Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced it has delivered the first 10 units of its 100% electric and zero-emission Nissan LEAF in Japan to the Kanagawa Prefectural Government. Six of these vehicles will be designated for official prefecture use and four will serve as rental cars to be used in the prefecture's "EV Sharing Model Business".
KanagawaPrefecturehas announced comprehensive and proactive support measures to quickly achieve the adoption of 3,000 units of EV within the prefecture. Specifically, the prefectural government has introduced large-scale purchase incentives, which is equivalent to half the amount of the subsidies already being provided by the national government. Development of charging infrastructure, including quick chargers and normal charging facilities have been accelerated as well.
As a member of the "Kanagawa EV Promotion Council", Nissan supports these efforts and actively participates in promotional and educational activities for EV within the prefecture, including the "Kanagawa EV Taxi Project" using Nissan LEAF and "Hakone EV Town Project", aiming to create eco-friendly tourist destinations.
Toshiyuki Shiga, chief operating officer of Nissan attended the Nissan LEAF handover ceremony held at the Kanagawa prefectural government's office and said, "We are pleased to deliver the first Nissan LEAF in Japan to Kanagawa Prefecture, which serves as a model local government supporting EV promotion in Japan. With our global headquarters, R&D and production bases within the prefecture, we strive to be an active member of the community and contribute as much as we can to Kanagawa."
In addition, the 'EV Sharing Model Business' also launched today with the Nissan LEAF, is a model project in which EV will play a dual role - as an official vehicle of Kanagawa Prefecture on weekdays and as a rental car for public users on weekends and holidays, providing an opportunity for residents of the prefecture to experience EV. Working together with the prefecture, Nissan will assist in the preparation for the start of operations in January 2011, at service offices of Nissan Rent-a-Car, operated by its affiliated company, Nissan Car Rental Solutions. One unit of Nissan LEAF will each be assigned to Hon-atsugi Station and Yokosuka Central offices and two units at the Odawara Shinkansen office.
With the goal of becoming a global leader in zero-emission mobility, Nissan, in conjunction with Alliance partner Renault, has signed more than 80 partnerships for zero-emission mobility with governments, municipalities and companies worldwide. Nissan LEAF went on sale in Japan and the United States in December and to be followed by selected markets in Europe. Release in other global markets is set to begin in 2012.