The fully electric Nissan Leaf e+ has been awarded a near perfect Green NCAP assessment, securing the maximum five-star rating.
Green NCAP is an independent green vehicle assessment programme that was launched back in early 2019 by safety rating organisation Euro NCAP in conjunction with European governments.
Designed to promote the development of clean and energy efficient cars, Green NCAP published the final five assessments for 2021 ahead of what the initiative claims are “some big test changes” set to start next year.
Amongst the latest assessments is the fully electric Nissan Leaf e+, which achieved perfect or nearly perfect scores across the three test categories – clean air index, energy efficiency index, and greenhouse gas index.
It scored 10/10 for both the clean air and greenhouse gas indexes, and 9.9/10 for the energy efficiency index. The only slight drawback tested by Green NCAP was a 9.7/10 for the cold ambient test, which tests the amount of energy necessary to heat the vehicle’s interior when the ambient temperature drops to -7°.
Green NCAP reported the Nissan Leaf e+ provides an average driving range of 306-kilometres, while if the temperature plummets to -7° driving range falls to 210-kilometres – though this is considered only a worst-case scenario.
The 62kWh power train of the Leaf e+ should, according to Nissan, provide a driving range of up to 385-kilometres (WLTP) – which is not necessarily in disagreement with Green NCAP’s findings, considering that its 306-kilometre range was recorded under testing.
Worth noting, Green NCAP is also planning to revise its testing methodology to better account for the intricacies of measuring the sustainability and environmental impact of electric vehicles.
“Looking only at tailpipe emissions flatters all-electric vehicles by ignoring the energy consumed in producing the electricity they use,” said Alex Damyanov, incoming technical manager for Green NCAP.
“We know that, and we are working to refine our rating scheme to reflect that fact.
“Next year, we plan to also provide consumers with a total life-cycle analysis (LCA) which will allow them to see for themselves which car offers the cleanest mode of transport, depending on the use they make of the car, where their electricity comes from, where the vehicle is produced and how it is ultimately salvaged.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.