The new Nissan Leaf has been teased ahead of its official debut next month, with the Japanese manufacturer promising to reveal a more efficient aerodynamic design to boost the electric car’s range. Nissan says that the aero package will allow the Leaf to travel further on a single charge, and also claims that other design features will make it more stable at high speed and less vulnerably to strong crosswinds.
Nissan has released a series of teasers ahead of the car’s debut, the latest detailing the new e-Pedal feature. The e-Pedal can be toggled on and off via a switch near the drive selector, and when switched on, Nissan says that the accelerator becomes the only pedal the driver requires for 90 per cent of their driving needs.
Many electric cars can already be driven with one pedal if the driver anticipates the road ahead, thanks to strong regenerative braking forces. Nissan’s e-Pedal system, however, is designed to take over braking roles in most situations, and means that the car automatically slows down the moment the driver takes their foot off the accelerator, all the way to a complete halt and strong enough to hold the car on a hill.
Drivers will still need to hit their anchors themselves in sudden braking situations, but for the most part it should be possible to trundle around town using just one pedal. Switch the system off and the car’s pedals behave as normal. The e-Pedal reveal comes after confirmation that the second-generation Leaf will feature new semi-autonomous driving functions included a new automated parking system as part of the Japanese brand’s ProPILOT tech.
Nissan’s ProPILOT suite of assists and semi-autonomous will enable the Leaf to drive itself on highways and motorways. At the push of a button the new Leaf will drive itself in a single lane, controlling the steering, acceleration and braking to assist the driver. It’s the latest step in Nissan’s goal to develop autonomous vehicles. The firm promises that in the coming years the technology will offer increasing levels of autonomy, with autonomous driving in urban environment targeted as the next big step.
