Nissan throws down gauntlet to Tesla on range of electric cars

Nissan has thrown down a direct challenge to Tesla with a promise that its new generation of Leaf electric cars will have a range that will rival those of the US carmaker’s top models.

An enhanced version of the second-generation Leaf, sporting a 60kwh lithium-ion battery and slated for release in 2018, could have a range of “over 300 miles”, Nissan’s president Hiroto Saikawa said at a roundtable with reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday.

That would position the Leaf — already the world’s top-selling electric vehicle, with more than 283,000 sold since launch in 2010 — with a range closer to Tesla models, and address “range anxiety” among consumers.

The top iteration of Tesla’s Model S can drive more than 300 miles on a single charge, while even the entry-level Model 3 can manage 220 miles.

Nissan’s base-model second-generation Leaf, unveiled on Wednesday, will go on sale in Japan in October starting at ¥‎3.15m ($29,000), one-fifth the price of the top Tesla but close to the $35,000 Model 3.

General Motors has been turning up the heat on Tesla in the race to produce mass market electric cars in the US, where its Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle has been selling briskly, with more than 10,000 units sold since its launch last December. The most basic Bolt model starts at $37,495 and has a range of 238 miles.

Mr Saikawa said the new Leaf has “real potential to become the core of the company”. Alongside a completely redesigned silhouette, new features include autonomous driving technology, known as ProPilot, and a so-called e-pedal that acts as both an accelerator and brake.

The basic second-generation Leaf has a 40kwh lithium-ion battery that provides a range of 150 miles per charge under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s fuel economy testing specifications, which represents a 40 per cent boost from the previous model’s 107-mile range.

Debate about the speed of adoption of electric vehicles is still running hot, with many consumers concerned by the limited mileage of zero-emission vehicles and a lack of charging infrastructure.

The chairman of Toyota — which has been slower to the EV market than its rivals and has been pushing alternatives such as hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell cars — has said he is “sceptical” there will be a rapid shift to pure EVs given consumers’ concerns about convenience.

Mr Saikawa concurred that it was tough to predict when take-up would pick up. He said familiarity with the EV driving experience, infrastructure and more varied product offerings would be required to drive more widespread adoption.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance, which last year brought Mitsubishi Motors into the fold, is the world’s largest mass-market maker of EVs but its sales have not lived up to the initial hype. The alliance ultimately fell short of a 2011 pledge to sell a cumulative 1.5m EVs by fiscal 2016. As of end-June, it had sold just over 481,000 units globally.

As part of a global rush to tap into opportunities in China — the world’s biggest market for battery-powered vehicles — Renault-Nissan in August became the latest car group to announce plans to make EVs in China, in a joint venture with local partner Dongfeng Motor Corp. Foreign carmakers have to form JVs with local car groups to do business in the country.

The Chinese government is pushing the adoption of new energy vehicles, which are cars that are either partially or fully electric, as part of a new industrial policy aimed at creating national champions in 10 high-tech sectors by 2025.

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