A taxi company in Nairobi that is using all electric vehicles has caused quite a buzz. the firm has taken the lonely path of trail blazing. We are watching with both excitement and baited breath how practical it will depending on Kenya Power only to fuel your car. Here is a review of their electric car model of choice the Nissan Leaf.

America’s Tesla Model S might be the poster child of the electric car revolution, but the Nissan Leaf is the real-world hero. It’s not that it was particularly ground-breaking at its launch in 2010, it just hit the market at a time when the public’s perception towards EVs was changing.

It soon became the world’s most popular electric vehicle, with 240,000 units sold to date.

The Leaf’s success carved out a market for new electric rivals, such as the Renault Zoe, BMW i3, Volkswagen e-Golf and Hyundai Ioniq. These EVs offer an extended range, with the Zoe Z.E. 40 offering as much as 250 miles.

India is also mass producing its own EV Mahindra  e2oPlus.

Nissan Leaf Visia rear action

At its launch in 2010, the Nissan Leaf offered a range of 124 miles, but the 30kWh increased this to a more real-world-friendly 155 miles. Even so, the maximum range 235 miles of the all-new second-generation Leaf is much needed if Nissan is to stay ahead of the EV game.

Plugging the Leaf into the national grid remains the only way to ‘fuel’ the car.

Customers get a choice of two lithium ion batteries: a 24kWh cell weighing 218kg which is good for 124 miles on a full charge, or a slightly heavier 30kWh upgrade which adds another 31 miles to the range. Either way, the battery is situated under the cabin floor beneath the rear passenger seats, and sends power to a front-mounted electric motor that drives the front wheels.

Since the Leaf was launched Nissan has added various trim levels, and there are now three to choose from across the range. These include the lower-end Visia, the middle-ranking Acenta and the top-spec Tekna variant, with the 30kWh battery available on the latter pair of trims.

A limited-run Black Edition – based on the Acenta spec – brings additional features such as 16-inch black alloy wheels, black mirror caps and spoiler and rear privacy glass. Nissan also offered a carrot to potential buyers by including free in-car wi-fi to the first 1,000 Black Edition customers.

In a forward-thinking electric car you’d expect to find a few gadgets inside, and the Leaf doesn’t disappoint with Bluetooth and USB connectivity, as well as keyless go tech. The Visia+ spec will add a reversing camera and a sat-nav, while the Acenta benefits from cruise control and Nissan’s Carwings system; an extra driving mode designed to recycle energy lost under braking.

Meanwhile the range-topping Tekna trim also comes with a seven-speaker Bose stereo, a 360-degree camera system, heated seats throughout, 17-inch alloys and LED headlights. However, Nissan hasn’t made it clear what effect – if any – this plethora of tech has on the all-important range.

Engines, performance and drive

Smooth, silent running is all that separates the Leaf from the average comfort-oriented family hatch.

Apart from the eerily quiet whine from the electric motor, and the seamless surge of acceleration, the Nissan feels just like a normal family hatchback from behind the wheel. Courtesy of its battery-powered motor, the Nissan Leaf will accelerate from 0-62mph in 11.5 seconds and has a maximum speed of 89mph. 

It’s enough given how and where most owners will drive their cars, but it’s fair to say that on paper these figures don’t look too impressive. The reality is that the instant torque delivery common to all electric cars sees all 254Nm of the Leaf’s muscle arrive at once. The car feels fairly fast in town as a result, scampering away from traffic lights. There’s enough performance that going for gaps in the cut and thrust of busy city streets isn’t an issue, either.

However, it won’t come as a surprise to discover that the Nissan Leaf isn’t a car for enthusiastic drivers, and the handling is pretty inert. However, if you just relax and enjoy the smooth ride and lack of engine noise, it’s a good commuter car and a decent runaround for short journeys. 

Refinement is good, too. The electric motor is virtually silent and Nissan has worked hard to reduce wind noise. As a result the Leaf slices quietly through the air, even on the highway. 

Nissan Leaf front

The extra regenerative B mode for the brakes on the Leaf mean that around town you can select this to pump more energy back into the battery when you’re slowing down, helping to increase the range that little bit more by recouping some energy that’d otherwise be wasted.

Engines

There’s only one powertrain fitted in the Leaf. All of them have a synchronous electric motor rated at 90kW which is equivalent to 108bhp. It drives the front wheels via a single speed transmission – so you only need to put the car into ‘D’ for Drive, or ‘R’ for Reverse.

Emissions and running costs

The Nissan Leaf should be very economical to run day-to-day as it doesn’t need liquid fuel, and exhaust emissions are zero. The Leaf can even be a genuinely zero-emissions car if you charge it from a green power source. 

The claimed maximum range on a full charge is 124 miles (155 for the 30kWh model), but even if you have the lights, heating and the wipers on you should still have a comfortable cushion for daily commutes of as much as 30 miles each way.

The lithium battery pack is included in the price of your Leaf. When new, It is guaranteed for eight years, although Nissan reckons it should have a useful life of ten years. Replacing it out of warranty will cost about Ksh 700,000.

Nissan Leaf profile

 Of course the Leaf is considerably more expensive to buy new than a conventional petrol or diesel car, which would make running cost calculations all but irrelevant.

Plenty of standard kit makes the Leaf seem pretty good value for an electric car, but compare it to any of its conventionally powered rivals and it does start to look expensive.

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