Electric cars have never really hit it off in the Indian market. The problem is that currently we do not have the infrastructure to support electric vehicles making them impractical for our roads. There are only a handful of cars running around at this point of time. Come think of it, electric vehicles are perfect for our rising pollution levels. Going green is the way of the future.
Nissan India brought down the Nissan LEAF electric car to India as part of their CARnival event held at the Buddh International circuit. We got to take a closer look at the car and also did a couple of laps around a specially prepared track.
The Leaf is a very popular EV and has sold more than 160,000 units globally. Coming to the car itself, it is not a small hatch by any means. Look at it from the front and it does remind you of the Nissan Micra. There are large LED headlamps which swoop into the front fender. The Leaf’s charging sockets are located in the nose. The Leaf gets a very curvy rear. There are large Christmas tree style tail lamps and a rear spoiler. the ‘Zero Emission’ badge on the boot reminds you that you are saving planet Earth.
The cabin of the Leaf has a very airy feel to it. There is loads of headroom for the average height driver. The dashboard is finished in grey while there is a piano black finish finish to the centre console and the power window switch unit. There is a 7 inch touchscreen on the centre console which operates various functions of the car. There is a multifunction steering which feels nice to hold. The speedometer looks similar to what is seen in the Honda Civic , located above the steering wheel. The other gauges are housed inside an instrument cluster below the speedo behind the steering. You will also find blue trim inserts on the interior. The gear knob looks very funky, is very easy to use and has a silver and blue finish. The rear is comfortable for two passengers and the car has a decently sized boot too.
The Leaf is powered by an 80 Kw AC electric motor which puts out 254 Nm of torque. The car can run 160 kms on a full charge. A full charge of the battery takes 8 hours while there is an option for quick charge which gets the job done in 4 hours. This is done via an onboard charger which you can buy as an option. Being an EV, the Leaf is super silent. It feels a bit weird to be honest especially when its your first time driving an electric car. I got to do two laps of the special track with racing driver Armaan Ebrahim as my instructor. Driving in silence does feel blissful indeed. But the Leaf is no slouch. Press the throttle hard and it just shoots forward. You can actually have fun with this car as we saw Armaan squealing tyres as he did some demo laps around the track. The Leaf rides on 215/50 profile tyres and comes with 17 inch alloys.
Nissan is not looking to bring the Leaf to India. CBU pricing and no tax benefits for electric vehicles combined with the lack in infrastructure doesnt help the Leaf make a strong case for itself. It will be very expensive if it hits our shores. Unlike the rest of the world who use the Leaf as their primary car in the household, this EV in India, would find a home only with rich owners who would use it as a 3rd or 4th vehicle in the garage and for the novelty factor. But we hope times will change in the future and we get to see these kind of cars on our roads in good numbers soon.
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