2016 Nissan LEAF Gets 30kWh Battery, 170km Range

Nissan has announced an updated version of their US market LEAF electric car which they say will offer additional range over the previous car of around 27 percent. 

The reason for the upshot comes down to a larger capacity battery, this time being 30kWh, which extends the LEAF’s charge capacity to enable a travelling distance of an EPA claimed 170 km.

The original LEAF was equipped with a 24kWh battery which gave it an EPA claimed range of 135 km, making the added stamina of the newer model that much more useful in everyday driving situations, not to mention curbing the dreaded ‘range anxiety’, at least to an extent.

"Since Nissan LEAF launched in December 2010, we've become the global leaders in electric vehicle (EV) sales with an all-electric car specifically designed for the mass market," said Andrew Speaker, director, Nissan Electric Vehicle (EV) Sales & Marketing. "We know that to maintain that leadership, we must continue developing battery technology that strikes that ideal balance between capacity, packaging, durability and affordability."