The Nissan LEAF powers the plant’s Christmas tree in celebration.
Long before other mainstream brands jumped on the electric vehicle bandwagon, Nissan had a mass market EV option ready – the LEAF. One of the factories responsible for producing the LEAF was the Nissan Sunderland Plant in the UK. This year it commemorates making 250,000 of these battery electric vehicles by having one power the company’s outdoor Christmas tree display.
The first generation LEAF came out way back in 2010 with a modest motor capable of just 110hp and 280Nm of torque. In the beginning, it was only capable of 175km of range (NEDC cycle). By the second generation, the LEAF was capable of delivering 364km in driving range.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
A Nissan LEAF is providing the sparkle for Nissan Sunderland Plant’s Christmas display to celebrate production of 250,000 of the pioneering electric vehicle in the UK.
Demonstrating the ability of the LEAF to act as a mobile power plant, the lights on the 32-foot Christmas tree and its shimmering reindeer are being powered by the vehicle’s battery, using V2X (or V2X-MAS TREE) technology.
The Nissan LEAF’s vehicle-to-grid capability (sometimes called vehicle-to-building or vehicle-to-everything – V2X) puts energy management back in the hands of the owner by turning their vehicle into a mobile energy hub. Drivers can store electricity in their vehicle’s battery and feed it to the grid, their building, or their Christmas Tree, when needed.
The technology allows electric vehicles to be fully integrated into the electricity grid and help improve grid capability to handle renewable power as well as managing energy more efficiently.
The Nissan LEAF, built in Sunderland for more than a decade, was the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle . The Nissan Qashqai, the record-breaking original crossover, is now offered with Nissan’s unique e-POWER system, a first for the company in Europe, while its B-segment stablemate, the Nissan Juke, is now equipped with an advanced hybrid powertrain.
In 2021 Nissan’s Sunderland Plant was announced as the home of EV36ZERO, a £1bn flagship electric vehicle manufacturing ecosystem bringing together electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production.
