Nissan to End Electric Car Range Anxiety, Says Exec - Unhaggle

Posted by | January 15, 2015 | News, Trends | No Comments

Nissan to End Range Anxiety on Electric Vehicles, Says Exec

One of the biggest reasons why people tend to shy away from electric vehicles is range anxiety – the fear of running out of energy prematurely. That’s exactly what Japanese manufacturer Nissan plans to end, or so we are told by the company’s Chief Planning Officer Philippe Klein.

The brand’s current all-electric LEAF has an EPA-approved range of 84 miles (roughly 135 km) – a number that Klein expects to grow. “We don’t need that much to get out from the basic range anxiety,” he told Automotive News at the Detroit Auto Show. “We’re going to be there relatively quickly.”

Klein did not specify when the new range will debut, but he did hint that the next-generation Nissan LEAF might the first one to get there. The next version of the electric hatchback is prepped for a reveal in either 2017 or 2018.

The average consensus among drivers is that a car with less than 100 miles of driving range is likely to be overlooked in favour something a little more long-lasting. As a result, the battery of the upcoming next-gen LEAF is expected to last between 150 and 200 miles per single charge. The Nissan execs and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn have confirmed this figure.

Given the onslaught of new electric vehicles from automakers like Chevrolet, Tesla and BMW, it’s no wonder that Nissan has plans to jump on the bandwagon as well. Chevy actually managed to surpass Nissan this year by promising a driving range of 200 miles on its upcoming Bolt vehicle at the Detroit Auto Show. Nissan is keenly aware of the fact that it’s a little bit behind.

“It’s fair to recognise we are a bit short,” Klein said when discussing the 2015 Nissan LEAF’s driving range. “But for commuting purposes, we are not very far from getting out from range anxiety.”

Want to stay up to date on the latest news and stories from the Unhaggle Blog? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

About Unhaggle

Unhaggle is Canada's leading automotive pricing resource that helps thousands of consumers find great new car deals. Access a FREE invoice cost report to see all the latest car prices, incentives and rebates and join more than 300,000 happy customers who saved over $100,000,000 and 3,000,000 hours of free time when buying their new cars with Unhaggle!

Avatar

About Taras Trofimov

Taras is the content lead here at Unhaggle, which means that he spends most of his time either editing someone’s articles or writing his own. So, whether it’s a news piece, feature article or car review – Taras probably had something to do with it. He also runs a personal website, which can be found right here. He would like to one day drive his own Lexus IS, but his all-time favourite is the 1999 Dodge Viper. Don’t ask him why, because he doesn’t know either.

Find out how you can save $3,000+ on your new car. Get Your FREE Invoice Report (Valued at $39.95!)
Get a FREE Invoice Price Report
Join Over 300,000 Satisfied Customers