So many vehicles have been turned into limousines, some more sensibly than
others. These stretched examples, in our opinion, were a bit over the top. It’s
probably no surprise, then, that electric vehicles now are getting in on the
act. Nissan, in conjunction with the Embassy Suites hotel in Nashville,
Tennessee, commissioned the limo-fication of the all-electric Nissan Leaf.
During our test of a standard-wheelbase Leaf, we experienced a range of 58
miles. The builder of the stretched Leaf, Imperial Limo Land, says that it
expects range to decrease by 15 percent. The drop in range is a result of the
extra 400 pounds from the additional aluminum structure used to stretch the
center section of the car.
That roughly 12-percent gain in weight is not offset by any changes to the
powertrain. The Leaf’s 24-kWh battery remains, though it is located farther back
for better balance. The hotel says that it will use the Leaf limo for journeys
averaging around 10 miles round-trip. If our calculations are right, the Leaf
limo might complete five trips before needing as many as 12 hours to
recharge.
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