Nissan launches new Leaf, second electric car in Australia under $50,000

The Driven

Nissan Australia has launched the second generation all-electric Nissan Leaf in Melbourne this Wednesday morning, introducing what is now the second pure battery electric vehicle priced under $50,000 onto the Australian market.

While the latest Nissan Leaf has been available for sale in overseas markets for a year, the introduction of the second generation of Nissan’s flagship electric vehicle – with a 40kWh battery and a real world range of 240km – is a welcome addition to Australia’s limited choice of battery electric vehicles.

Available from a starting price of $49,990 before on-road costs – a cost that is likely to put making the switch to electric vehicles within reach of more Australians – the new Nissan Leaf will be released on the Australian auto market from August 2019.

With Australia’s transport emissions continuing on an upward trajectory with no signs of slowing down, the introduction of the new Leaf, which has at least double the driving range of its first generation predecessor, presents another step towards making EVs more affordable.

While the modest range (compared to other, higher specc’d models such as Tesla vehicles and the Hyundai Kona electric) may not be quite enough to alleviate “range anxiety” for those keen to traverse long distances, it is more than enough to service an average daily commute of 40km.

A maximum charging rate of 50kW allows the vehicle to charge from 0-100% in under 50 minutes on a DC fast charger, using the CHAdeMO plug that comes with all Leaf vehicles.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…