Next-gen Nissan Leaf to come in 2018 with 60kWh battery pack - Report

02/11/2015 - 10:15 ,   Karthik H

Could have a range of nearly 500 km. 

A news report coming out of Japan suggests that the next-generation Nissan Leaf is expected to house a 60 kWh battery. The car is expected to be launched in 2018, says a report on dailykanban.

The 2016 Nissan Leaf, seen here from the IAA 2015, houses a next-generation battery pack that bumps power output from 24kWh to 30kWh thereby improving range by 25 percent.

Nissan at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show displayed a new variant of its successful electric hatchback with a 30kWh battery pack. Simply upgrading the battery pack from the existing 24kWh to 30kWh, claimed Nissan, would improve the car's range by a hefty 25 percent to around 155 miles (250 km) in total range. The report states that Nissan didn't officially release any figures related to range or charge time for the new battery.

The 60kWh battery, along with certain weight-saving techniques using carbon fiber reinforced plastic, the next-generation Leaf is bound to have an increased range. Image courtesy: Dailykanban

Given, however, how the battery produces double the power, it'd be safe to assume close to a 475-500 km range for the next-generation Leaf, presuming a substantial increase in weight. The bump from 24kWh to 30kWh in the present-generation Leaf came at a cost of 21 kg increase in weight. However, Nissan has been working with carbon fiber reinforced plastic, including a new, thin, zero-blindspot A-pillar.

The 2018 second-generation Nissan Leaf is also expected to host an upgraded system of autonomous driving, including radar-guided driving systems with 360 degree laser scanning.

2016 Nissan Leaf with 30 kWh battery

More from Nissan

Subscribe to our daily newsletter