Nissan Leaf & Renault Zoe ZE
Two bits of news from Renault Nissan or Nissan who presently intently dislike their partner Renault ( at the moment )…
Firstly congratulations, Renault Zoe ZE has been announced as the top selling electric car in Germany in 2018. Quite an achievement when you consider that the VW Golf, in home territory, came second.
| FY18 | Brand | Model | December 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Electric Market | |||
| 1 | Renault | Zoe | |
| 2 | VW | Golf | |
| 3 | Smart | Fortwo | |
| 4 | BMW | I3 | |
| 5 | Kia | Soul | |
| 6 | Smart | Forfour | |
| 7 | Nissan | Leaf | |
| 8 | hyundai | Ioniq | |
| 9 | Tesla | Model S | |
| 10 | VW | Up |
Secondly, Nissan Leaf e+
We like a new Leaf, and no, we don’t recommend turning one over in the new year ! Anyway, this is more an updated Leaf and not a new Leaf.
The 2019 offering will have an increased energy density of the model’s 62 KW battery pack and the higher output of the powertrain. What it means on the road is that there is now an EPA-estimated range of up to 226 miles. The present Leaf has a 40 kWh battery pack and a range of around150 miles.
As an aside…The Japanese car maker managed to sell 12,303 Leafs during the previous year in Norway, becoming the country’s best-selling car overall.
In addition, the electric hatchback remained Europe’s most popular EV, selling 40,699 units during the past year.
Nissan LEAF e+ specs (vs. LEAF 40 kWh)
62 kWh battery (+55% capacity over 40 kWh, 25% more energy dense lithium-ion cells, similar size)
288 lithium-ion cells (vs. compared to 192 cells)
battery limited warranty of 8 years/160,000 km (whichever occurs first) is standard
364 km (226 miles) of expected EPA range (up 50% from 243 km/151 miles)
385 km (239 miles) of WLTP range in Europe (vs. 285 km/177 miles)
160 kW electric motor (up from 110 kW) and 250 lb-ft (340 Nm) (vs. 320 Nm in 40 kWh version)
New pure electric AWD “elevated sports sedan”
A quick note to introduce you to Nissan IMs Concept…
How important this car will be to Renault and their EV range in the future, only time will tell.
Nissan say that the IMs is a completely new type of car – an “elevated sports sedan” that takes advantage of the packaging, platform and powertrain technology developed through Nissan Intelligent Mobility.
DETROIT – The Nissan IMs concept, with its revolutionary new proportions and stretched interior space – including a unique "Premier Seat" 2 + 1 + 2 seating architecture – is designed to create an entirely new vehicle segment, the elevated sports sedan.
The vehicle's electric powertrain consists of dual electric motors (front and rear) generates 483 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque and a 115-kWh battery provides an estimated range of 380 miles on a single charge.
