Nissan Philippine launched the Nissan LEAF, its first full electric vehicle offering expected to appeal to Philippine car enthusiasts, tech-savvy and environment-conscious clientele.
Nissan Philippines president Atsushi Najima said the car firm was aiming for a 2020 introduction of the LEAF but the pandemic forced the company to postpone for several months, a move which worked out well for the company as the Philippine automotive sector was just starting to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
“To ensure the perfect launch of the Nissan LEAF, we decide to postpone for a few more months. We tested the model from July to August and made sure that it is in perfect driving condition,” he said in a post-launch briefing.
The LEAF is offered in 3 major dealerships – one in Nissan Mantrade Makati, Nissan Otis, and Nissan Cebu South – V. Rama. Each dealership is equipped with EV charging systems for the exclusive use of Nissan LEAF owners. These dealerships will provide EV charging free of charge to all Nissan LEAF owners.
Najima said the brand has plans to cut 4 more dealerships EV that will offer the same world-class service as the first 3 dealerships.
Since the EV adoption in the Philippine is still in its initial phase, Najima said the company refuse to set any sales target for the LEAF.
“We don’t discuss demand and even sales forecast because this is an early stage for us. For the next couple of years we will see how the market will change. We need to continue to work with government agencies to help pass EV bill. This bill will drastically change the future of EV demand and sales in the country,” he said.
He noted the bill will be of immense help to reduce the duties on imported EV vehicles and this will lead to better-priced EV vehicles in the market.
The Nissan LEAF which sells at P2.79 million may retail affordably once the EV bill is passed, Najima added.
Specs-wise, the zero-emission Nissan LEAF shows off Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the automotive company’s approach to changing the way cars are driven, powered, and integrated into society.
It has has a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery that has a range of up to 311 kilometers on a full charge, based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standards. This is the equivalent of traveling between Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City twice a day for five days for a daily commute, or a one-way out of town trip to Baguio.
Charging the Nissan LEAF is easy and convenient as owners are provided with multiple charging options. The Nissan LEAF can be fully powered up in 15 to 18 hours at home through a dedicated wall outlet with the supplied universal charging cable. Owners can also go to quick charging stations found in select Nissan dealerships nationwide and power up their Nissan LEAF to a full charge in as fast as 40 to 60 minutes.
The Nissan LEAF is equipped with intelligent driving assistance features that include intelligent cruise control, intelligent around view monitor, high beam assist, and hill start assist. With Intelligent emergency braking, intelligent driver alertness, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, intelligent lane intervention, and intelligent trace control, the LEAF help ensure the safety of both the driver and passengers.
More than just a car, the Nissan LEAF also has vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology that enables bi-directional charging to use energy from the LEAF battery to power homes and equipment, or simply give back energy to the power grid.
The Nissan LEAF also comes with a 3-year vehicle warranty or for the first 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first. It also comes with an 8-year battery warranty or for the first 160,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.