Nissan turns LEAF into Christmas Tree
Talk about pimping your ride. Nissan has taken a LEAF electric car and turned it into a giant mobile Christmas Tree. As you do.
OK it’s essentially a PR stunt for the festive season and a pretty one at that. But there is a serious point and that’s to show how much energy the Nissan LEAF regenerates when braking and how much energy you can gain back.
Apparently the average Nissan LEAF driver regenerates 744kWh of clean energy a year when driving 18,000km (average annual distance of LEAF drivers). This is equivalent to 20% of domestic electricity consumption of an average European household. Or apparently enough energy to power:
- 10,783 houses with 1,000 LED lights for five hours
- 266 Christmas trees with 700 incandescent lights for one hour
- 297 ovens for one hour to cook Christmas dinner
- 744 televisions for five hours to watch Christmas movies
The Nissan LEAF e-pedal recycles energy from the movement of the car during braking or deceleration, which is used to recharge the batteries. Meanwhile, B mode is a driving function that regenerates energy under braking, with drivers using the traditional brake pedal.
Says Helen Perry, Head of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe:
“Santa shouldn’t be the only one with a festive mode of transport. We wanted to make the Nissan LEAF more fun at this time of year whilst driving home a very important message.”
“We hope this custom-made vehicle inspires people about the endless 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,” she added.
Shame the Nissan Christmas Tree isn’t a real thing that you can buy. At least you wouldn’t get flashed for not having your lights on!
