Nissan will offer a car “in the near future,” with range comparable to today’s internal combustion engine cars, company CEO Carlos Ghosn confirmed to shareholders during a conference earlier this week.
It’s currently unclear if the long-range EV will be based on Nissan’s existing Leaf zero-emissions vehicle or if it would be a different model entirely. However to demonstrate their improved battery technology, Nissan showed shareholders a video of a Leaf setting out on a journey with 417 km of range and returning with over 200 km remaining, potentially hinting at the arrival of an improved Leaf in the future.
Nissan says it is testing “new materials and chemistry solutions in order to make thinner, lighter weight and less costly batteries.” It hopes to bring electric vehicles to market which offer no disadvantage when compared to ICE cars, and that includes shortened charge times in addition to increased range.
“There are only two reliable ways to increase range of an EV,” Ghosn told the Daily Kanban. “First is to have a massive network of EV chargers. The other option is to put a larger battery pack into the vehicle.”
Ghosn continued, noting that “adding more battery means adding more cost.” This is true for other automakers, but hopefully not for Nissan, who believes its new battery technology is superior to anyone else’s, even EV-dedicated Tesla.
It’s unclear when the 250-mile Leaf, or whatever else Nissan may call it, will come to market. Daily Kanban believes a 2018-2019 timeframe is the most realistic, however we may see Nissan hint at the model’s arrival before that time.
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