Yokohama - Jan. 30 - Sustainable mobility takes to the open water, as Nissan launches its first energy-efficient, coastal car carrier, the Nichioh Maru. 

The maker of the first mass-marketed, 100% electric vehicle – the Nissan LEAF – now employs an eco vessel nicknamed “Roro” – for roll-on and roll-off pick-ups and deliveries.

At one-and-a-half football fields in length, the carrier took four years to complete and began its maiden voyage January 27.
 

The hardiest soul in Davos is Lu Ying. She’s been outside the Hub Pavilion for the last five days, wrapped up against the freezing temperatures to dish out free warming cups of hot chocolate to passers-by.

The hob keeping the chocolate on the boil is powered by renewable energy supplied by Nissan LEAF – it’s the first time the innovative LEAF-to-Home technology has been demonstrated in Europe.

Lu tells us that everyone who’s sampled a cup loves the idea… find out more in her video

He visited us at the Hub Pavilion in Davos last year… and he’s been back for more this year. In 2010, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, showed great interest in our EVs, asking many questions about Nissan LEAF.

This year, Boris was tempted back to the Pavilion by a cup of hot chocolate. Hobs under the vast pans of cocoa are heated by Nissan’s innovative LEAF-to-Home technology which harnesses energy stored in Nissan LEAF’s battery to power domestic appliances.

Over a warming cuppa, the Alliance’s Matt Loader was able to tell Boris about e-LCV prototype, our battery-powered van currently undergoing trials with FedEx in London. Our LCV, NV200, is also available as a passenger vehicle, of course, so maybe we should built an electric version for the extended Johnson family!

And the chocolate? “An absolutely splendid idea,” said the Mayor.

With the 2012 World Economic Forum now in full swing, life in Davos has stepped up a pace. Some 2,600 top business leaders and politicians will visit, including Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, who opened Forum proceedings.

Others expected include more than 40 heads of state and 19 of the world’s most influential bankers (not to mention celebs like Mick Jagger), so it’s little wonder that security in this tiny mountaintop town is tight.

New York-based David Kirkpatrick, technology commentator and founder and CEO of Techonomy, describes his first ever EV experience after a lap of Davos behind the wheel of a Nissan LEAF.
 

Watch the video to discover his verdict...

The sun might be shining but the snow is lying deep and crisp and even. And the mercury has fallen to -4 degrees C. What better way to warm up than with a mug of hot chocolate… especially when it’s heated using renewable electricity?

The Cocoa Hut at the Hub Pavilion in Davos, Switzerland, is proving a magnet for passers by, all keen to sample the latest innovation from the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

LEAF-to-home technology reverses the Nisan LEAF’s usual energy flow by using power stored in the car’s batteries to drive domestic appliances.

Creative director Stan Stalnaker explains the philosophy behind the global collaboration network Hub Culture.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is one of the strategic partners of the Hub Pavilion which is providing an informal environment for business and political leaders and other influencers in Davos, Switzerland, for the 2012 World Economic Forum.

Meet Stan and discover all there is to know about Hub Culture at www.huculture/groups/davos/news/594/

And keep following the blog to stay up to speed with what the Alliance is doing at Davos… tomorrow, learn how Nissan LEAF can keep you warm inside!

Nissan LEAF, the award-winning pure electric vehicle, can do a great deal more than get you from A to B producing zero emissions as it goes. It can even power your house.

Nissan has developed technology that allows Nissan LEAF to provide electricity to a domestic dwelling, powering everything from lighting to laptops and heating to cooking. You could even do your ironing ‘powered-by-LEAF’!

Called LEAF-to-Home, the system harnesses the power saved in a fully charged Nissan LEAF battery – about 24kWH – to run a typical home for up to two days in the event of an emergency such as a power blackout.

Jan. 20 — Shibetsu, Hokkaido — Auto journalists put the all-electric Nissan LEAF through its paces on three powdery test courses in Shibetsu, Hokkaido, this week, in the freezing temperatures of northern Japan.

Some 230 meters above sea level, media gathered to assess the LEAF’s driving performance and handling in extreme weather conditions, icing any concerns that wintry weather could drastically reduce battery performance.

-- Renault and Nissan electric vehicles available for test driving and powering appliances during World Economic Forum in Davos --

DAVOS-KLOSTERS, Switzerland (Jan. 19, 2012)--Top business leaders and heads of state will gather next week in the Swiss Alps to debate global social and economic policy. Thanks to the Renault-Nissan Alliance, they will discover cutting-edge technology that powers cars – and even household appliances.

Policymakers, academics and CEOs from some of the world’s largest companies will meet Jan. 25-28 to brainstorm the planet’s most pressing concerns –- particularly those related to resource scarcity and energy security – at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn and other executives from both Renault and Nissan will attend the annual conference.