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The nominal battery capacity has always been 24kWh, and the actual usable capacity is and has been ~22kWh. Nissan has decided to not use all of the 24kWh in order to try and meet the longevity goal.
With the battery cells they used up until early 2014, they included a software option (user controlled on the touchscreen) to stop charging at 80% (or ~17.6kWh), in order to keep the battery capacity longer. If you needed to drive farther, then you could occasionally let it charge to 100%.
Now, with the latest battery cells (sometimes called the lizard battery because it works better at higher temperatures than the earlier battery cells), they have removed that user option to limit your daily charge to 80%.
I hope this clarifies the situation. We will soon see the 2016 Leaf, that is rumored to have a 24kWh battery pack in the Leaf S, and a ~30kWh pack in the SV and SL models. The strongest rumors are that it will have a 105-110 mile range; and the smaller battery will keep the ~84 mile range it has now.
Then, with the 2017 Leaf, we should see a completely new car, and a completely new battery pack that will have 200-250 mile range. Nissan says they will beat the Chevy Bolt EV in range, and release date, and even in price.
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