2018 Nissan Leaf Under Pressure to Deliver a Range of Over 200 Miles on a Single Charge or Get Completely Dominated by the Chevy Bolt!

Early last year, there were reports that came out that the next generation electric Nissan Leaf would have a range of 120 miles, which was a tad better than the first generation leaf released in 2011, updated in 2013, and got a battery upgrade last year that improved its range from 84 to 107 miles.

However, General Motors has released the 2017 Chevy Bolt a few months ago and it has a superb range of 238 miles. So if the Japanese carmaker would produce the reported 2018 Nissan Leaf with a range of 200 miles or less on a single charge, it would be completely dominated by the 2017 Chevy Bolt, details the Green Car Reports.

Some confusion actually occurs when Nissan executives, discussing projected range, fail to make it clear whether they’re referring to tests conducted on the gentler Asian or European test cycle or the more demanding US EPA cycle. The US tests are viewed as producing lower but more realistic range ratings.

But if it’s any consolation to the first ever electric vehicle from the Japanese carmaker, the Nissan Leaf is by far the highest-volume electric car ever sold, with total sales now having passed 250,000 units.

First launched in 2011, the Nissan Leaf got some updates for the 2013 model when production for North American sales moved from Oppama, Japan, to Smyrna, Tennessee.

It got a battery capacity upgrade for 2016, boosting its rated range from 84 to 107 miles. Despite its two major updates, the Nissan Leaf has pretty much stayed the same for seven years.

Originally meant as a 2016 model

The 2018 Nissan Leaf was originally expected as a 2016 model, in parallel with the second-generation Chevrolet Volt introduced in the same year but a new Leaf did not appear in 2016, or unlikely to do so in the first half of this year either.

The styling of the 2011 Nissan Leaf was certainly distinctive, but it was also polarizing.

Reports have it that the upcoming 2018 Nissan Leaf is an upright five-door hatchback that’s either a large compact or a small mid-size car, depending on how one measures it.

Discussions since then have indicated that the next Nissan Leaf may be somewhat more conventional in appearance.

One possible indicator of styling direction is the Nissan Sway concept unveiled in March 2015 at the Geneva Motor Show, which the company said pointed toward its future small-car design language.

While widely presumed to be a lightly disguised version of the next Micra minicar, the five-door hatchback concept is a bit larger than that.

A nice-looking car

Nissan design chief and senior vice president Shiro Nakamura said in the fall of 2014 that to expand the next Leaf’s appeal into a larger market would require it to be a nice-looking car.

Nakamura explained that designers could add more spice in the design for those buyers who might want it rather than starting with specific design traits that label the vehicle an electric car.

The next Nissan Leaf won’t necessarily be more conservative, Nakamura argued during an interview at the Paris Motor Show, but simply a very stable, nicely-proportioned car.

And for buyers who want to emphasize the Leaf’s electric-car nature, there will be trim, lamps, or gauges that do that if desired.

It should be noted that the single most important facet of the 2018 Nissan Leaf will be its rated range, or the different ranges offered if there are multiple battery-size options.

Knowledge of battery chemistry, production technology, and management strategies has progressed considerably since 2009 and 2010, when the specs for the first Nissan Leaf battery were frozen.

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