Herald Sun | 9 JUNE 2021
2021 NISSAN LEAF E+ LONG-TERM REVIEW
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF MISINFORMATION ABOUT ELECTRIC CARS, WE FIND OUT WHAT IT IS REALLY LIKE TO LIVE WITH A ZERO-EMISSIONS CAR LONG TERM. RICHARD BLACKBURN
THERE HAS BEEN A tonne of hype, misinformation and flat-out ignorance surrounding electric vehicles in the past few years, so when Nissan offered a long-term loan of its latest Leaf EV, we thought it was a good chance to dispel some myths. The new Leaf e+ is almost identical to the regular Leaf, but comes with a bigger battery pack that delivers more power and range.
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The 62kW battery pack adds a handy 115 kilometres to the Leaf’s claimed range, bringing the total to 385km. The extra range comes with a hefty price $10,500 rise to $60,490 plus on-roads – roughly $90 for each additional kilometre. However, it also takes the Leaf from inner-city runabout to a more useful machine capable of handling a run down to the holiday house or a beach getaway.
With some forethought – and a little patience – you could stretch the journey interstate at a pinch. We put the Leaf to the test with a round trip to Sydney’s Blue Mountains, roughly 100km from the CBD. We first did the trip a couple of years ago in Hyundai’s Ioniq and endured a nervous trip home. This time we set off with 380 kilometres range and made it
