Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

There are more than half a million pure electric and plug-in hybrid-electric cars now driving around America. Fittingly, the 500,000th milestone was reached during the country’s National Drive Electric Week, a weeklong nationwide celebration of the benefits of zero and low emission driving.

 

Running from 10-18 September, National Drive Electric Week is sponsored by Nissan LEAF, which, with more than 228,000 global sales, is the best-selling pure electric vehicle in the world.

 

Joel Levin, executive director of organiser Plug In America, said: “A few years ago, it would have been a pipe dream to imagine that there would be 500,000 plug-in cars of the streets of the United States – and more than a million worldwide. We expect to have at least 4,000 of them at the events.”

 

It all began as National Plug In Day in 2011, when the idea was to hold simultaneous events across the country. Today, it is a weeklong series of events designed to show that electric vehicles are not just great for the environment but are fun to drive, cheaper to run and reduce the country’s dependence on imported oil.

 

A gathering in Boise, Idaho was typical of the events that made up NDEW. The largest EV show in Idaho’s history, 52 electric vehicles, 15 electric bikes and one solar-power go-kart were on display in a large parking lot shaded by trees and solar-powered panels. Drivers thinking about going electric were encouraged to talk to owners ‘without any pressure from the typical car dealer experience.’

 

Another event, this one in Sacramento, marked the opening of 26 charging stations at the city’s Hyatt Regency hotel – the most charging stations in one location in the entire city.

 

Nissan joined in the celebrations by expanding its ‘No Charge To Charge’ initiative. The programme added two more markets – St. Louis and Albany/Schenectady/Troy in New York – bringing its EV charging infrastructure to nearly 90 per cent of all Nissan LEAF owners. 

 

Now covering 50 markets, No Charge To Charge gives new Nissan LEAF owners two years of free public charging, saving them up to €1,000 in charging costs.

 

“Nissan is a leader in helping to build a wide-reaching charging infrastructure, and expanding our No Charge to Charge programme to 50 markets is an important milestone,” said Brian Maragno, director, Nissan EV Sales and Marketing. “Not only do we offer complimentary charging for new LEAF buyers, but we have also significantly invested in growing the EV infrastructure in markets where LEAF owners live, work and play.”

 

While the USA welcomed its half-millionth plug-in car, the Renault-Nissan Alliance celebrated selling its 350,000th electric vehicle, confirming its leadership in global EV sales. The Nissan LEAF remains the industry’s best selling EV ever and Renault the best-performing EV brand in Europe.