Nissan Australia to electrify a third of its volume

Led by the launch of the new Nissan LEAF, Nissan is preparing for the expected spike in electrification and electric vehicle interest and sales. At an electrification thought leadership event in Sydney, Nissan spoke about the new Nissan LEAF and made this important future-orientated announcement.

"Electrified vehicles will represent a third of Nissan volume in Australia during our mid-term plan," said Nissan Australia managing director, Stephen Lester."By introducing more electric alternatives on several of our key models, we will make mass market electrification a reality. I have no doubt electric vehicles will be a success here, and sooner than many think, and Nissan is planning for this now to ensure we meet the future needs of the buyer."

Further to this, Nissan announced that the deliveries of the new generation Nissan LEAF will begin in mid-2019, and that the Australian-spec model will feature e-Pedal, Apple CarPlayTM and Android AutoTM.

The new LEAF will also provide an expected real world driving range of up to 270 kilometres per charge thanks, in part, to the larger 40kWh battery. These new features, plus an increase in power and torque, its stylish new design and bi-direction charging capabilities, are some of the key drivers in attracting repeat LEAF buyers.

"A larger 40 kilowatt hour battery will keep the LEAF on the road for longer and with bi-directional charging capabilities, you could feed charge from the car to power your home," said Lester.

With range anxiety a major consideration for EV buyers in Australia, internal global research shows that current owners approach the re-charging of their vehicle's battery in the same way as their mobile phone.

"Charging is a simple act and many EV owners tend to charge their vehicle like they charge their mobile phones in preparation for the next day, by doing it overnight," continued Lester."A study by Zero Carbon Australia tells us that, on average, city-based drivers have a 38 kilometre daily commute, so daily re-charging is not necessary. Also, with a conscious mindset of overnight charging well in place thanks to mobile phones, most Australians are unlikely to have range issues."

e-Pedal allows drivers to start, accelerate, decelerate, stop and hold the car by using the accelerator pedal alone "“ without needing to use the brakes. It also features the Auto Hold function, maintaining the car's position until acceleration is required. This will enable new Nissan LEAF owners to drive without using the brake pedal for up to 90% of the time.

Nissan is committed to making transportation safer, smarter and more enjoyable, and it is Nissan Intelligent Mobility that will help to achieve this. Nissan Intelligent Mobility encompasses three core areas of innovation: how our cars are powered (Nissan Intelligent Power), how they are driven (Nissan Intelligent Driving) and how they are integrated into society (Nissan Intelligent Integration).

Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular electric vehicle, has 360,000 global sales.