• LEAF number 250,000 rolls off the line at Nissan Sunderland Plant
  • Vehicle to X-MAS TREE lights up the plant’s Christmas display
  • Demonstrates potential of EVs for energy storage

Sunderland, UK – A Nissan LEAF is providing the sparkle for Nissan Sunderland Plant's Christmas display to celebrate production of 250,000 of the pioneering electric vehicle in the UK.

Demonstrating the ability of the LEAF to act as a mobile power plant, the lights on the 32-foot Christmas tree and its shimmering reindeer are being powered by the vehicle's battery, using V2X (or V2X-MAS TREE) technology.

Alan Johnson, Vice President Manufacturing at Nissan Sunderland Plant, said: "Passing a quarter of a million Nissan LEAF is a tremendous milestone, and demonstrates the electric vehicle manufacturing expertise we have built up at our plant over the past decade.

"This year we have completely electrified the plant's line-up with the new versions of Qashqai and Juke launched, so lighting up the Christmas tree with our original EV is a spectacular and appropriate way to end 2022."

The Nissan LEAF's vehicle-to-grid capability (sometimes called vehicle-to-building or vehicle-to-everything - V2X) puts energy management back in the hands of the owner by turning their vehicle into a mobile energy hub. Drivers can store electricity in their vehicle's battery and feed it to the grid, their building, or their Christmas Tree, when needed.

The technology allows electric vehicles to be fully integrated into the electricity grid and help improve grid capability to handle renewable power as well as managing energy more efficiently.

The Nissan LEAF, built in Sunderland for more than a decade, was the world's first mass-market electric vehicle . The Nissan Qashqai, the record-breaking original crossover, is now offered with Nissan's unique e-POWER system, a first for the company in Europe, while its B-segment stablemate, the Nissan Juke, is now equipped with an advanced hybrid powertrain.

In 2021 Nissan's Sunderland Plant was announced as the home of EV36ZERO, a £1bn flagship electric vehicle manufacturing ecosystem bringing together electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production.

The plant is currently recruiting for various positions. Anyone interested in a career at Nissan can visit careersatnissan.co.uk for more information.

About Nissan in Europe 
For more information about Nissan's products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on FacebookInstagramTwitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.  

# # #

Contact

Ben Guy
Nissan Sunderland Plant Communications
M: +44 (0) 7779 783 652
ben.guy@nissan-nmuk.co.uk

Lucy Farrington
Nissan Sunderland Plant Communications
M: +44 (0) 7969 182 856
lucy.farrington@nissan-nmuk.co.uk

Issued by Nissan