The Nissan LEAF is the UK’s fastest growing small family car, the automaker said this week, with sales of the all-electric vehicle (EV) last month reaching over double their November 2015 levels.
According to Nissan, sales of the LEAF accounted for 47 per cent of all electric car sales in the UK last month. Tesla’s Model S was the next highest selling model, with a 20 per cent share.
Nissan’s e-NV200 also remained the best-selling electric van in the UK, accounting for over three quarters of electric LCV sales in November, the company said.
In addition, Nissan revealed this week that its statistics show Nissan LEAF owners travel over 50 per cent further per year than the European average for a petrol/diesel vehicle.
Edward Jones, EV manager at Nissan Motors, said the economic and environmental benefits of EV ownership are becoming increasingly attractive to drivers – a trend which is translating into increased demand for EV models. “We’re also seeing increased consumer awareness and interest in new technologies entering the market to accompany electric vehicles, such as Vehicle To Grid (V2G),” he added.
The update comes in the same month as Nissan launched a new “pay with energy” pop-up café in Paris, which allows customers to produce their own energy using different new technologies. The technologies on offer include the xStorage Home unit, a home energy storage device run on new or second hand Nissan EV batteries, and Pavegen electro-magnetic induction tiles which visitors can use to generate power by walking across a special surface.
The energy produced by the technologies can then be used as a currency to pay for goods and services, said Nissan. The pop up café was open to the general public from the 16th to 18th of December.
“Electric vehicles are just one element of Nissan’s vision,” said Gareth Dunsmore, director of EVs at Nissan Europe, in a statement. “Our pay with energy café is the perfect way of showcasing how we can potentially revolutionise the way in which we generate and utilise energy. We want to allow people to experience for themselves how new technologies such as xStorage Home can benefit their lives today, as well as help improve the lives of future generations.”
The launch of the café came as Nissan announced LEAF owners around the world have now collectively driven three billion kilometres.
It also marked the launch by Nissan of a new digital community platform dubbed Electrify The World, which aims to engage audiences across Europe in “new conversations” about sustainability and cleaner living using Nissan’s expertise in EVs.
Source: businessgreen.com
