Everything drivers need to know about Nissan's electric vehicle lineup

Nissan’s work on electric vehicles started in the late 1940s when it produced the adorable 1947 two-seat Tama mini-truck. After many decades of researching and showing all-electric concept cars, Nissan transformed the EV world when it launched the Nissan LEAF in 2009.

 

The futuristic first-generation LEAF would go on to become the world’s best-selling EV for nearly a decade. By 2018, when Nissan introduced the second-generation LEAF, the battery-powered compact hatch was available in 60 countries on four continents. It surpassed 400,000 sales in March 2019.

 

Nissan also sold the all-electric Nissan NV200 delivery van in Europe until 2021. Additionally, in late 2022 the Japanese automaker will offer the Ariya electric SUV. It’s a high-performance, all-wheel-drive big brother to the LEAF.

The Nissan LEAF is a well-equipped, five-seat electric hatchback. With a starting price of around $30,000, Nissan’s popular EV is accessible to mainstream buyers. For an extra few thousand dollars, electric vehicle drivers can upgrade from the 150-mile base version to the LEAF Plus, which provides up to 226 miles on a single charge. Not only does the LEAF Plus have more range, but it’s also more powerful. Equipped with a 214-horsepower motor, the LEAF electric car travels from zero to 60 miles per hour in about 7 seconds. The LEAF has ample cargo space at 23.6 cubic feet and offers ProPilot Assist, Nissan’s high-tech driver-assist package.

Nissan’s next electric vehicle will be a pure-electric crossover SUV, based on the Ariya concept that debuted at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The Ariya EV will be a premium model with an expected starting price of about $55,000, and the all-wheel-drive model is expected to offer a driving range of nearly 300 miles. The Nissan Ariya will be a powerful electric car providing 304 horsepower and more than 400 foot-pounds of torque. The Nissan Ariya EV is due in the United States by late 2022.

 

Nissan equips the Nissan LEAF with a 6.6 kW onboard fast charger. This means a Level 2 charger can add about 20 miles of range in one hour. Nissan uses the standard J1772 connector for 240-volt charging and the slower 120-volt “trickle” charging.

 

The Level 2 charger can be used at home electric vehicle charging stations, providing added convenience for electric vehicle drivers.

 

For public DC fast charging, the Nissan LEAF Plus can accept a 100 kW charge using the CHAdeMO connector standard, allowing a highway charge from empty to 80 percent in about 40 minutes. However, many public charging stations have a limit of 50 kW, which extends an 80% charge to a full hour.

 

JuiceBox has a wide range of charging equipment for at-home, fast charging. The entire line of JuiceBox home chargers, from the JuiceBox^® 32 to the JuiceBox 48, works well as a Nissan EV charger. With each new generation of EV, onboard chargers get faster. Battery packs are also getting larger to provide more range. A JuiceBox 40 or JuiceBox 48, with a 9.6 kW and 11.5 kW charging rate, respectively, will future-proof your home charging station for a wide range of EVs for many years to come.