A decade on from its creation and now into its second generation, the first mass-market electric car is well established and isn’t going anywhere
A decade on from its creation and now into its second generation, the first mass-market electric car is well established and isn’t going anywhere. With the new e+ now released we take a look at the development the Nissan Leaf has seen over the last ten years.
It has been ten years since Nissan and Carlos Ghosn revealed the revolutionary Nissan Leaf, a Ford Focus-sized hatchback that was the world’s first modern mainstream EV. Since then it has become a mainstay of the electric car market and it doesn’t look like it will be going anywhere.
It is no wonder that it has stuck around as its design and development was boasted by insiders at Nissan to have cost roughly £4 billion, which is approximately double what they would have spent on a conventional car of a similar size. Despite this massive investment it was felt at the time that it was a truly worthwhile outlay – and it appears that time has proven them right.
There was a mixed reception to the Leaf when it was first launched, with futurists, early adopters and the eco-minded all admiring Nissan’s steps forward in car engineering. But when it came to pragmatists within the industry it was less well received, as they were unsure that there was a market for this sort of car and felt that car buyers, that tend to be quite conservative, would not take it at all seriously. The concern was that people do not tend to change their buying habits without some form of incentive to do so and to their mind there were none being provided by the Leaf.
One thing that did help the Leaf in its early days was the enthusiasm from motoring journalists, who helped encourage the market to accept this new offering. When it was released most motorists hadn’t driven an electric car, with the Leaf being their first experience of doing so. This meant that many were under the false illusion that electric cars were sluggish and unresponsive, which was a preconception that has taken a long time to shift and to some extent still lingers today.
The Leaf has been widely loved for its simplicity, refinement and responsiveness, which helped it to receive the accolade of both Europe’s Car of the Year and World Car of the Year in 2011, which is easily far better recognition than Nissan could have expected from it.
Following on from its initial success it has gone on to have a full decade of success, with the UK-made car’s global sales being over 500,000 in 59 countries, with a third of these in Europe. Comparing the most recent version to what was initially released is interesting, as a lot of the features that were included on release were essentially stabs in the dark trying to predict what EV drivers would want from their cars.
Looking at the new Leaf e+ that was launched recently it is clear to see just how much it has improved over the last ten years as it now packs twice the power and range of the original and has also knocked 3.0sec off of the already respectable 9.9sec that the original 2011 model boasted.
The leaf also gives a good understanding of how the EV market has developed over the last ten years and shows the direction that it has taken, as well as the sheer speed at which it has developed. The latest Leaf is certainly more dynamically capable but it also offers increased cabin and boot space, despite the exterior dimensions growing very little.
It also made waves very early on in 2011 as it made headlines due to it playing a critical but surprising role in Japan’s recovery from a disastrous earthquake and the consequent tsunami that caused. As regular supplies had been knocked out, it was power from Leaf batteries that provided the much-needed electricity and light required by Japan’s doctors, which then allowed them to continue treating patients in some of the worst-affected areas. A total of 4.8 million households had lost power, so Nissan provided 66 Leafs that were taken back from early distribution, which were then used to power clinics and operating theatres.
This unique contribution made by the Leaf has been repeated several times over in Japan, which suffers one tenth of the world earthquakes and experiences frequent typhoons.
Since then Nissan has made its EV’s ability to “give something back” one of its powerful selling points. With a suitcase sized power converter a fully charged Lead is able to provide power to an average household for anywhere between two to four days, after which is can travel to an EV charger to do it all over again if required. So it is no surprise that Nissan is leading the way with efforts to highlight EVs as potentially life saving power sources and not just cars. It is their belief that EVs may one day play a full time role in powering households as well as taking people from A to B.
To take this a step further they recently uncovered their “ruggedised” concept called the Re-Leaf. This had underbody protection, elevated ride height, all-terrain tyres, roof-mounted lights and external power outlets, as well as the rear seats being replaced with a workspace to demonstrate how the Leaf could easily function as a power source and command centre in a disaster.
One thing that is plain to see is the progress that has been made by the Leaf over the last ten years in the most important areas, most notably in its battery capacity and drivetrain power efficiency. But credit should also be given to the wisdom of the Japanese creators’ original decisions around its size and mechanical layout, as these have only seen very minor changes over the past decade. Since it’s conception the Leaf has always been dubbed as a through and through family car, with a good amount of rear passenger room and a practical boot, which is why the original and the Mk2 that was launched in 2017 only have a difference in overall length of 50mm, with both sitting on the same 2.7 metre-long wheelbase.
The most elaborate and pricy Leaf that is available today, the e+, is now much faster and offers a much longer range than the original. The Leaf started out with a 107bhp motor, which was fed by a 24kWh battery, allowing it to deliver a range of around 110-120 miles. But as we have seen with the EV industry things have changed dramatically over the last decade, with early cars soon being made with smaller and more efficient motors, as well as the significantly more capable 30kWh option becoming the norm.
Upon the arrival of the new form of the Leaf in 2017, the base models all came with a new output of 148bhp and a basic battery capacity of 40kWh, which may have added some extra weight, but did not affect the range, which was increased to around 170 miles, even with the addition of more power-sapping gadgets such as heated seats.
Due to the clear preference for extra performance and longer range shown by British consumers, Nissan launched the Leaf e+, which comes with a 62kWh battery and a 215bhp motor, which results in near-hot hatch performance as well as a range of almost 240 miles.
Given the success of the Leaf concept so far, which has already been backed by half a million motorists, there seems little chance that the Mk3 model will differ greatly when it arrives in three or so years. It may be that it might migrate to the new platform of the Ariya electric SUV (which has a 2770mm wheelbase, compared with the current Leaf’s 2700mm one) but that may well be the main difference, as despite promises of more exotic battery tech than lithium ion packs on the way, it is likely that technology will creep rather than rush forward.
In short, with the arrival of the new e+ variant, it would seem that the Leaf now offers as much performance and range as it will require for the near-to-medium term. Nissan’s emphasis will likely now be directed towards an EV line-up expansion. But as it moves into this new territory of EVs, it will undoubtedly benefit from a priceless decade of learning from producing and developing that original Leaf, which will forever be remembered as the pioneer of the electric age of motoring.
It is clear to see that the Leaf is here to stay and it wouldn’t be any surprise to see it stick around for another decade, so it is safe to say that the £4 billion invested into its design and development was well spent, especially considering how little it has changed from that initial model, with most of the changes being very minor to utilise the improved technology that has been developed since its launch. Having said that, we do look forward to seeing what the next ten years bring for the leaf and how new technology will help to improve this modern day EV classic further.
Leafs On The Road
When it comes to driving the Leaf doesn’t show much of a difference across the ten years, but they can offer different characteristics, such as extreme smoothness of power delivery, plenty of urgency from step-off and freedom from operating a clutch or gearstick.
Having said that the more recent model does bring some advantages to the table, such as the seating position, improved dynamics meaning you have less body roll to deal with and overall improved steering alertness. The Leaf e+ also provides far more accurate steering that isn’t too light, as well as providing an overall better ride thanks to its improved dampers.
As you would expect with a car with a sub-7.0sec 0-62mph time, you can drive the Leaf e+ with plenty of verve, so long as you’re smooth with it. The so-called e-pedal driving, which allows you to get powerful retardation just by easing off of the accelerator pedal (and a stop when you lift right off) is accurate and efficient – although you may find that you would prefer allowing the car to coast a bit more.