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Get Ready for a New Nissan EV

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Drifting Nissan LEAF

Nissan is one of the undisputed kings of the EV market. The Nissan LEAF, which recently turned five years old, is one of the bestselling cars in the segment, and Nissan is constantly working to improve the vehicle. However, the Nissan LEAF and the Nissan e-NV200 are the only hybrid or electric cars that the brand offers, compared to brands like Ford that offer several alternative energy options. All of that is about to change, though.

Nissan has announced that they are working on a hybrid system that would extend the range of a traditional EV and make it a more feasible option for drivers who don’t live in big metropolitan areas with ample charging opportunities, or for road trips. The extender itself has been given the catchy name E-Power. Even if it is not used often, range extenders offer buyers peace of mind that their battery has a backup in case the worst should happen (monstrous traffic, unplanned detours, etc). Nissan also has plans to roll out its advanced semi-autonomous system that would assist drivers in maintaining their lane to prevent accidents.

All of this sounds well and good, but what about it will change Nissan’s EV family? Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s CEO, has announced that the E-Power system and autonomous driving options are not headed to the Nissan LEAF, for now at least. Instead, the new technology is bound for a new electric vehicle to be announced. We have no idea if it will be a larger car, or another smaller car like the Nissan LEAF. What we do know is that Roadshow reports that Nissan plans for the new EV to hit dealer lots in Japan by April of 2017. That means that an announcement should be imminent. We can’t wait to see what is up next from Nissan, but we hope that this new technology eventually is added to its existing EV lineup to beef it up.

News Source: Roadshow by CNET