Nissan Engineers Complete 48 kWh LEAF Hobby Car

Nissan has completed a new LEAF prototype featuring a 48 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack, according to recent reports.

Word of a 48 kWh pack is of course nothing new, as the company has been working on a 48 kWh LEAF (probably on and off) since at least back in 2013. Interestingly, the team behind this prototype worked on the project mostly voluntarily on the weekends and in the evenings, according to Nissan.

The 48 kWh LEAF prototype reportedly features a single-charge range that’s been increased by around 75% over the current models.

The Senior Engineer at NTCE-S, Dario Fernandez, commented: “It has been a great privilege to work on this project and to see our finished prototype race in the ECOseries. We all have a real passion for what we do and being able to work on prototype projects gives us the creative freedom to be as innovative and forward-thinking as we possibly can. Battery range improvement is important to the on-going adoption of electric vehicles, so this was a great opportunity to utilize our knowledge of zero-emissions technology to look at how battery range could potentially be extended in this particular application.”

The Director of Electric Vehicles at Nissan Europe, Gareth Dunsmore, stated: “As a pioneer of the electric vehicle market, Nissan has consistently innovated and advanced its technology to remain at the forefront of the zero emission sector. Whilst there are no plans to put this prototype into production, it serves as a useful exercise in thinking outside the box, something our engineers and designers do on a daily basis. The Nissan LEAF 48 kWh showcases the passion our employees have for their work.”

While a production 48 kWh LEAF may not ever be released (or maybe it will…), the company will no doubt be releasing a long-range electric vehicle (EV) of some type in the next few years. Some people have been speculating it would happen this year, but the following stories seem to indicate otherwise:

140-Mile Nissan LEAF (40 kWh) Coming For 2017 (Rumor)

Exclusive Leak: 2017 & 2018 Nissan LEAFs To Have ~130 & ~150 Miles of Range