Nissan at the end of last year displayed its all-electric vehicle – the Nissan Leaf along with the Nissan Note e-Power, Nissan Kicks and the Nissan Patrol at the inauguration ceremony of their first Digital Hub in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in India. The Nissan Leaf was due for a launch by March 2019 but got delayed for unknown reasons. The Nissan Leaf and the Note e-Power were recently spotted testing in the open around the outskirts of Delhi, indicating that Nissan India plans to launch the EV sometime soon.
The Nissan Leaf is powered by a 110 kW (147 HP @ 3,283-9,795 RPM) EM57 AC synchronous electric motor producing 320 Nm of torque from 0-3,283 RPM. The battery is a lithium-ion type with a capacity of 40 kWh and has a range of 400 km on a single charge. It is connected to a single speed reduction gearbox. The battery can be charged using a 3 kW charger in 16 hours and it can be charged in 8 hours using a 6 kW charger. The battery can be replenished to up to 80% from reserve power in 40 minutes.
The Leaf e+ variant has a 160 kW AC synchronous electric motor producing 214 HP of power and 339 Nm of torque with 62 kWh battery pack with a range of 570 km on a single charge and connected to a single speed reduction gearbox. The Leaf e+ with the more powerful 160 kW motor was launched recently (Not In India). The e+ variant comes with an on-board quick charge port and portable charging cable.
After its introduction in 2010, Nissan has sold over 4 lakh units worldwide of the Nissan Leaf and it is one of the most popular electric vehicles in the world. In 2017, the Nissan Leaf was updated and it is now sold in over 50 global markets. Starting this year, Nissan plans to sell the Leaf in Asia Oceania and Latin America.