By Josh Perry, Editor
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According to respected German news outlet Electrive.com, the newest version of the electric Nissan Leaf, which has been delayed for months, will feature a 60 kWh battery with a larger DC charging capacity (and a power boost from 110 kW to 149 kW) but will not include a liquid cooling solution to manage battery temperature.

A new version of the Nissan Leaf is coming to Europe in 2019. The new version has a larger battery but still uses air, not liquid, cooling, prompting performance concerns.
(Wikimedia Commons)

There has been some social media consternation regarding the Leaf’s charging capabilities. Users have noticed that the fast-charging capability slows down significantly after repeated use. This has been labeled #Rapidgate on social media.

According to an earlier article from Electrive.com, Nissan responded to the negative feedback by explaining the slower charging as a security feature to avoid the battery overheating. This has some concerned that a larger battery without the enhanced thermal control of liquid cooling will cause even more performance issues in the new version.

“Supposedly, Nissan is trying to tackle the issue, at least a little,” the news outlet explained. “As with the electric transporter e-NV200, an additional fan is to give the battery a breath of fresh air during the DC charging process. It remains to be seen whether this will be sufficient to actually experience the 100 kW charging power specified in theory so far. The Japanese will continue to use the CHAdeMO fast-charging standard.”

The 60 kWh Leaf is expected to be delivered to Europe in May 2019 and unveiled at CES in Las Vegas in January.