The UAE is fast catching up with early adopters of electric vehicles around the world, such as the United States, which is where I am test driving Nissan's new second-generation Leaf ahead of the model arriving in the Emirates this year.
It will make its debut against a background of the Japanese car maker becoming an official automotive partner for Expo 2020, a move that will see the Leaf feature in a fleet of about 1,000 cars provided for the event.
The Leaf is itself playing catch-up with fully-electric rivals. The latest Renault Zoe has a quoted range of more than 300 kilometres; Tesla is leaving almost everybody else in its dust with its seemingly ever-increasing figures. And Nissan has responded by extending its expectations to about 240 kilometres, up from the previous model year's relatively paltry total of about 170km.
On American soil, those claims don't seem to have fallen foul of the proneness of certain competitors to exaggerate, proved by a drive from Las Vegas, where the Leaf has been on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, towards the spectacular scenery of Red Rock Canyon in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, about 20 minutes outside the city. While the dashboard displays a rapidly dipping number on the outbound journey, which is partly uphill, requiring more energy, the return leg actually takes less kilometres out of the range than we travel in total. How so?
The answer is the “e-Pedal” feature, which in a nutshell turns the accelerator into a secondary brake. After e-Pedal is engaged from a switch next to the computer-mouse gearstick, when you lift off the accelerator, the car will automatically slow, depending on how you feather the throttle, with the result being smart deceleration. That friction contributes to regenerative braking that replenishes battery power. Traditionalists will be glad to know that there is still a regular brake pedal for harder, faster halts.
The e-Pedal function combines with Nissan's other headline innovation: level 2 autonomous technology entitled ProPilot. Essentially, it is a combination of lane-keeping assist and adaptive/intelligent cruise control – both features that are far from new in cars across the board. But on well-marked motorways, the integration means that you can actually temporarily remove your hands from the wheel (although Nissan don't recommend that, per se) as the car navigates its way round gentle curves and stays in lane. In traffic, it melds together to more or less form an automatic crawl function without the use of accelerator or brake pedals, which will certainly spare the tired legs of commuters.
There are glitches: apparently anything above intermittent windscreen-wiper action can throw off the ProPilot's sensors; standing water or anything covering road markings can do similar damage; and during my drive, junctions and areas of widened road seem to momentarily confuse the car. Rather than veering off into a canyon in such events, thankfully, the Leaf merely bleeps and a dash message politely informs you to resume manual steering. If you take your hands off the wheel for more than about a minute and fail to heed subsequent gentle braking warnings, meanwhile, the car will assume that you have fallen asleep or suffered a medical problem, which triggers an emergency response to bring you to a standstill. The next stage in Nissan's research might be to develop an autonomous system to pull the car safely on to the hard shoulder, because presently the end result could potentially be a sudden stop in the fast lane – something that could conceivably prove just as lethal as the scenarios the car is built to anticipate.
Charging times are about standard for this segment, although if you can locate a quick-charging station, Nissan claims that you can get to 80 per cent juice from empty in about 40 minutes. It still doesn't cost pocket change compared to similar-sized petrol cars, with its starting price on the wrong side of Dh100,000, but the newbie is due to be slightly cheaper than the outgoing model, which is no mean feat considering the additional tech that it boasts.
With more than 250 kilograms of battery mounted beneath the floor of the passenger cabin, though, the Leaf's low centre of gravity will handle better than most fossil-fuel peers, with its perky 147hp giving it a little punch through corners, aided by the e-Pedal. The Leaf hasn't changed the course of EV history here, but it is without doubt a welcome addition to the green motoring options in the UAE.
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Read more:
Driverless cars: Industry expert predicts full automation by 2024
Motoring year in review: 2017's most-popular road tests
Dubai International Motor Show brings more flash cars to the UAE - in pictures
The best eight new cars to look forward to in 2018
_______________
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 202kmh
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
Price: From Dh122,900
Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Star%20Wars%3A%20Ahsoka%20
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
SWEET%20TOOTH
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Company%20Profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Results
4pm: Maiden (Dirt) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Moshaher, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Handicap (D) Dh165,000 2,200m
Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Maiden (Turf) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Rua Augusta, Harry Bentley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
5.45pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,200m
Winner: Private’s Cove, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
6.20pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 1,600m
Winner: Azmaam, Jim Crowley, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6.55pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,400m
Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.30pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 2,000m
Winner: Rio Tigre, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
Afro%20salons
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
Company%20Profile
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