Nissan Leaf is a finalist in European awards

Nov 29 2010 The Journal

NISSAN’S Leaf, the world’s first mass- produced electric car, has been shortlisted for a prestigious industry award.

The Leaf, which is due to be produced at the company’s plant in Sunderland from 2013, has been singled out as a contender for the European Car of the Year.

It is the first time in the history of the awards that an all electric vehicle has been considered as being the best car on the market. The awards are referred to as the industry’s Oscars.

The Leaf is the first 100% battery-powered family car and has been hailed by some as the first in a new era of zero emission mass-produced vehicles.

The car has beaten off stiff competition from 34 conventional petrol and diesel engined cars to make it to the shortlist. The rise of the electric car has been held back by a number of factors including poor battery life, limited range, poor performance and a lack of publicly available charging stations.

However, advances in battery technology and a major investment in charging networks by One North East mean the vehicles are now a serious proposition for typical families. It is hoped a £5,000 Government subsidy towards the cost of purchasing a car will also act as a kick start.

The success of the battery powered car industry is seen as being vital for the economic prospects of the region. In addition to keeping the Nissan Sunderland plant as the UK’s biggest car producer the introduction of the Leaf has also necessitated the building of an advanced lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant.

Andy Palmer, Nissan’s senior vice president of global products, said: "As a technical innovator and leader in bringing zero-emission cars such as the Nissan Leaf to market, Nissan sees no compromise between delivering a great driving experience and being environmentally-friendly."

The judges will make their final decision later today.