Nissan Australia has updated its fully electric LEAF for 2021, adding a new e+ variant. It promises more range, more power, and increased performance.
The LEAF e+ sits atop the standard LEAF within Nissan’s lineup. The larger battery pack, which has increased from 40kWh in the base model to 62kWh in the e+, makes it not only Nissan’s most range-capable offering, but also one of the fastest.
At full power the EV unleashes a 160kW punch and 340Nm of torque (up from 110kW/320Nm in the standard model). This is enough to cover 0-100km/h in just 6.9 seconds, while offering a real-world WLTP range of 385km on a single charge (115km more than the base model).
Engineers have managed to improve the LEAF’s 80-120km/h acceleration by more than 13 per cent, and increased its top speed by more than 10 per cent, to 158km/h.
Nissan says that thanks to its new battery design, engineers were able to fit the e+ with a larger battery pack without having to make sacrifices to the overall size and practicality. The company also says that while the base LEAF model is packed with a 50kW DC fast-charger, the e+ is capable of charging at up to 100kW, translating to 20-80 per cent charge status in 45 minutes, while the base model takes around an hour.
The company is also proud of the fact that the LEAF e+ is capable of bi-directional charging, meaning it can provide electricity to run accessories. Stephen Lester, Nissan Australia’s managing director, said:
“The Nissan LEAF is one of the world’s most popular electric vehicles, the new LEAF e+ will only further that appeal by delivering more of what our customers love about their EV. With more power, more range and more performance, as well as full bi-directional charging capability, the e+ is simply more LEAF, and helps ensure there really is an EV to suit every need in Australia.”
The 2021 LEAF e+ is priced from $60,490, while the base model stands at $49,990 (before on-road costs).
