2018 Nissan Leaf adds range to cheaper Leaf / All You Need To Know

Nissan Leaf adds range to cheaper Leaf    / All You Need To Know

New Nissan LEAF electric vehicle is displayed after the world premiere in Chiba, near Tokyo, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Nissan’s new Leaf electric car goes farther on a charge and comes with autonomous drive technology and single-pedal driving. But whether it can catch on with anyone but the most zealously green-minded remains to be seen. (Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press)

The zero-emissions vehicle — which Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. unveiled in the U.S. late Tuesday and in a Tokyo suburb Wednesday — promises a travel range of about 400 kilometers in Japanese driving conditions or 150 miles in the U.S., before needing another charge. The company is characterizing it as an approximate 40 percent improvement from up to 280 kilometers or 107 miles for Leaf models on sale now. The distances vary by country because driving conditions and measuring standards are different. The range also depends on what other features are being used such as the car’s heater.



Brian Maragno, director of electric vehicle marketing for Nissan in the U.S., said the 2018 Leaf will start at $29,990 before a $7,500 federal tax credit, an important price point to current Leaf owners, many of whom will be repeat buyers. The Bolt, by comparison, starts at $36,620 while the Model 3 starts at $35,000.

In Japan, it starts at 3.15 million yen ($29,000) with the most expensive version costing 3.99 million yen ($37,000). The model goes on sale in Japan on Oct. 2, and in January in the U.S., Canada and Europe