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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.
The 2018 Nissan Leaf gets a semi-autonomous upgrade
The Nissan Leaf is the top-selling electric vehicle in the world. Sure, Tesla and Chevy get all the hype with the Bolt and Model 3, but with more than 290,000 cars sold, Nissan's little electric car is the one people are buying. After seven years without a design refresh, the automaker dropped a new and improved model to continue to dominate the EV world. Although, that task will be a lot tougher thanks to increased competition.
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 will be $5,000 cheaper than the Model 3
If you want a cheap EV and are willing to settle for less range, you might end up with a Nissan Leaf and not a Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model 3. According to a (now pulled) leak on car sales site Autobytel, as seen by our sister site Autoblog, the 2018 Nissan Leaf will cost $29,990 for the base model with a 40 kWh battery -- $5,000 less than either the base Bolt or Model 3. With two-thirds the capacity of either model, however, the incoming Leaf will have a range of around 150-160 miles, significantly less than its rivals.
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.
Uber is building its own EV charging network in London
Uber's fleet of electric vehicles in London is set to rise in the coming weeks after the company announced an expansion of its partnership with Nissan. The two companies have committed to deliver an additional 100 Nissan Leaf EVs, trebling the number of green vehicles available via its app. To power them, it'll also build its own charging network in the capital.
Uber is offering electric cars in London
It's fair to say that Uber isn't having the best of times in London right now, with a lawsuit against TfL's new taxi rules and disgruntled UberEats couriers dominating the headlines. One thing that could help change the public (and perhaps political) perception of the company is a reinforced commitment to reducing pollution on the city's roads. That's what Uber is doing today with a pledge to make more than 50 electric cars available in its app in London over the next month as part of its UberX service.
Nissan wants you to use its Leaf EV like a Tesla Powerwall
In May, Tesla explained why it's a good idea to put multi-kWh batteries our homes. Half a year on, Nissan has worked out how to use the multi-kWh battery inside its Leaf EV in the same way. It's teamed up with the energy company ENEL to debut a "Vehicle 2 Grid" (V2G) system that allows electric vehicles as mobile power plants for homes, offices or returning energy to the grid.
The 2016 Nissan Leaf touts 107-mile range thanks to a larger battery
If you're looking to get over 100 miles out of your next EV before needing to recharge, Nissan hopes its retooled Leaf will grab your attention. Two of the 2016 models claim an EPA-estimated 107-mile range thanks to a bigger 30 kWh battery. And yes, that's both best-in-class and 27 percent further than the previous power pack would take you. Looking to park one in your driveway? The base S model is priced at $29,010 before a $7,500 federal tax credit lowers the cost to $21,510. There are also SV and SL models, priced at $26,700 and $29,290 (after tax credit) respectively, if you're after a new ride with more options than the standard model offers.
Georgia wants EV owners to pay for saving the planet
Climate change is still a real, looming threat, so you'd think that getting people using electric cars would be a vital project to safeguard the future. Unfortunately, the state of Georgia is so broke that it's not only pulling its electric vehicle subsidies, it's going to kick would-be planet savers while they're down. Vice News details how the state is about to axe its $5,000 tax credit and, even better, add a $200 a year electric vehicle tax to recoup the drop in gasoline tax revenues.
Nissan has a glow-in-the-dark Leaf EV, but you can't buy one
Oh, Nissan, you tease. The company has just coated a Leaf EV with some custom-made glow-in-dark paint, which can apparently last for up to 25 years -- but it has no plans (not yet, anyway) to make it available for purchase. Nissan partnered with glow-in-dark pavement creator Hamish Scott to concoct a special paint as a symbolic representation of how Leaf inspires its owners to convert to solar energy. It's easy to find glow-in-the-dark paints these days, of course, and you can even do Tron-like designs on your car if you want, but the company claims the one it mixed up isn't like any other.
Nissan offers free electricity to entice EV customers
Though "fueling" an EV costs a pittance next to a gas-guzzler, hunting for that next compatible charging network can bring on cold sweats. Nissan Leaf buyers in 25 markets will soon be able to relax, though. A new "EZ-Charge" card will grant two years of free charging across four major networks: ChargePoint, Blink, AeroVironment and NRG's eVGO. The automaker may have been motivated by its free charging trials in Texas, which led to a three-fold Leaf sales increase at one dealership. The expanded program will roll out to owners in 10 markets this July, provided they bought their Leaf after April 1st. There are other restrictions too: just one hour max of free charging at a Level 2 station and a half hour on a fast charger. The latter option will give an 80 percent charge, but a Level 2 station will only dole out 20 miles' worth of electrons in an hour -- so plan accordingly.
Nissan Leaf prototype becomes first autonomous car to hit Japanese highways (video)
Autonomous autos are somewhat old hat for commuters in California and Nevada, but Japan's only just seen one hit its public roads. After earning a license plate in September, Nissan's driverless (and electric) Leaf hit the pavement of the country's Sagami Expressway, becoming the very first self-driving car to complete a public road test on a highway in the Land of the Rising Sun. The firm's Autonomous Drive tech, which handles everything from detecting road conditions to merging into traffic, piloted the car onto the interstate, passed slowpokes and exited the freeway. Sure, this is a notable milestone for Nissan, but the company's goal to sell autos with the technology by 2020 is still a long way off.
Nissan treats new Leaf owners in Texas to one year of free charging
Hey, EV fans in Texas, you might want to wait until October 1st before purchasing or leasing a Nissan Leaf. That's because the company's taking a leaf out of Tesla's book and giving new owners in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston a year of unlimited free access to all eVgo charging stations in those areas. Unfortunately, that does mean that if you've already got one of the company's electric vehicles, you don't get the perk -- ouch. As for potential customers in other states, don't despair. Nissan's Brian Brockman has hinted that the program might expand to other eVgo locations -- depending on how well it does in the Lone Star State.
All Electric Vehicle Rally ends with Tesla S in top spot
There they were, a caravan of nine electric car enthusiasts with a lot of free time on their hands, "tearing" down North America's west coast in a bunch of environmentally conscious vehicles. That was just last week in what organizer Tony Williams called the All Electric Vehicle Rally, and nearly all nine participants arrived in the rally's end location of Tijuana, Mexico. The convoy started in Blaine, Washington and took to I-5 in four chunks. This year a Tesla Model S piloted by Jack Bowers and Georg Kuhnke arrived first, with just 41 hours of driving time -- a far cry from the eight days and five hours the course took Williams last year. The approximately 1,400 miles were covered by the winner at an average speed of about 34 MPH. Sadly, one Nissan Leaf owner got stuck charging their car for 15 hours in California due to a lack of CHADEMO chargers en route. Despite years of promises, CHADEMO sites haven't made their way south of the Oregon/California border as part of the west coast's Green Highway. Still, that we've reached the point where even some EVs can clear that many miles in under two days using only public chargers is pretty impressive.
Nissan NSC-2015 self-driving car with LTE and smartphone connectivity (test-ride with video)
NCC-1701 is the machine that took the world's imaginations to strange new worlds in the '60s. If Nissan has its way, NSC-2015 will be the machine that keeps us out of strange new parking lots. It's a concept car from Nissan, part of the CEATEC 2012 Smart Mobility Zero exhibit that has half the show floor covered by crazy electric-powered cars of all shapes and sizes. Nissan's Leaf is one of the more conventional looking ones, but the technology that lets it drive itself down the road is far from standard. We just took it for a spin, so please cruise down past the break to read how it went.
Nissan pins Leaf's WattStation charging woes on a software bug, works on a fix
GE and Nissan had previously ruled out GE's WattStation as the cause of a few Leaf charging failures, and that story of EV tragedy looks to be winding to a close with a more definitive explanation. As the two tell us, a bug in the Leaf's on-board charging software can damage the relevant hardware under a perfect storm of conditions: if a drivers uses a specific (but not necessarily GE) charger, an undervoltage or similar power crisis can bring the Leaf to its knees. Nissan says it's hurrying towards a remedy, although we're working to confirm just what that entails. In the meantime, the automaker is asking owners to be cautious and avoid plugging in when there's lightning or brownouts in the making.
GE says its WattStations aren't behind fried Nissan Leafs, green drivers can relax
GE is eager to reassure Nissan Leaf drivers that its WattStation isn't about to kill their car's charging ability: it just held a media scrum where it declared, after some study, that its EV charger isn't the culprit that knocked 11 cars off the power grid. While the electrical pioneer hasn't narrowed down the cause, it's confident enough in its innocence that it's having Nissan dealers retract their original claims of compatibility woes. Nissan spokeswoman Katherine Zachary had previously suggested the fault might lie in a "utility" issue with the power supply itself, although GE notes that it hasn't gone to people's homes; it's testing the affected WattStations in the lab, which could change the results. Whatever's responsible, we now know that the failure hit diodes in the car's charging equipment and that the incidents aren't specific to any one region. It's safe to say that Leaf owners with WattStations can once more plug in at home and expect to wake up to a full charge.
Nissan Leaf, GE WattStation embroiled in charging damage shocker, invite other EV puns (update: full GE statement)
Hopefully, you haven't paired up your Nissan Leaf with a GE WattStation for charging; if you have, you might want to power up with Ye Olde Wall Outlet for a short while. GE has confirmed to the New York Times that some Leaf drivers have encountered "problems" after charging up their EVs from WattStations. What problems? GE isn't going into detail, but a Nissan regional manager claims that the charging systems of 11 Leafs have been damaged after plugging into a WattStation. Whether or not there's a crisis or a coincidence is still up in the air at this stage. Nissan isn't issuing any warnings or recalls, and GE will only say that it's "actively working" with the automaker to find the root cause. All the same, we'll be cautious until the companies turn a new... you guessed it. Update: GE reached out to us with the full statement, which you'll find in the comments below. The company is mostly touching on what it mentioned earlier, but it's adding that the WattStation meets the needed SAE and UL standards. Other EVs haven't encountered problems to date.
Nissan says Leaf charger will start powering homes in July, details new battery (video)
We kicked the tires on Nissan's Leaf-based EV Power Station in Tokyo a while back, and now the company has announced that Japanese customers will start receiving the home power backups in July. On top of trundling you around town, the EV's battery will supply 6kWh of juice to your house, keeping it powered for up to two days. It also features an advanced charger, which can juice the Leaf to 80% capacity in only four hours, compared to the eight usually required to get to that level. It'll be sold through Nissan dealers and will run 480,000 yen ($6,000), or less with government subsidies -- in addition to the $35K you'd need for the car itself, of course. Roll on past the break for the video details.
