The 2018 Nissan Leaf has made its official debut in Tokyo before going on sale in the United States early next year.
With a 150-mile driving range and a price tag of just $29,990 ($690 lower than the 2017 Leaf’s), many consumers looking to buy an EV will find the new Leaf is just what they were asking for. Powering the EV is a 40 kWh battery and an 80-kilowatt electric motor producing 147 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. Top speed is limited to 87 mph (140 km/h). Nissan promises a quicker version with a more power and larger battery pack will arrive in 2019.
As far as charging goes, a 3 kW charger should get the job done in around 8 hours and an 80% charge is possible in 40 minutes through fast charging. An uprated Level 2 charger will be available on S and SV trim lines and will come standard on the top-of-the-line SL variant.
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Sweetening the deal is Nissan’s ProPilot Assist semi-autonomous technology, which can control the vehicle’s acceleration, braking and steering inputs during single-lane highway driving. It’s paired with more tech in the way of a ProPilot Park self-parking system and an e-Pedal, which allows the driver to accelerate, decelerate and stop using the accelerator. When the pedal is fully released, the brakes and the regeneration come on to bring the vehicle to a stop.
The cabin looks to be heavily upgraded from the old model with a fancy new TFT instrument display and a high-def 7-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Even lower spec models will come well equipped with a 6-inch display.
Nissan says the 2018 Leaf will go on sale in all 50 U.S. states in early 2018.
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