The Nissan Leaf has been a stalwart of the modern electric car movement. Sales have been solid compared to rivals and the Leaf is still the best selling EV in the world having racked up an impressive 250,000 global sales with 65,000 of these in Europe alone.
To celebrate the Leaf’s success and to get away from the now default white paint EVs are commonly adorned with, Nissan will introduce a new Black Edition to the model range in March 2017, which AutoVolt was shown at an exclusive event just outside Milan.
First look at the new @NissanElectric #Leaf #BlackEdition, available from March 2017. Price TBA. Spec includes 360° cam, LED lights & WiFi. pic.twitter.com/OlrXA56mcs
— AutoVolt Magazine (@AutoVoltMag) November 8, 2016
The new model fits between the Tekna top spec and Acenta models, the latter of which it is based. Taking LED headlights and 360º Around View Monitor from the Tekna, the Black Edition Leaf will also be offered with On-Board WiFi for the 1st 1,000 customers.
The Black Edition is, expectedly, black in every respect. It has black alloys, a gloss black paint job and fittingly black interior. Nissan hope the Black Edition will appeal to drivers who like their cars to be a bit more sporty and although the Black Edition doesn’t offer any performance enhancements, Nissan are keen to point out the Leaf’s yaw moment of inertia is on a par with the sporty 370Z and that electric torque offers a response unlike any petrol/diesel car.
To appease those worried about range anxiety, Nissan are proud to announce a, “100% service station” charge point coverage in the UK, in reference to Ecotricity’s Electric highway. The last major A or M road service station was Folkstone, which is currently undergoing its charge point installation and completes the network of rapid chargers. Additionally, there are a pair of Apps being worked on that should offer a simple solution to using multiple charge point networks and payments across many countries. This would further enhance electric vehicle ownership by taking away the difficulty in using a charge point network you don’t belong to or don’t have the ‘right’ access card for. Nissan are also keen to point out that Leaf customers are their number 1 most satisfied, more than any other Nissan vehicle.
Nissan has not yet confirmed the price for the Leaf Black Edition yet, but we expect it to be around £1,000 more than the Acenta model, putting it in-between Acenta and Tekna trim options.
