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SEE | Nissan 'grows' its EV Leaf into a Christmas 'tree' for the festive holiday

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To bring Christmas cheer while celebrating the power of regenerative energy, the special one-off vehicle sees the electric vehicle transformed into a Nissan (Christmas) 'tree'. 

Wheels24's Sean Parker drove the new Leaf in South Africa earlier in 2019 and was left impressed by the hatchback's swiftness. 

And now, in the run up to Christmas Nissan will be dashing through the snow this festive holiday with a bright festive Leaf powered by its own regenerated energy.

To bring Christmas cheer while celebrating the power of regenerative energy, the special one-off vehicle sees the electric vehicle transformed into a Nissan (Christmas) 'tree'. Decked out in a spectacular light display, the 'tree' showcases the way the electric car regenerates power when braking or decelerating.

Two driving functions provide energy regeneration in the Leaf The car's e-Pedal allows the driver to start, accelerate, decelerate and stop using only the accelerator pedal. The e-Pedal also helps the car harvest energy via regenerative braking.

Nissan says this works by recycling the energy from the movement of the car during braking or deceleration, which then goes straight back to the batteries, where it is used to recharge the cells. Meanwhile, B mode is a driving function that regenerates energy under braking, with drivers using the traditional brake pedal as normal.

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Image: Newspress

Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow

Fitted with thousands of LEDs, shimmery baubles and a reindeer, the car is brighter than Rudolph’s nose. The sparkling display reminds sustainable-minded drivers about the energy generation made possible through owning an electric vehicle.

According to Nissan, the average Leaf driver regenerates 744kWh* of clean energy if they drive 17 702km.

Nissan says this energy saving is equivalent to 20% of the overall domestic electricity consumption of an average household.

The company reckons Leaf drivers are capable of generating enough energy to power up:

- 266 Christmas trees with 700 incandescent lights for a full hour of joy

- 297 ovens for one hour to cook your Christmas dinner

- 744 televisions for five hours to watch your favourite Christmas movies

- 10 783 houses with 1,000 LED lights for five hours“Santa shouldn’t be the only one with a festive mode of transport.

Helen Perry, head of electric vehicles for Nissan Europe says: "We wanted to make the Nissan LEAF more fun at this time of year whilst driving home a very important message."

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Image: Newspress

“We hope this custom-made vehicle inspires people about the benefits of regenerative energy. After nearly ten years since Leaf was first introduced in Europe, Nissan continues to be fully focused on providing consumers a more sustainable lifestyle through electric mobility", Perry concluded. 

Compiled by Sean Parker

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