Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

London was made for the Nissan LEAF. It’s a compact city with narrow streets that are perfect for an electric vehicle. What is more there is no congestion charge to pay because of the car’s zero emissions.

The LEAF is just the sort of car the Mayor of London should be driving, so we have handed one over for a trial run.

We gave the LEAF keys to London’s Mayor Boris Johnson just weeks ahead of the launch of the capital's first citywide electric vehicle membership scheme which is called Source London.

Staff at Transport for London (TfL) will test the zero-emission car during a month-long loan.

Source London aims to deliver a new network of integrated electric charge points in the city to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles. Boris Johnson is keen to establish London as Europe’s zero emission capital.  He told us that zero-emission electric cars are perfect for city driving, delivering cheaper day-to-day running costs for their owners and also helping to keep down pollution levels.

“With a wider range of vehicles now available, we are shifting up a gear to provide more support through Source London for the increasing numbers of people who want to drive them. I am pleased to accept a Nissan LEAF on TfL's behalf so more of our staff can experience the electric experience for themselves.  We are looking forward to Nissan becoming one of our Source London partners helping us to make electric driving an easier, more convenient choice.”

The Nissan LEAF is, of course, this year’s European Car of the Year, the first EV to win the title and it will be used by the Mayor’s staff who maintains traffic signals and cameras. It joins the permanent fleet of electric cars used by TfL as part of a commitment to help improve air quality in the capital.

We at Nissan GB fully support the Mayor’s agenda to promote low and zero carbon emission vehicles in the capital; critical to the success of EVs is the development of a publicly accessible charging infrastructure which is set to be delivered through Source London.

The plan is to provide at least 1,300 charge points by the end of 2013 and our own research has found that 80% of daily driving in Britain involves trips of less than 30 miles, well within the LEAF's range.