If you stumbled upon this post, you must have witnessed the power of the Nissan Leaf e+. Don’t get embarrassed if you were outpassed by this vicious but once-weak electric compact car. The stakes have risen, and the new Nissan Leaf is a vicious electric vehicle that can annihilate most stock-performance cars. For context, the Nissan Leaf can bolt from 0- 62mph in 7.9 seconds, which is impressive for a once understated car.
To understand this magnificent performance from a Japanese compact car, we’ll need to walk down memory lane. The Nissan Leaf has been around for over a decade, and before the Tesla Model 3 took over the EV market, it was one of the best-selling electric vehicles, especially in the UK. As other automakers begin electrifying their fleets, the Nissan Leaf is entering its fifth generation.
So, what makes the Nissan Leaf so competitive against performance-grade ICEs? Well, the Nissan Leaf e+ has a 62kWh battery that gives it an impressive 239 miles. The standard Leaf, on the other hand, packs a 40kWh battery that gives it only 168 miles.
The compact EV’s standard motor is capable of 148 bhp and 236 lb-ft of torque (standard Leaf), while the e+ Nissan Leaf makes 214 bhp and 251 lb-ft of torque.
The standard Nissan Leaf can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds, while the Nissan Leaf e+ can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 7.3 seconds.
The standard Nissan Leaf weighs about 1,500 kilograms, while the Nissan Leaf e+ weighs about 1,685 kilograms.
In essence, these two compact electric vehicles can annihilate most average combustion engine vehicles in short distances thanks to their instant torque. However, on long stretches, their ICE counterparts will outrun them since they will easily run out of puff at higher speeds (tops out at 98 mph).
