Switch EV, a major electric vehicle test drive in North East England, kicked off this month with fourteen drivers taking delivery of the 100 percent electric Nissan Leaf. The project, which involves other automakers as well, is aimed at accelerating the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the UK.
Participants in Switch EV will use the Leaf as their own vehicle for six month and will report on their experience. The Leafs were given to participants in a ceremony at the Nissan Sunderland Plant, where the Leaf will be manufactured beginning in 2013.
“Today I’m delighted to hand over the keys to these 14 Nissan LEAFs so people can experience and feedback valuable information on what it’s really like to drive an electric car as part of the largest project of its kind in the world,” said UK Minister for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk MP, who also received a tour of Nissan's production facilities.
After six months these Switch EV Leafs will pass to a new group of people to experience life with an EV. The project will allow 150 people to test a total of 49 new, all-electric vehicles from different manufacturers. Each EV in the project has been outfitted with data collection units to record the effects of road topology and congestion on the range of the battery, as well as other data.
“Today marks a major milestone in the advancement of electric vehicles in the UK. Up to now Nissan has only been able to allow limited access to the zero-emission Nissan LEAF – but today we are handing over 14 cars to members of the public for six months," said Trevor Mann, Nissan Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe. “The drive home today will be enough for these drivers to realise that driving the Nissan LEAF does not mean they have to compromise on driving experience or performance.”
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