Nissan expands charging stations for Leaf EV

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Nissan is trying to entice more people to buy its Leaf all-electric car by adding more charging stations and continuing its free charging station promotion.

The Japanese automaker recently announced the addition of 11 new charging stations in cities across the U.S., bringing the total number of charging stations in the country to 38. The new stations that are now open are Chattanooga, Tennessee; Cincinnati; Cleveland/Akron; Columbia, S.C.; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Knoxville, Tennessee; Las Vegas; Pittsburgh; Providence, R.I.; and Reno, Nevada, Nissan said.

The addition of the new charging stations are part of Nissan’s “No Charge to Charge” promotion, which gives new Nissan buyers the ability to charge their Leafs at no cost for two years. Buys can participate in the promotion if they buy or lease a new Leaf. After the promotion ends, owners will then pay to charge their own vehicles.

It takes about 30 minutes for a Leaf to charge from zero to 80 percent at one of the public quick charge stations, Nissan indicated.

“We know that public charging is a key element in providing additional range confidence for electric vehicle drivers, and free public charging is a great way to make Nissan LEAF an unrivaled value for the average American driver,” said Brian Maragno, director, Nissan Electric Vehicle Sales and Marketing.

To date, Nissan has sold about 84,000 Leafs in the U.S. and a total of 224,000 worldwide.

The Leaf comes equipped with an 80kW AC synchronous motor that creates 107 horsepower and 187 pound feet of torque. The 2016 Leaf SV model starts at $26,700 after the federal $7,500 tax credit, the SL model starts at $29,290 after the federal tax credit, and the S model starts at $21,510 after the federal tax credit. The S model is equipped with a 24 kWh battery and has an estimated EPA range of 84 miles.

Nissan also has all of its charging stations listed on its Leaf EZ charge app for iOS and Android, or by visiting the EZ Charge website.

Check out this related TFLcar mashup video of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt versus the 2016 Nissan Leaf: