But first, let's address the elephant in the room - Indian consumers approach to electric cars. Well, yes, we like hybrids and that's why Maruti Suzuki is working on adding its mild hybrid system in more cars but us Indians have not taken a liking to electric cars and the main reason for this is that they're costly and we expect the Nissan Leaf to be no different. Yes, the governments FAME initiative will cut down the price marginally but still the car will cost more than Rs. 35 lakh once it's launched (considering it'll be a Completely Built Unit).
This will basically put the Nissan Leaf in the range of some luxury sedans out there and this will be one of the biggest hurdles for Nissan India. Yes, we'll finally see the company's portfolio grow from 5 cars to 6(the GT-R and X-Trail added), but certainly the Leaf cannot be expected to be a volume seller. The Nissan Leaf has already charmed 2,39,000 buyers (till September 2016) all over the world, making it the most successful electric car so far and we certainly hope that it gets its fair share of buyers here in India too.
India's electric car portfolio starts and ends with the Mahindra e2O and e-Verito and Nissan's Leaf will be the next in line. The Leaf does not have a traditional engine; what it has is an electric motor which produces 107 bhp. The power is drawn from a 48-model lithium-ion battery which is stacked inside the cabin. It takes up to 8 hours to fully charge the battery which provides a range of 160km. Now, you think you'll finish off the battery but well, the Nissan Leaf also comes with regenerative brakes and this helps in maximising the distance you cover.
The Nissan Leaf, then, is a feather in the cap of the company, for sure, because of the kind of technology it comes with and we're glad the company has thought about introducing the car in India too because that's the kind of push the EV market in India needs.
