Car Blog

Nissan North America brought sustainable mobility to Texas with the arrival of the state’s first all-electric Nissan LEAF.

The Sauers family took delivery of their blue Nissan LEAF SL at Clear Lake Nissan of League City, Texas. This groundbreaking moment follows last month’s deliveries in Northern and Southern California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Tennessee.

Jimmy Sauers, along with his wife Christie and their three daughters, live in Seabrook, TX, a suburb of Houston. Jimmy is an engineer and analyst for Reliant Energy while Christie is an engineer for NASA.

“Electricity is the new fuel for cars, and the Nissan LEAF has the potential to transform the automotive industry and the way people drive,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas. “Starting today, drivers in Houston have the freedom to choose a future that produces zero tailpipe emissions, moves away from our dependence on fossil fuels and represents the end of trips to the gas station. This Nissan LEAF delivery signifies the dawn of a movement that brings sustainable mobility to within our grasp.”

In November 2009 Nissan announced that it was entering into an agreement with the retail electric provider, Reliant Energy of Houston to advance zero-emission mobility. A similar partnership with the City of Houston was formed in February 2010 that also helped pave the way for the introduction of the Nissan LEAF in Texas.

NRG Energy, Inc., the parent company of Reliant Energy, recently launched the nation’s first privately funded, comprehensive electric vehicle charging ecosystem in Houston called eVgo(SM). The Sauers have chosen eVgo’s Mobile Plan and Reliant’s EV Owner’s Plan for their new Nissan LEAF providing them with power for their home charger and unlimited access to the city’s charging ecosystem.

“We are very pleased to have the owners of the first Nissan LEAF in Texas select eVgo to keep their vehicle charged wherever they go in the city and ultimately across the entire Texas Triangle,” said Arun Banskota, president of NRG’s Electric Vehicle Services.

“Today marks a dramatic shift in the way Houstonians will be driving,” said Annise Parker, mayor of Houston. “Electric vehicles are now a real and viable part of our future. We look forward to working with Nissan and continuing to make Houston a cleaner and greener city in which to live and work.”

The delivery is Nissan’s first in Texas in 2011 as the company delivered the first Nissan LEAF vehicles to each of its primary launch markets in December 2010 to Northern and Southern California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Tennessee. Nissan also donated $25,000 to the World Wildlife Fund to mark the occasion.

Nissan is on track for a nationwide launch of the Nissan LEAF by 2012, with Hawaii next to roll out later this month. In order to fulfill interest and meet demand in initial launch markets, Nissan plans to reopen reservations in the first half of 2011 as well as shift timing of additional markets until the second half of 2011.

Nissan North America announced a new program offering a choice of a no-charge commercial upfit package or no-charge exterior graphics package for businesses purchasing or leasing a new Nissan NV1500, NV2500 HD or NV3500 HD commercial van.  The no-charge upgrade program is offered through Nissan Commercial Vehicle dealers to qualified commercial businesses.  The 2012 Nissan NV is the company’s first entry into the commercial vehicle market in the United States and features a starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $24,590.

The 2012 Nissan NV features durable body-on-frame construction and choice of standard roof or industry-exclusive high roof configurations.  Models include the NV1500 with standard 4.0-liter V6 engine, the NV2500 HD with a choice of 4.0-liter V6 or 5.6-liter V8 and the NV3500 HD with standard 5.6-liter V8.  All NV models are equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission.

“As part of our commitment to providing ‘innovation for business,’ we’re taking an innovative approach to offering added business solutions – high quality cargo management packages or an industry exclusive offering of custom exterior graphics – right from the launch of the exciting new Nissan NV,” said Joe Castelli, vice president, Nissan Commercial Vehicles and Fleet, NNA.  ”We know commercial vehicle buyers customize their vehicles to meet their business needs, and we want to be part of the solution for them.”

The no-charge commercial upfit packages are from Adrian Steel and include the choice of a Cargo Management System with a steel cabin/cargo partition and three 44-inch shelving units, or a Utility Package featuring a steel cabin/cargo partition and an exterior (Standard Roof) or interior (High Roof) utility rack.  The no-charge graphics package is available from Original Wraps and offers up to 70 square feet of professionally designed, exterior graphic material (installation included).  Qualified commercial buyers can also opt for a $300 rebate in lieu of the upfit or graphic packages.

For the past six years, the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) has produced an education day for thousands of students as part of a greater auto show experience. 2011 NAIAS promises to offer even more for those schools in attendance by providing students a full menu of potential career options, ranging from inside to beyond the automotive industry.

NAIAS welcomes students in school groups in grades 9 – 12 and college level to attend NAIAS Education Day: A World of Opportunities, presented by State Farm Insurance at Cobo Center in Detroit on Wed., Jan. 19, 2011 beginning at 7:30 a.m.

NAIAS Education Day, along with the help of leading specialists from a variety of fields, continues to give educators from around the Midwest an opportunity to enhance their lesson plans. Students who participate in this unique day gain insight into the latest technologies, engineering, automotive design and environmental concerns. They also will be able to meet with representatives from various colleges to learn about career paths in their areas of interest.

NAIAS Education Day will offer show floor tours led by industry specialists in the following areas of interest: Read the rest of this entry »

NAVTEQ  issued their experts’ rankings of the Top 10 most congested cities and freeways in North America.

NAVTEQ Traffic.com will help millions of on-the-go drivers dodge the worst of the worst traffic this holiday season via real-time traffic information available online and on their mobile phones.

NAVTEQ has more than 400 experts monitoring traffic 24/7* in 113 markets.

NAVTEQ traffic operators gather more than 45 million new traffic incident records per day and these experts know that unless plans keep you close to home, there’s no truly crowd-free way to travel. Airports will be clogged with 24 million passengers(1). Popular train and bus routes will be standing room only. And all of that will accommodate just 15% of those who travel to Thanksgiving dinner. The other 85% will drive, and more than half intend to make trips in excess of 60 miles(2). Read the rest of this entry »

Atlanta Prepares for Nissan LEAF 100% Electric Vehicle

Nissan North America, Inc. announced the lease of a X-TRAIL Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) to Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc. Nissan, which began development of fuel cell vehicle technology in 1996, has previously used FCVs in demonstration fleets in Japan and in California through the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP), but this is Nissan’s first commercial FCV lease in North America. The Sacramento Coca-Cola lease is for one year, with an option for two additional years.

“Sacramento already has the beginning of a hydrogen infrastructure in place, and Sacramento Coca-Cola has a track record of utilizing low emissions cars, so the two companies share a green philosophy as well as a common love of things ‘zero’,” said Eric Nozier, vice president, Corporate Planning, NNA

The zero emissions X-TRAIL FCV is being used by the bottler for sales calls and public events in the Sacramento area in promotion of its Coca-Cola Zero® soft drink. “This is a big step in furthering our commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Bob Brown, executive vice president of Sacramento Coca-Cola. “We are really excited about the promise of fuel cell technology.”

Nissan’s comprehensive fuel cell research and development program is part of a range of eco-friendly technologies — including FCVs, electric vehicles, hybrid and improved internal combustion engines — being pursued under the Nissan Green Program 2010, a plan focused on developing new technologies, products and services leading to real-world reductions in CO2 emissions, cleaner emissions and expanded recycling of resources.

The Nissan X-TRAIL FCV is based on the X-TRAIL SUV, which is available in Mexico, Japan and Europe. It is fitted with a Nissan-developed compact fuel cell stack, a compact Lithium-ion battery and a high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder. Performance is close to that of a similarly sized internal combustion engine-based vehicle. Versions of this generation X-TRAIL FCV are capable of speeds in excess of 95 miles per hour, with a cruising range of up to 300 miles.

Sacramento-based Nissan X-TRAIL FCVs have already logged nearly 300,000 miles in ongoing internal tests, with one vehicle very close to the 100,000-mile mark. “The future of sustainable mobility will depend on the simultaneous development of many technologies. Test programs like Sacramento Coca-Cola X-TRAIL FCV lease help us keep our momentum going in this arena, even as we’re getting ready to roll out the new Nissan LEAF electric vehicle in the next year,” said Nozier.

In addition to the current generation X-TRAIL FCV, Nissan earlier this year announced testing of a next-generation fuel cell stack that is 25 percent smaller than the current model and will be less expensive to build. Nissan North America recently opened a new Fuel Cell Laboratory at the Nissan Technical Center in Farmington Hills, Mich. The new lab will support other global Nissan research centers and will work with suppliers and universities on various related fuel cell projects.

“Any 5th grade math student can tell you that 0+0+0=0, yet in this case zero (carbs) plus zero (calories) plus zero (emissions) adds up to a great partnership and a great way to promote both the Nissan and Coca-Cola Zero® brands,” added Nozier.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to team up with Nissan to employ zero-emissions technology in a real life business setting,” said Don Quinn, Director of Operations for Sacramento Coca-Cola. “What better way to showcase zero-emissions technology than with North America’s most popular new zero-calorie soft drink?”

Nissan Green 2010 activities  www.nissan-global.com/EN/ENVIRONMENT/GREENPROGRAM_2010