A SOMERSET Nissan dealership is leading the way when it comes to being environmentally-friendly.
And the all-electric LEAF is playing a key role as the company tries to reduce its carbon footprint.
The drive for sustainability at FJ Chalke, Wincanton, dates back to 2010, when dealer principal Steve Fowler attended the Geneva NMGB Dealer Conference at which FJ Chalke collected two awards.
Steve returned to the UK full of enthusiasm regarding Nissan’s planned launch of the 100 per cent electric Nissan LEAF in the UK market.
His enthusiasm was so great that he quickly got the rest of the team at Wincanton on board and having made the commitment, set the wheels in motion with Nissan to secure EV dealer status for FJ Chalke.
That prompted the company to review its management of environmental issues, especially its carbon footprint. A managed programme of recycling was introduced and a review of energy consumption was carried out.
Beverley Satchell, electric vehicle relationship manager at FJ Chalke, takes up the story.
She said: ‘Having worked against the odds, we were fortunate enough to be included in the first wave of EV dealers to achieve electric vehicle dealership status.
‘The launch of LEAF proved very successful for FJ Chalke and the Nissan brand and as a further statement of our commitment to the all-electric vehicle and in line with our total commitment to reduce our carbon footprint, we have now completed the installation of 95 photovoltaic panels.
‘This addition of the photovoltaic panels will allow us to generate 17,540 units of electricity per year. This will comfortably provide sufficient energy for our entire electric vehicle charge systems.’
Exciting times
But that’s not all. FJ Chalke are using the LEAF as a courtesy car for the company’s service customers.
Beverley added: ‘The remainder of the electricity we generate goes towards covering a substantial percentage of our dealership’s daily consumption of electricity, with any surplus electricity being fed back into the national grid. Another major benefit of our investment is the impact it has on reducing our carbon footprint to the extent of 9962kg of CO2 per year.
‘The future of motoring is going through exciting times; those times are going to be brighter and environmentally friendlier with FJ Chalke and Nissan.’