LeasePlan and Nissan signed an agreement to cooperate in a European-wide project to launch the 100% electric Nissan LEAF in 2011. LeasePlan is the first leasing company to offer the Nissan LEAF in Europe. The car will be mass-marketed globally from 2012 onwards.
LeasePlan will purchase more than 100 Nissan LEAF electric vehicles from Nissan and will offer them to its customers in thirteen countries in Europe, starting in early 2011 in line with Nissan's launch plans in those markets. The project will focus on driver behaviour and the operational side of running a fleet of zero-emission battery-powered cars.
The thirteen countries involved in the agreement are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
LeasePlan operates a fleet of more than 1.3 million vehicles globally and is therefore the ideal partner in innovative car solutions. LeasePlan's expertise on the fleet management value chain will provide Nissan with vital information for the future.
"We have done a great deal of research into potential usage patterns for Nissan LEAF, but there is nothing to beat the real-world experience. By exchanging data with industry leader LeasePlan, we will be better able to understand just how eV customers will use their cars," said Colin Dodge, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Commenting on the announcement, LeasePlan's CEO Vahid Daemi said: "This agreement with Nissan is a reflection of our drive for innovation in a changing car landscape and further proof of our corporate responsibility towards the environment. With the electric Nissan LEAF, we will be able to meet our customers' growing demand for more environmentally friendly modes of transportation."
With its compact, highly efficient lithium-ion batteries and powerful electric motor, the five-seater Nissan LEAF has a range of about 160 km (100 miles - LA4 mode) while a suitable quick charge system can restore up to 80 per cent of its battery power in just under 30 minutes. Instantly responsive acceleration is matched by a top speed of more than 140 km/h. Best of all, there are no tailpipe emissions, making the compact zero-emission family car the ideal mode of transport for crowded inner cities. Deliveries of the Nissan LEAF begin in Europe in the first quarter of 2011.