020 Leaf
The 2020 Nissan Leaf EV will be more expensive in its latest incarnation, but the carmaker is stuffing in more safety tech as standard. All 2020 Leaf models include Nissan Safety Shield 360, which has features such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warnings and rear automatic braking. The car also has forward collision warning, intelligent lane intervention and blind spot intervention.
BMW now has 500,000 EVs on the road
The number of electric vehicles on the road is growing exponentially. While it might have previously taken BMW three years to shift 100,000 models, the carmaker has now announced it's since sold five times that number -- 500,000 -- in the same amount of time, marking not only a major milestone for the brand, but for the EV market overall.
Nissan's dual-motor Leaf test car hints at future EVs
If Nissan is going to build production versions of EV concepts like the Ariya, it's going to need considerably more from its electric powerplants. Thankfully, that work is well underway. The car brand has unveiled a Leaf-based test car that packs dual motors and all-wheel drive, delivering both greater control and much more power. The prototype machine produces 227kW of peak output (about 304HP) and, more importantly, a whopping 501 pound-feet of torque -- the Leaf Plus' 214HP and 250 pound-feet of torque seem dowdy by comparison.
Nissan envisions car-themed esports gaming chairs
Nissan's connection to gaming might extend beyond the occasional car in a racing sim. The automaker has joined with FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming to design a trio of "esports gaming chairs" themed around (what else?) some of its more iconic cars. The GT-R Nismo is a "performance" chair with a thin carbon fiber shell, a racing seat shape, Nismo leather and an audio system built into the headset. The Armada chair echoes the SUV with extra-comfy lumbar support, posh leather and its own climate control. A Leaf chair, meanwhile, mimics the EV with "eco-friendly" materials and a USB charging port.
After Math: It's the circle of tech
While most of us now need Buzzfeed quizzes about "things only '90s kids would recognize" to remember what a Blockbuster is, the franchise's inevitable demise is still something to be commemorated -- if only by finally returning that VHS copy of Batman Forever you've been holding onto. But even as some companies fade into oblivion, others flourish in the market spaces left over. Here are a few from this week.
Nissan Leaf is the first electric car to top 400,000 sales
Nissan just reached an important milestone in electric car history -- though it likely won't be alone for long. The Leaf has become the first EV to top 400,000 sales, crossing that mark slightly over eight years since its December 2010 debut. Demand has been accelerating over that period too, The company was celebrating 200,000 sales back in December 2015. In other words, roughly half of all Leaf owners bought their car in the past three years.
Nissan unveils its longest-range Leaf EV yet
Even though it's one of the oldest EVs on the market, the Nissan Leaf has only been available with just 150 miles of range -- far less than its newer rivals. Nissan has finally rectified that at CES 2019 by unveiling the 2019 Leaf e+. It packs a 62 kWh battery pack that can propel it about 226 miles, approaching the range of Chevy's Bolt and the Tesla 3 base version.
Nissan boss who championed the Leaf EV arrested on tax charges
Carlos Ghosn, the CEO who guided Nissan through difficult times and masterminded the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, has reportedly been arrested in Japan and could soon be fired by Nissan. In an extraordinary news release, Nissan said that an internal investigation found that Ghosn and Director Greg Kelly were under-reporting their compensation in the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The automaker also discovered "significant acts of misconduct ... such as personal use of company assets" by both executives.
Nissan is using recycled Leaf batteries to power street lights
Nissan is using old Leaf batteries in a very meta way: To power streetlights that will make roads safer for vehicles and pedestrians. Called "The Light Reborn," it uses a solar panel that charges up a battery, which can then power the LED at night with no external connection required. Nissan is testing the product today in Namie, Japan -- a city that was abandoned after the Fukushima nuclear disaster -- and plans to do a full-scale installation in the town later this year.
Nissan: Leaf EV pre-orders are over 13,000
Over the last week or so we've seen some wild concepts from Nissan at CES (IMx) and NAIAS (Xmotion), but as usual, its Leaf EV is quietly a story as well. The revamped electric vehicle is weeks away from going on sale, and the company tells Engadget that there are already 13,000 pre-orders. With a newly-extended range capable of 150 miles on a charge, its price starts at less than $30k (before any tax credit) for the base model and buyers can actually expect to receive one in 2018.
Nissan will test its self-driving taxi service in Japan next year
Nissan wants to have its fully-automated ride service on the road in Japan by the early 2020s. The plan is to start with a "public field test" for the Easy Ride service in Yokohama. Nissan has partnered with technology company DeNa for the venture, and the hope is to have everything from pick-up to payment and drop-off handled via mobile app. If you'd rather take the scenic route to your destination, options will be available for that as well.
Nissan is joining Formula E
Nissan has made big strides in its push for electrification by unveiling two new zero-emission concept vehicles and announcing its plans to join Formula E racing from the 2018-2019 season. At the Tokyo Motor Show the brand showed off the IMx all-electric crossover, which offers fully autonomous operation and a range of more than 600 kilometers, and the Leaf NISMO, which brings a hefty dose of racing technology to the company's flagship electric car. According to Nissan, this concept boasts better aerodynamic performance and less lift.
Nissan's 2018 Leaf is a smarter, longer-lasting EV
Nissan's pure EV Leaf has been largely dominating the electric car market for seven years. So a refresh has been a long time coming. This week the company finally unveiled a vehicle with a higher range, an optional semi-autonomous feature and one-pedal driving. None of this is is necessarily groundbreaking, but after being behind the wheel of a preproduction model in Las Vegas, it's apparent to me that the automobile is ready to take on the latest crop of electric cars.
Nissan's next Leaf is cheaper and can almost drive itself
The Nissan Leaf does pretty well for the automaker. It's one of the best selling EVs ever and today the company introduced a redesigned $29,990 Leaf with ProPilot, a hands-on semi-autonomous feature for heavy traffic. With a 150 mile range and a price about $700 cheaper than it predecessor, Nissan is determined to stay at the top of the electric-vehicle sales-numbers pile.
Nissan teases self-driving features for the next-gen Leaf
The next generation Leaf EV will be the first with ProPilot driver assist in North American and Europe, and Nissan has just showed how that will look. Activated by a button on the steering wheel, it can control steering, braking and acceleration, but only in a single freeway lane. The driver can see exactly what's going on with the aid of a fancy animation front and center in the largely digital dashboard.
Leaf veins may lead to longer battery life
There have been many, many discoveries that promise longer battery life, but one of the latest is rare in taking its inspiration from one of the most common structures in nature: the leaf vein. Scientists have crafted a porous material that mimics the highly optimized flow of nutrients in plant leaves. The team used an evaporation-based process to arrange zinc oxide nanoparticles into networks with pores of various sizes that behave like you'd expect in a leaf, maximizing the transfer of material while minimizing the necessary energy.