Nissan has launched a new program called “Nissan Energy Perks by EVgo” as an extra incentive for Leaf buyers, promising $250 worth of charging credits for use on the nationwide EVgo charging network. This is available to all Nissan Leaf buyers backdating to November 1, 2019.
The deal gives Leaf buyers access to 750 public DC fast charge stations and over 30,000 public EV chargers as a whole.
Prices differ from charger to charger, but generally EVgo charges $1.50/hour for level 2 charging, and somewhere around 30 cents a minute for DC level 3 fast charging. $250 should be good for about 12 hours of DC level 3 charging.
The Leaf can charge at 50kW and the Leaf Plus can charge at up to 100kW. Nissan claims the car can reach 80% charge in 40-60 minutes, depending on spec and the speed of the charger you’re connected to. This means the $250 charging credit is good for something like 10-16 DC charges.
If you stick to AC level 2 charging, you can get more for your money. But of course that takes a lot longer, and typically level 2 is better to do at home or work, where you’re likely to have another payment method.
This move may be related to flagging Leaf sales. Despite the Leaf being the all-time best-selling EV worldwide, their sales have dropped off significantly in recent years. Much of this is likely due to the introduction of the Tesla Model 3, which is selling like gangbusters and likely to eclipse Leaf sales very soon.
Electrek’s Take
Typically I recommend that EV drivers just charge at home and don’t worry much about occasional public charging, where it’s okay to pay a little more for the convenience of a quick charge. For owners who have access to home or work charging, this $250 charge credit will probably cover all the quick charging they need to do over the course of a few normal years — or all the quick charging they need for one nice road trip.
So even though $250 isn’t a huge chunk of the cost of the car, it still could facilitate one medium-size road trip, or maybe a couple months’ worth of AC charging while you get your home charging station set up. Plus, consumers love free perks.
Neat deal by Nissan — but how about some more EVs? The Leaf is a little long in the tooth. Let’s get that electric Ariya crossover SUV on the road quick, okay?
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