Nissan Delivers British Columbia’s First Mass Market Electric

Nissan Canada has delivered the first all-electric Nissan LEAF to a retail customer in British Columbia. Bill and Nicole Clendinning, of Coquitlam, received their red Nissan LEAF SL on October 6th at Morrey Nissan of Port Coquitlam.

This might not seem like much, but the delivery of the province’s first mass market, all-electric car could see the development of new automotive service technician and automotive service, car sales and parts careers.

“This is a significant milestone as we deliver the first all-electric Nissan LEAF to the Clendinning family in British Columbia, the first province in Canada to commit to working with us to promote the adoption of electric vehicles almost two years ago,” said Allen Childs, President of Nissan Canada Inc, in a press release. “Sustainable mobility is within our grasp and at Nissan we’re excited to be leading the way by bringing the world’s first all-electric car to the mass market.”

Nissan Canada Inc. has offices in Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC), and it directly employs 250 full-time staff. There are also 171 independent Nissan dealerships and 29 Infiniti retailers across the country. The spin-off possibilities, therefore, from the introduction of a new mass market electric vehicle may be substantial.

Delivery of Model Year 11 Nissan LEAFs will continue in the coming weeks across Canada, with Nissan Canada opening its online reservation process for its first allocation of Model Year 12 Nissan LEAFs.“It’s very exciting to be at the forefront of the sustainable mobility movement,” said Jason Morrey, President of Morrey Nissan. Nissan anticipates 600 Nissan LEAFs on Canadian roads by the end of 2012.

The arrival of mass market electric cars has already had an influence on the industry, particularly on the research side. According to James B. Treece of Automotive News, electric cars have:

• Forced automakers and parts suppliers to raise the efficiency of electrically powered parts, such as air conditioner compressors. This will lead to more efficient components for all vehicles.
• Sparked research into a broad range of technology, like sound insulation.
• Improved the image of carmakers (some of which were struggling just a few short years ago).

It’s definitely interesting times in the industry!