Race Is On For Leaf Owners To Reach Billion Kilometres

JAPANESE car maker Nissan is preparing the ground for a milestone celebration, as drivers of its popular Leaf electric vehicle race towards the billion kilometre mark.

Nissan is creating a series of animated stories centring on the experiences of selected owners to mark the event. For example, Roberto, from Valladolid, narrates his own story as the first taxi driver in Spain to buy a Leaf, explaining that since buying the car in October 2011 he has covered over 100,000 km and eliminated three quarters of his running costs.

Roberto's story is available via a number of social media platforms including Facebook, You Tube and Twitter as well as a dedicated website (http://experiencenissanleaf.co.uk/).

Commenting on the project, Jean Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe, said "Stories like Roberto's are powerful reminders of how buying a Nissan Leaf can revolutionise a business today. He is one of many pioneers reaping the unique benefits of electric vehicles - and that number is growing by the day."

As further landmarks are reached on the race to a billion kilometres, Nissan will release three further animations. It is estimated that the billion kilometre mark will be passed by January 2015 - rising sales and a rapidly expanding quick charge network mean the target might be beaten even earlier.

Thanks to the Leaf’s built in telemetry system, an accurate log of the total distance covered by every car has been recorded since the car was launched in 2010.

By Press Association reporters