The Nissan Leaf is the true veteran among electric cars.
The first buyer drove home in a Leaf in 2010, when Tesla was still marketing its original product — a roadster built on a Lotus Elise chassis using motors and batteries designed before Elon Musk invested in the company.
But the Leaf is now an aging design struggling to find buyers. Our expert test driver says, “As a second or third car, the Leaf could be ideal.” That’s not likely the praise Nissan is looking for. The current model has a range of just 149 miles in base form. It’s the only electric vehicle (EV) in America using an older charging plug called CHAdeMo that will likely grow hard to find on public chargers over time. Even Nissan said its future models will use the Tesla charging system.
The Leaf isn’t even America’s cheapest EV anymore for most buyers. The Chevy Bolt gets that honor because it qualifies for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit. The Leaf gets just half. In the rare circumstance that you’re shopping for an inexpensive EV but earn too much money to qualify for the credit, the Leaf is your cheapest option. But that sounds like someone shopping for a second or third car, doesn’t it?
But Nissan has a plan for its aging vet.
Next Leaf: A Curvy, Small Crossover
Industry publication Automotive News reports, “Nissan will tap into European tastes for crossovers with the next-generation Leaf in a styling shift it hopes will significantly boost demand.” The Leaf is one of three “high-riding, battery-electric cars” Nissan plans for the European market.
The other models likely won’t come to the U.S. But the next-generation Leaf would make sense here, where the name has some purchase among Americans looking for an inexpensive electric car. We’ve already heard rumors that an SUV could take the Leaf’s place in the lineup. Giving that model the Leaf name would let Nissan claim to have the longest-running EV on the market and give current Leaf owners a reason to go back to the dealership.
AN says styling for the next Leaf will be based on the recent Nissan Chill-Out concept — a curvy compact crossover that updates the look of today’s Ariya and would stand out in a field of boxy new SUVs.
