Cut price Nissan Leaf electric cars for 2013

The price of the Nissan Leaf electric car in Britain looks set to drop as production moves to Sunderland next year. The company has yet to announce the exact price but it is thought it could be around £22,000 after the Government Plug-In grant of £5,000 has been taken into account.

Nissan plans to introduce a cheaper, lower-specification version of its Leaf electric car in America after sales there this year dropped, according to reports in Automotive News.

Nissan has sold 5212 examples of its electric Leafs in America this year — some way below the 20,000 sales predicted by the company and fewer than the 9674 sold in 2011. By contrast, over 16,000 Chevrolet Volt hybrid electric cars have sold 16,348 this year.

It is expected that the new entry-level Nisan Leaf will do without LED headlights and sat nav and there is a possibility that a shorter-range battery will further reduce its retail price.

In America the LEAF starts at less than the equivalent of £18,000 for the SV model and only an additional £1,000 for the SL model which includes fast charge port, solar panel spoiler, and reversing camera.

There is speculation that the 2013 Nissan Leaf SV and SL versions will be offered with an upgraded lithium-ion battery giving a range of 100 miles.

Super-chargers for electric cars

Fast-charging facilities for electric cars are to be installed at motorway services stations around Britain. A process that might take eight hours using a domestic electricity supply will take around 15 minutes with a super-charger. According to Ecotricity, an energy supplier that is working with Nissan to install the chargers, the batteries in an electric car will be replenished in the time it takes to have a cup of tea.

There is a theory that the crop of re-charging posts currently being installed in towns and cities are superfluous because they are close to electric car drivers’ homes. Most car journeys are less than 20 miles, but by installing charge points in motorway service stations it enables EVs to make longer journeys.