EMPLOYEES at Brompton Bicycle – manufacturer of the world’s most famous folding bike – have found the perfect partner for the company’s own design classic: the 100% electric Nissan LEAF.
The hugely successful British company, whose bike has become a global style icon, started offering the 230 staff at its West London HQ the right to lease a car through a salary sacrifice scheme earlier this year.
And the LEAF, which is also a world leader made in the UK, has proved by far the most popular option, with four of the team already taking delivery and another six awaiting their new cars at the start of the new year.
In fact the LEAF, which costs just two pence per mile to run and offers zero emissions mobility, has proved so successful the company now expects a bank of 10 charge points to be installed at its new factory when it relocates later this month.
Chief Executive Officer, Will Butler-Adams OBE, himself a LEAF owner, said: “The team can choose any car they want through the salary sacrifice scheme but of the five who have taken up the scheme so far, four have opted for the LEAF.
“It’s the car everyone likes the best. I guess it’s because just like our bike the LEAF is all about function and simplicity – it just works. And just like our bike it’s also made in the UK, which is something we’re incredibly proud of.”
Will, who began his engineering career with placements at Nissan in the Sunderland plant and Spain while at university, went on: “The Brompton and the LEAF are perfect companions for each other. By itself the LEAF is fantastic but, stick a little bicycle like the Brompton in the boot and it’s awesome.
“We all use a car. If I’m going to travel 80 miles, I’m not going to pedal unless I’m doing it for fun at the weekend. If I’m going to take my children to school, I’m not going to stick them all on a bike and cycle 20 miles – it’s just too far for them.
“But by combining the LEAF and the Brompton I have the most fabulous commute to work. I drive from my home near Maidenhead to the edge of London, where I park all day for free. Then, I lift out my Brompton and cycle the last seven miles to the office along the Grand Union Canal. It’s glorious.”
With a huge range of personalisation options and a number of different models and variations to choose from, the Brompton bike is a true design classic, first invented more than 25 years ago. Neat and lightweight, it folds and unfolds in under 20 seconds.
For more details visit www.brompton.com