TO coincide with the Nissan LEAF’s second birthday, some owners from overseas visited Japan to see the factories where the batteries and electric vehicles were produced.
Since December 2010, Nissan has delivered more than 18,000 LEAFs to US customers and more than 46,000 worldwide, making it the most successful 100 per cent electric vehicle in history.
Production of the world’s leading EV is now going global, but these owners from the US and Europe offered the following comments on their visit to Japan:
Gary Lieber, Nissan LEAF Owner, San Francisco Bay: ‘I’m like a kid in a candy store to be honest with you. This is pretty cool, no doubt about it. I have always wondered how these things are put together and just to see it – it’s like a concert, a symphony of having these things put together – how everything’s in motion and it’s just all coming together and a brand new car spits out at the end.
‘I’m the co-founder of the San Francisco BayLEAFs. We’re a LEAF owners’ association based in San Francisco. We’ve got around 300 members, and we believe we’re the largest LEAF owners’ association in the world.
‘I drive the LEAF for a variety of reasons. I think it is the 21st Century transportation. We love the car because it is so economical. It’s so quiet. It’s environmentally responsible.’
Shannon Monroe, Nissan LEAF Owner, Florida: ‘The factory is amazing, the automation that’s here, the technology – the testing of the batteries and the design and assembly, to actually meet the people who are inventing this technology that’s changing the world.
‘I love the robots. It’s great to see them all running around carrying the batteries back and forth. The fact that they’re going to use the batteries from the LEAF in the robots is great, too.
‘I was one of the first LEAF owners in America and first LEAF owner in Florida. I think it’s time for a change. It’s amazing that Nissan has taken the risk to give me a choice. I can choose a gas car from them or I can choose an electric car. My son who is one-year old has never been in a gas-powered car because of Nissan, and the risks they took to produce this car.’
Edwin Glaser, Nissan LEAF Owner, The Netherlands: ‘I’ve never been in a factory like this before, and what I notice so much is that all the cars are between each other. I thought it would be one line for just one car, and another one.
‘But you can also see the LEAF, which we are interested in, being built up through the process and it’s wonderful. There are a lot of levels. You see cars flying over your head almost, going in and out. It’s really great.’