More Powerful 2019 Nissan LEAF Will Have 200+ Mile Range

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Brian Maragno, Nissan’s director of EV marketing and sales, released some details about the upcoming 2019 LEAF while speaking at a press event regarding Nissan’s involvement in Formula E racing recently. The current version of the car has the new body style (which is a big improvement over the original) but retains the older car’s 40 kWh battery, 142 horsepower motor, and so-so 150 mile range.

Nissan LEAF 2018
2018 Nissan LEAF

Maragno said the 2019 LEAF will have a larger battery, and while everyone is assuming it will be 60 kWh, there has been no official confirmation of that. The car will feature an ‘E-Plus’ badge and will have a more powerful 200 horsepower motor. Maragno added that the larger battery simply makes it possible to have more power since the more robust motor would drain the smaller battery at a quicker rate.

Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution! According to a report in AutoGuide, Maragno said, “When you have a bigger battery with more capacity, it just opens up the door to be able to have more output,” he said. “A larger capacity battery lends itself towards two things. One is obvious: more range. The other one, which is maybe a little less obvious, but equally as true, is additional horsepower and output.”

In terms of range, most people are assuming 200+ miles, but that figure has not been confirmed by Nissan. If the battery is 50% larger, shouldn’t range be 50% more, all other factors being equal? The best anyone can say is the E-Plus should have at least 200 miles of range. Nissan is being coy about when the new car will be on sale. We know it will be sold as a 2019 model but no official release date has been disclosed by the company. It could appear as early as this fall or as late as next spring.

Maragno had lots to say about Nissan’s involvement in Formula E racing, however. “I mean, think about it. 320,000 cars globally, it’s quite a bit. So we’ve learned a ton. When I talk about the competitive edge that gives us, the competitive drive, we have a lot to bring to the table. So it’s really an exciting type of venture for us to get into because we think we could do really, really well with it. And of course it helps round out the EV ecosystem for us. It’s another piece of the puzzle if you will. It represents what we’ve been doing for a long time.” The Nissan LEAF first appeared in 2010.


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Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new."

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