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Nissan Leaf batteries are deteriorating and range is limited - false advertising?
My District Council has leased two Nissan Leaf electric cars as a contribution to a cleaner planet. Nissan calls it a zero emission vehicle with a range of 109 miles. The 'zero emission' is questionable, as is the range. After two months the cars’ batteries seem to have deteriorated. The cars are used daily, six days a week, mostly using the ECO setting. After recharging from 6pm to 8am the next morning, the digital reading shows less than 90 miles available. After driving less than 40 miles the reading drops to below 10 miles. Can we sue Nissan for false advertising? Are other Leaf drivers experiencing similar problems? Has anyone bought a Leaf with their own money? Should the Government continue to subsidise each Leaf to the tune of £5000?
Asked on 24 March 2012 by JS, Haywards Heath
Answered by
Honest John
First complaint. I have added it to car by car breakdown. You cannot sue for false advertising' because every statement is qualified with words like "up to". And, of course, the range depends on the right foot of the driver. It always was stated that use of the heater could reduce the range by 50 per cent, but it's interesting that the battery capacity has deteriorated. First time I've heard of that. Hilton Holloway of Autocar has been running a Leaf for about nine months now and coined the phrase "range anxiety".
If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.
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