The Nissan Leaf may have gone on sale in December 2010, but later this year, production of Nissan’s all-electric hatchback will start for the first time in Smyrna, Tennessee.
We’ve been looking forward to the 2013 Nissan Leaf for some time, with hints from Nissan that domestically-produced Leafs will be better suited to U.S. consumers.
At the moment however, we know very little about the 2013 Leaf, other than a few updates Nissan’s Mark Perry has already detailed.
- Nissan is updating the Leaf’s heater with a more efficient one, which Nissan has said will improve the winter range of the Leaf by 20 to 25 miles.
- Nissan will upgrade the Leaf’s on-board charger, replacing the 3.3 kilowatt charger found in the 2011/12 Leaf with a 6.6 kilowatt charger. This should halve recharging times when used with a compatible 32-amp, level 2 charging station.
- Nissan will offer leather seats as an option, as well as a choice of light or dark interior fabric seats.
Beyond that, Nissan is keeping the exact specifications of the 2013 Leaf a secret.
2011 Nissan Leaf SL
But with the original Leafs quickly approaching two years old, we want to know what you’d like to change about the Leaf for the 2013 model year.
Perhaps you’d like a larger battery pack, a different dash, or perhaps a bigger load area?
Maybe you’re worried about the premature battery aging of Leafs in hot climates, and want Nissan to introduce a liquid-cooling system for the battery pack?
Or perhaps you’d like to see an end to Nissan’s notorious ‘guess-o-meter’ distance to empty display?
We can’t claim to have any influence with Nissan, nor can we promise that any of your wishes will come true, but we would love to hear what you’d change about the Leaf.
Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.
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