A New Zealand-based electric vehicle dealer and rental company has developed a new battery module for the Nissan Leaf that it says can extend the range of the popular electric car by up to 45 per cent.
Blue Cars, which has offices in Auckland and Waiheke Island, developed the battery module with funding from New Zealand’s “Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund,” which was set up to encourage innovation in low and zero emissions vehicle technology.
The latest 2019 Leaf has a 40kWh battery with an EPA-rated range of 240km, more than twice as much as early model Leafs, but still considerably less than other modern EVs.
But in New Zealand, second-hand Nissan Leafs make up a very significant proportion of the country’s electric vehicle fleet, as shown in this graph from the NZ Department of Transport website.
The Nissan Leaf has been around now for nearly a decade, with the first 2011/2012 Leafs sporting a modest 117km driving range (based on the relatively accurate US EPA rating) and 24kWh battery.
Subsequent Leafs received boosted range with technical improvements and from 2016 onwards, an increased 30kWh battery increased the EPA-rated range to 172km.
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