If you want to buy an electric car in Malaysia, your choices just increased. Edaran Tan Chong, Nissan Motor’s only distributor in Malaysia has brought the Nissan Leaf, the highest selling electric car in the world, to the country.

Nissan first released the Leaf in other markets two years ago. The Nissan Leaf has been undergoing trials in Malaysia since early 2012. Now Edaran Tan Chong has launched the car at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013.

The car is available for RM 168,000 (on road), much cheaper than the expected price of RM 200,000. When you buy the car, you will also get a charging unit and a 100,000 km or 3 year warranty, which ever is reached earlier.

The Nissan Leaf runs on a lithium ion battery, which supplies power to the electric motor-inverter. The battery contains forty eight battery modules and each module contains four battery cells. The battery is installed under the seats and it provides a mileage of 195 km on a single charge. A drained battery can be fully charged in four hours, using the wall mounted 6.6 kW charging unit.

Charging 

Since the Leaf is an all-electric vehicle, it does not have an internal combustible engine, so it require electric charging to run. Interestingly, Nissan has installed a solar panel on the rear spoiler. This charges a 12 V battery which supplies power to the wipers, audio, lamps and related accessories.

Edaran Tan Chong has set up 15 public electric vehicle charging spots in places like Penang, Johor Bahru, Melaka, Klang Valley and others. If you own a Nissan Leaf, you can charge your car at these stations without paying anything.

Additionally, the asking price supposedly covers the installation of an electric charging station in your home worth RM 6,500. Professional electricians will evaluate the customer’s home to make sure the electrical system is suitable.

“During the purchasing process we will send electricians to survey the customer’s residence to see how we can install a charger unit and provide the necessary support in the installation of the charger,” said Tan Keng Meng, director of marketing and product planning for ETCM. Edaran Tan Chong said that charging the Nissan Leaf will cost 75% less compared to the fuel costs on an equivalent petrol powered car.

Final Remarks

The safety features in the Nissan Leaf are also comparable to those in other cars. The car has received a five star rating on the Europe NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) and it has six air bags. There are also other safety features like Brake Assist, ABS, Vehicle Dynamics Control and Hill Start Assist.

Maintenance is also supposed to be very cheap. Your maintenance costs will come down by 80% over five years, compared to a car running on an internal combustion engine. However, it’s unclear how expensive the maintenance costs will be after five years.

The Nissan is a hatchback, so the cabin space is large and comfortable. The batteries are under the seats, which makes possible a decent boot space of 370 liters. You can expand the boot space to 720 liters by folding the rear seats forward. The Nissan Leaf comes in five colors- Brilliant Silver, Super Black, Pearl White, Blue Ocean and Metallic Slate.

Price: RM 168,000

Battery Charging Time: 4 to 8 hours

Maximum Driving Range: 195km

SEE ALSO: Electric Cars in Malaysia: An Overview

AND: Hybrid Cars in Malaysia: An Overview

Source: Bernama, LiveLifeDrive