What is it?
The electric revolution continues, with more than 27,000 plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles sold throughout 2015, representing a 90% increase on 2014.
Nissan believes one of the main reasons for the increase in consumer demand is down to the number of electric and hybrid vehicles available on the market, with a total of 30 available now compared with the six options on offer back when the original Nissan Leaf was launched in 2010.
The Leaf is still regarded as a viable route into EV ownership, with a £20,790 price tag for the entry-level Visia trim 24kWh version. But now Nissan has decided to tackle the issue of range anxiety with this new 30kWh Leaf, which is claimed to have a longer, 155-mile range.
Despite an increase in the battery’s capacity, the battery unit is still the same. Nissan has introduced new cathode and electrode materials and has revised the battery's construction in order to increase density. As a result the Leaf weighs 21kg more than its 24kWh stablemate, but performance and speed remain the same.
The 30kWh Leaf will be available in mid-level Acenta and range-topping Tekna trims only, with prices starting from £24,490 after the £5000 government subsidy has been applied. You also get the added bonus of a longer eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on the battery.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Re: German Opposition
Oil cartel
xxxx wrote: Always seemed
Nothing strange going on xxxx regarding oil prices.
Oil has become very cheap recently mainly due to fracking in the USA and tar sands in Canada.
The USA is heading to be self sufficient in oil and gas and is preparing to become an exporter of crude hence the US government changing the law to allow exports of crude oil. It was recently reported that gasoline was selling retail for 43 cents a gallon in Michegan. Here in the UK petrol retails at about 25p per litre before the almost 300% of taxes is added to bring the total to just under £1 a litre..
As most electricity in the UK is produced by fossil fuels green lobby groups give the leaf a rating of 44 mpg. That is less than a similar sized diesel car manages, that I believe is one of the major reasons with price, low range, and lack of charge points holding back electric cars.
If we all adopted electric cars the government would certainly not give you £5k off each car nor allow you to get away with aying virtually no tax on your fuel electricity.
OPEC
Actually OPEC (80% of the world's oil reserves and producing four in every 10 barrels of oil, more than America ever could) are not dropping supply like they used to is the main reason oil prices are so low. Several reasons for this including internal wangling and maybe just maybe worrying about the world dumping oil as a fuel for transport in the long term. Leaf 44 mpg?, no matter how you put it to the consumer it’s around 2p a mile which works out to an equivant 225mpg (with petrol at £4.50), fact.
If it's well adopted the Plug-in car prices will come down and the government grant won't be needed anyway.
@Campervan
The comparison you give is completely wrong at 44mpg. You're comparing well to wheel with the leaf vs pump to wheel on a diesel car.
Agreed the government would stop the subsidy if we all bought electric cars, but the volumes would go up so much that they would most likely come down by that much anyway. As for the no tax on electricity, I don't think they'd go down that route anyway as how could they tell if you were using solar/wind, or differentiate from it being an oven on for a few hours vs charging a car.
Still not viable
When are the big players going to get to grips with this-its already been proven by a back-yard firm from the U.S.
Is it oil-cartel corruption at work or are they delaying for some other reason. ???