Nissan LEAF Awarded WhichEV “Lifetime Achievement Award”

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

---

The Independent UK-based publication WhichEV has announced that the “Lifetime Achievement Award” for popularising electrification in vehicles goes to none other than the Nissan LEAF. The Nissan LEAF is well deserving of this honor after coming to the market more than a decade ago.

The LEAF not only set the standard for the entire vehicle industry, it is basically an iconic legend for the EV world. When Nissan introduced the LEAF electric vehicle 12 years ago, it was considered to be a bold and courageous strategy to branch out into electric vehicles.

“The Leaf turned 10 nearly two years ago, and the fact that it’s still on sale now shows how strong the initial design concept was. The Nissan LEAF should be commended for all it has done for EVs over its 12 years (so far). It’s a true legend,” said James Morris, Editor of WhichEV.

Since then, most vehicle manufacturers have introduced an electrified vehicle to their line-ups, but Nissan truly paved the way for electric vehicles with the LEAF at the forefront of the emerging EV transition.

Launched back in 2010, The LEAF was the first mass-produced and marketed electric vehicle in the world. Since Nissan launched the LEAF back in 2010 they have sold more than 605,000 cars globally and more than 56,000 just in the UK.

“For the past decade, the Europe region has been leading the switch to electrification. Our vision for the next decade is to accelerate this further, with new products and technologies that will transform the driving experience for Nissan customers,” said Guillaume Cartier, Chairperson for the Nissan AMIEO Region.

“Not only will we offer an electrified version for all of our passenger models in Europe, but our 360-degree vision for sustainable mobility will also bring 100% renewable electricity to our EV Hub in the UK and will see new battery refurbishment facilities introduced in Europe,” Nissan writes.

The LEAF has stood the test of time and is now in its third generation. It is still a fairly popular choice for EV enthusiasts, even if it doesn’t top sales charts any longer. It is practical, comfortable, and with zero tailpipe emissions, incredibly efficient even after a decade later.

The LEAF represents a pioneer in the mass-market EVs, and Nissan’s start in its electrification journey is a fantastic success story that remains incredibly popular for both new and used car buyers around the world.

As Nissan continues to invest in electrification and the future of mobility, the LEAF still plays an important part in Nissan’s electric lineup. Some of Nissan’s newer accomplishments in electrified technology are the e-POWER and e-4ORCE as well as their newest fully electric model, the ARIYA.

“Across Europe, we are targeting a 75% electrified sales mix by 2026 which indicates our ongoing commitment and focus on electric vehicles. We are proud to be at the forefront of electric mobility and this award highlights how significant LEAF’s role has been, not just to Nissan but the entire industry,” said Nic Thomas, Marketing Director, Nissan Motor (GB)

The LEAF is built in Britain at the UK’s Sunderland plant. Since the LEAF started production in 2011, staff at the Nissan Sunderland Plant have undergone more than two million hours of training dedicated to manufacturing electrified vehicles, with more planned in the coming months and years.

Alan Johnson, Nissan’s Vice President for Manufacturing in the UK, said: “Our plant is built on the foundations of 36 years of manufacturing excellence from our world-class people and advanced facilities. Two million hours of training just for electrification shows we are taking that to the next level, as we lead the charge towards an electrified future.

“And of course, we’ll continue to deliver brilliant, technologically advanced, cars to the high standards of quality that our customers have come to love.”