Nissan reveals electric motoring prices

It is never a given that the price of a gadget includes the battery.

But in the world of car dealers, it seems selling the battery separately from the car it will power is a bad idea.

“Buying the car and leasing the battery would add confusion,” explains Simon Thomas, senior vice president, sales and marketing, at Nissan International.

The Japanese carmaker hopes to steal a march on its rivals in the race towards electric motoring when its Leaf electric car hits the road later this year.

So Nissan has ditched an earlier idea of leasing the battery to address any concerns about their life and quality.

“We didn’t think it was the right model for consumers,” said Mr Thomas.

Instead, the company has announced the on-the-road prices it will charge for its first electric car when it goes on sale in Europe later this year.

In most markets in Europe, the Leaf will cost less than 30,000 euros – in the UK the price will be £23,350 – once various government subsidies have been taken into account.