Nissan Leaf News
-
Nissan is recalling a small number of 2014 Nissan Leaf electric cars to replace the car's inverter assembly. Just 196 cars are affected, all build during a ten-day period in April. Nissan puts the recall down to an out-of-specification control circuit board being fitted during this time. ALSO SEE: Would You Ride This Tiny Folding Electric Scooter To Work? This circuit board component could result in the electric motor stopping without warning--though no cases have been reported to Nissan. Nissan started contacting owners of affected vehicles in late May, so they can bring their vehicles to a...
-
Plug-In Electric Car Sales In May: Highest-Ever Leaf Total, First BMW i3 Numbers: FINAL UPDATE
Well, chalk up another first for Nissan: It sold 3,117 Leaf electric cars in the U.S. last month. That's not only its best-ever one-month sales performance, but it's the first time any carmaker has sold more than 3,000 battery plug-in electric cars in a month in this country--ever. (August 2013...
John Voelcker -
Aerodynamic Tesla Model S Electric Car Wins The Wind-Tunnel Wars
Aerodynamics are a vital component of automotive efficiency. The more air you have to push out of the way to reach or maintain a certain speed, the more energy you're using. And the more energy you use, the less efficient your journey will be. ALSO SEE: Solar Roadways Smashes Crowdfunding Target...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Nissan Leaf: Bestselling Electric Car, Driven By Newbie
Driving the world's highest-volume battery-electric car in New York's Hudson Valley.
Stephen Edelstein -
EZ-Charge Program Not So Easy As ChargePoint Exits Nissan Plan
The design for EZ-Charge, an access card that would let new Nissan Leaf electric-car drivers use multiple charging networks, was unveiled yesterday at the EDTA convention. Unfortunately, one of the four partners pulled out of the program--seemingly just an hour or so before the lunch event at which...
John Voelcker -
2014 Nissan Leaf Recall: If Welds Missing, Car Will Be Replaced
Nissan has announced the recall of a number of 2014 model year Leaf electric cars, regarding a front structural member assembly. According to the recall report, the front structural member on affected vehicles may be missing welds, affecting its structural integrity in a crash, in turn increasing...
Antony Ingram -
The Nissan Leaf is by far the highest-volume electric car ever built, with 110,000-plus on the roads now. And three and a half years after its launch, Nissan is pushing hard to boost its sales all over the world. But what about the next Nissan Leaf, one designed with several years of battery development since the original? DON'T MISS: Nissan Leaf Likely To Offer Larger Battery For Longer Range We now know that the next-generation Leaf--likely a 2017 model--will remain a compact five-door hatchback, the most popular body style globally. But the next Nissan Leaf will have slightly less oddball...
-
How Quiet Are Electric Cars? This Nissan Leaf Shows You
If you've ever lived on a street where one of your neighbors has a noisy car, you'll have been made very aware of its presence every morning as they started it up and went to work. ALSO SEE: Do The BMW i3 And i8 Electric Cars Pose A Threat To Tesla? Unfortunately, these people never seem to go to...
Antony Ingram -
Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf Ready Second Acts (Video)
The Nissan Leaf electric car and Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid went on sale within days of each other back in December 2010. Now, we're expecting second-generation versions of both cars for 2016--and each will have significant upgrades. The most significant upgrade to the Nissan Leaf will be a choice...
John Voelcker -
Easier Electric-Car Charging: BMW ChargeNow, Nissan EZ Charge
Both BMW and Nissan are set to roll out electric-car charging programs for their customers.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Leaf Likely To Offer Larger Battery For Longer Range
Every electric-car owner wants more range; it's practically an immutable law. Now Nissan executive Andy Palmer has come close to confirming that a longer-range Nissan Leaf is in the cards, though likely not until 2016 or even 2017. In an interview at last week's New York Auto Show with Palmer, who...
John Voelcker -
Nissan EZ Charge Card To Let Leafs Recharge On Four Networks
One of the minor hassles of owning an electric car is the need to have multiple accounts, passes, and fobs to access multiple different public charging networks. Now Nissan is working to make public charging simpler, introducing a program called EZ Charge that lets Nissan Leaf electric-car drivers...
John Voelcker -
If you've never lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may not have heard of "Mr. Roadshow," the nickname of San Jose Mercury News reporter Gary Richards. Nor will you know how important his columns are, covering traffic, congestion, freeways, law enforcement, cars, and all the other topics associated with the region's crowded roads. Now Richards has weighed in on a prevalent, much-debated myth among California drivers: the supposedly slow and unaware driving of supposedly self-satisfied Toyota Prius drivers who clog up carpool lanes. DON'T MISS: Next Toyota Prius Hybrid Aims For 55 MPG...
-
Nissan Leaf Vs The Volcano: The Silent Ascent
A Nissan Leaf puts its regenerative brakes to good use traversing Hawaii's Haleakala volcano.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 Nissan Leaf Domestic Content: Now Closer To Volt, Focus Electric
Last fall, we learned that the first year of U.S. production of the Nissan Leaf electric cars, built in Smyrna, Tennessee, had only 15 percent North American content. This year, the numbers are somewhat better--and they bring the Leaf closer to the domestic-content percentage of other plug-in...
John Voelcker -
2013-2014 Nissan Leaf Electric Cars Recalled For Airbag Sensor Issue
Nissan Leaf electric cars are being recalled to fix faulty airbag sensor software.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Leaf Owners Answer Common Electric-Car Questions
Nissan is letting Leaf owners demystify the electric car for potential customers.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Tweets, Then Deletes, Electric-Car Sales Slap At Tesla
Oh, Nissan, you just shouldn't have gone there. As captured by Autoblog Green writer Domenick Yoney last Friday, the @NissanLeaf Twitter account posted the following message: It's okay #NewJersey, you can still #GoElectric with the #NissanLEAF #EV Sloppy punctuation aside, the tweet was a clear dig...
John Voelcker -
Some electric car makers, notably Nissan with its Leaf, make recommendations that owners don't charge too frequently using quick-charging stations. The belief is that the chemical processes involved in rapidly charging a battery can lead it to degrade faster than regular charges, reducing range. ALSO SEE: How Lithium-Ion Batteries Age: Scientists Offer Insight But is that really the case? One ongoing experiment in Phoenix, Arizona, suggests it might not be--and that overall mileage could be more important. The Idaho National Laboratory (via Simanaitis Says) is currently evaluating four Nissan...
-
Nissan On Track To Beat 2020 Electric Car Sales Target?
Nissan and its French partner Renault could be on track for selling 1.5 million electric vehicles before 2020, according to the company's latest estimates. The two companies have currently sold around a tenth of that number since each firm released its first electric cars a few years back. But as...
Antony Ingram -
'Quietest, Slowest' Comparison Ever: 6 Electric Cars Tested By Car And Driver
Oh, to have the resources available to Car and Driver, which published in its March issue a lengthy comparison test among six battery-electric cars. They are the Chevrolet Spark EV, Fiat 500e, Ford Focus Electric, Honda Fit EV, Nissan Leaf, and Smart Electric Drive Cabrio. MORE: Electric Cars'...
John Voelcker -
Who Buys Plug-In Electric Cars, And Why? CA Report Explains It All For You
Within two or three months, there will be more than 200,000 plug-in electric cars on U.S. roads--and we're learning more about who buys them, and why. California's Center for Sustainable Energy released a new report this month that depicts the owners of different models having different reasons for...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Surveys Tesla Owners For Intelligence On Electric Cars
Nissan is very quietly gathering additional electric-car "intelligence" about satisfaction, details, and features from Tesla Model S owners.
George Parrott -
Nissan To Work With Bhutan Toward 'Electric-Car Nation' Goal
The small Asian nation of Bhutan has a very big goal: It hopes to convert the country's vehicles to almost all electric power. Today, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced an agreement between the nation and the carmaker to work together toward that goal. Nissan Leaf...
John Voelcker