Nissan Leaf EV owners claim they were mislead by Nissan
Owners of generation II Nissan Leaf EV state misleading sales information
Owners of the new generation of the Nissan Leaf EV are disappointed on two issues. Firstly the supposed vastly improved range is much lower in ‘real life’ driving. Secondly the rapid charging times are also understated.
A report in the BBC news website states that Nissan Leaf EV owners are complaining of misleading information being given in the marketing material from Nissan.
The What Car Electric Car of the Year for 2018, the Nissan Leaf EV has been very popular with over 2,600 sold since its launch earlier this year. However the claims made by Nissan are proving to be misleading.
Disappointing Range
Quoted on the BBC News site Mr Pitcain stated that he was very disappointed with the range. He specifically bought the Leaf due to its extended range. His marketing brochure claimed it was capable of 235 miles on a single charge. However in real life the maximum Mr Pitcain has achieved is 155 miles.
This is backed up by journalists from What Car? who achieved only 108 miles in ‘real world’ driving.
Nissan said that their original claim of 235 was done under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) conditions and was correct. However it has now changed it’s marketing material to reflect the more representative Light vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The official range now is quoted at 168 miles, still more than reported by owners and What Car?
Misleading Rapid Charge Information
Mr Pitcain is also very disappointed with the rapid charging of his Nissan Leaf EV. Mr Pitcain had problems on a 290 mile trip where they had to wait 90 minutes for a ‘rapid charge’ rather than the 40 minutes quoted by Nissan. With the much lower maximum range, this is a double whammy in the useability of the car.
Mr Weatherby also spoke to the BBC. An ardent fan of his Nissan Leaf EV he was on a 300 mile journey to the Lake District. On his second stop to re-charge (again due to the lower than expected range) he found it took two and a half hours for a ‘rapid charge’.
Mr Weatherby complained to Nissan. Nissan responded by informing him that the rapid charging times were only applicable for the first charge. The battery management system will slow down the rate of charge to protect the battery pack under certain conditions. The battery pack is only designed for one rapid charge per day. Nissan stated that this is explained in it’s literature. Owners have pointed out that this needs to be made much clearer.
The double impact of reduced range and rapid charging limitations are not only upsetting owners but putting off potential buyers.
Electric Car Experts
These are the types of issues our community needs to know about. If you own a Nissan Leaf EV please share your real world experience with us by adding your review of your car. This will help potential electric car buyers with real-life vital information when making their buying decision.
