The Nissan Leaf arrives with serious advantages

The new version of the Nissan electric car has more battery and more autonomy. It will be available in March in Switzerland.

The Renault-Nissan alliance does not intend to be outdistanced in the field of the electric car. As a symbol of this strategy, the new Nissan Leaf will be tasked with meeting the challenges launched by Tesla and its model 3 or by Opel and its Ampera-E.

The car will be available in March in Switzerland from 35'790 francs and it will promise a range of 378 kilometers. The model has already been pre-ordered to over 10,000 copies in Europe.

Type 2 charger standard

Nissan wants to seduce with its new generation of batteries, whose capacity has been increased by 30% to 40kW / h, improving the autonomy, as noted by the Tages-Anzeiger during a trial in Los Angeles. No need to keep your eyes on the onboard computer to check its consumption.

When the battery is empty, it can be charged even faster thanks to the type 2 charger, which is now installed as standard. A recharge on a domestic outlet now lasts more than seven hours against 21 previously.

With an increased performance of nearly 40% at 110 kW and a torque of 320 Newton meters, the start is even more impressive as 17-inch tires sometimes struggle to domesticate all this power on the road.

A generator engine

In order to enhance the electric feel, Nissan has added a so-called e-pedal, which helps control the level of recovery. By pressing a button, the electric motor turns into a generator as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator pedal.

The slowdown is so strong that the driver has almost no need to press the brakes. But beware of the risk of habituation because it is necessary to resume the habit of crushing the rudder of the brakes if the e-pedal is disabled.

As a result of the battery placed in the floor, the driving position is high and it offers less space for the feet. In addition, the choice of materials shows a concern for savings intended to offset the cost of the battery. The trunk loading threshold, with a capacity of 435 liters, is also higher than the usual compact.

Assistants

The Nissan Leaf is also trying to set new standards for autonomous driving. With its cameras and sensors in the service of ProPilot, the driving assistant is content with a symbolic presence of hands on the steering wheel. The vehicle is of course equipped with an automatic parking system.

The Franco-Japanese alliance intends to push its advantage in the compact segment while Tesla is absent. Sign of the trust of the Japanese group and while marketing has not even begun, the production of the new version has been entrusted to three factories in Japan, the United States and Great Britain.

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