Nissan launched their new generation LEAF in Australia today, and while the Electric Vehicle (EV) isn’t available to buy until next year, the manufacturer is paving the way with new announcements.
The next generation Leaf was announced last year, but due to massive popularity in Europe (over 100,000 units sold to date) it’s given Nissan Australia an opportunity to look at the infrastructure behind the launch of the new Leaf in Australia.
The next generation Nissan Leaf will be available with a 40kWh 350V battery with up to 270km range, a big increase from the 24kWh battery in the original Leaf. The improved battery, combined with the instant torque of an electric motor allows the Leaf to accelerate from 0-100 in just 7.9 seconds.
Nissan Australia managing director, Stephen Lester referred to research by Kantar TNS who found that the average city-based Australian only drives on average 38 kilometres per week. This says Mr Lester makes the Leaf ‘perfect for overnight home charging’.
The Leaf has a 15A 240 V Mode 2 charging port common in Europe which can plug in to a 15A wall socket, as well as a second CHAdeMO 50kWh fast charging.
Australian owned and operated company JET Charge has been named as Nissan’s consumer facing charging installer and post purchase support provider allowing customers to easily arrange charging in their own home. Nissan has also named JET Charge as its preferred electric vehicle charging provider and will be in charge of the installation of charging stations at the dealerships.
For the launch of the new Leaf, Nissan will be expanding the number of dealerships you’ll be able to check out the new car from the 12 when the Leaf debuted in Australia in 2012, to 89 Nissan Dealerships across the country. These dealerships will be stocked with spare parts including charging cables, and be able to offer charging stations and servicing for the new Leaf.
Android Auto
The big news for us though here at Ausdroid is that this is the first of the Nissan line to support Android Auto. Google recently announced a partnership with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to bring Android-powered infotainment systems to their cars, but the next generation Leaf is the first to offer the functionality.
Nissan’s implementation supports both Android Auto and Apple Car Play on the 8″ display in the car through a USB connection – sorry, no wireless.
At this stage, Nissan is remaining quiet on the expansion of Android Auto to the rest of their range, and there’s also no word on whether it can be added via update to existing models.
The Nissan Leaf is rumoured to be priced in the mid-$50,000 range, and no exact release date for the car has been announced beyond “mid-2019”, but we’ll be checking it out once it arrives.
This car would be great for the technology-minded person.
Android Auto is essential in any car. That’s because the Google Assistant is far more intelligent than Siri, and Google Maps is unsurpassed for navigation. Garmin, Tom Tom and Apple Maps are all an annoyance.
I love my current Nissan Leaf, but it’s certainly lacking in the infotainment department. Android Auto is a massive upgrade for their current system.
It doesn’t connect via Bluetooth? How odd.
The USB connection is probably more efficient. I always put the phone in that centre compartment where the USB port is, so I don’t think it’s a big issue. It’s not like you walk around with your phone while driving.