The competition for electric cars in the US is now heating up and Japanese carmaker Nissan does not want to be left behind with its very aggressive competitors including Tesla Motors, Ford, Chevrolet, and Kia.
Nissan has a formidable entry in the electric car segment with its newly-launched 2016 Nissan Leaf electric hatchback.
As electric cars hardly compete on features and fuel efficiency, Nissan decided to have a unique edge over its competitors by expanding its free charging program in the US to now include 29 key cities.
Initially, Nissan’s free charging program which it is calling as “No Charge to Charge” was available only in 26 of the top markets for the 2016 Nissan Leaf including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Boston.
Early this week, Nissan has expanded its free charging program to include three more key cities including New York, Philadelphia, and Sta. Barbara in California, notes Edmunds.com.
Complimentary public charging
This means that owners of 2016 Nissan Leaf are entitled to two years of complimentary public charging provided that they purchased their electric vehicles from Leaf-certified Nissan dealers.
Owners who want to find the free chargers or charging stations in the 29 US key cities can do so via the Leaf EZ-Charge app for iOS or Android at ez.charge.com/stations.
Nissan believes that convenient charging is a key part of the electric car buying experience. According to the US Department of Energy, the number of public charging stations in the US is already increasing over the years. The agency said that there are now 11,953 public charging stations all over the US with a total of 30,206 charging outlets.
Electric carmakers are making charging easy for buyers in order to lure prospective buyers and convince owners of fuel-powered cars to ditch their vehicles in favor of EVs.
The free charging program of Nissan for its 2016 Nissan Leaf is a novel idea but the charging station network has been part of every electric carmaker’s marketing and sales strategies.
Tesla, for one, has already set up an extensive supercharger network for its Model S sedan and Model X SUV in order to make coast-to-coast trips in the US hassle-free for owners.
In addition to the Tesla electric vehicles, the 2016 Nissan Leaf is competing against other electric cars in the US market including the Chevrolet Spark EV, the Ford Focus Electric, and the Kia Soul EV. All the four models are now up for grabs among Americans.
Battery upgrades for the 2016 Nissan Leaf
One of the major complaints of 2016 Nissan Leaf owners is the electric vehicle’s battery pack which is only rated at 24 kWh.
They have been wishing that the battery range may be made higher for the popular electric car. Apparently, Hybrid Industries, a third-party vendor, has taken cognizance of the major downside to the 2016 Nissan Leaf that it has offered third-party battery upgrades for the popular electric car.
According to Clean Technica, the upgrades shall reportedly increase the 2016 Nissan Leaf’s single-charge range to 160 miles per charge rather than its existing 80 miles per charge, at a cost of $6,500.
The upgrade is to be a 48 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery from the standard 24 kWh battery that comes with the 2016 Nissan Leaf.
Those who are more or less familiar with the battery pack of electric vehicles presume that the expected heavier battery to be provided by the third-party supplier would decrease the range of the 2016 Nissan Leaf below its 160 miles per charge mark, rather than simply doubling the EV’s range.
However, in order to assure possible takers of its offer, Hybrid Industries is actually offering 2016 Nissan Leaf owners with 2-4 years of ‘no hassle’ warranty for the upgrade. Apparently, the third-party supplier is confident of the workmanship of its battery pack upgrades.
Reports have it that the new, additional 24 kWh battery that shall accompany the factory-installed one, will be installed in the trunk in a custom enclosure, potentially altering the handling of the vehicle, which others may think.