London mayor Boris Johnson first politician to experience longer range Nissan LEAF

Posted on 8 Dec 2015 by Tim Brown

As the first week of COP21 came to a close, Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, took advantage of Nissan’s zero emission shuttle service as he departed Paris.

Opting for environmentally-friendly transport, Johnson took the opportunity to experience the new 30kWh battery version of the world’s best-selling all electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF.

He was driven from his hotel to Gare du Nord train station, bringing his time at the global climate change conference to an end.

Boris Johnson at last year's Conservative Party Conference, Photo By Andrew Parsons/ i-Image
Boris Johnson, London Mayor & British politician (image courtesy of Andrew Parsons/ i-Image).

The London Mayor and British politician, who is paving the way for low emission transport in London, is the first politician around the world to experience the new, longer range model of the Nissan LEAF.

Johnson joined events in Paris to speak in the Climate Summit for Local Leaders earlier in the day. As he said farewell to Paris, the Nissan LEAF 30kWh provided zero emission, 100% electric transport for the commencement of his journey home following the events at COP21.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is an official partner of COP21, providing a fleet of 200 all-electric vehicles as the official passenger-car provider for  the global climate change conference. The shuttle vehicles, which include the 100% electric Nissan LEAF, represent the world’s largest ever EV fleet at an international conference.

While the Nissan LEAF is more than capable of driving the distance between Johnson’s hotel and Gare du Nord, the LEAF could have driven the distance more than 80 times, with the 30kWh battery extending its range to 250km (155 miles) on a single charge.

Speaking about his experience in the new Nissan LEAF 30 kWh, Johnson said:“It’s a good feeling to see a British built export driving around the streets of Paris as the official shuttle car of a major UN conference.

“I’m delighted that I got to experience the new, longer range Nissan LEAF whilst at COP21. Zero emission cars like this will play a real part in improving the air quality in our cities as well as tackling climate change.”

Robert Lujan, Electric Vehicle Director, Nissan Motor Company commented: “It’s a natural fit for Nissan to offer up our newest LEAF to Boris Johnson as he makes his way back to London after COP21. The car is built in Britain and exported to Paris – as well as all across Europe. The Nissan LEAF’s popularity in the UK can in part be attributed to Mr Johnson’s efforts to reduce the environmental impact of transport in the UK’s capital.”

While Johnson’s time at COP21 has come to a close, the Nissan LEAF will continue to feature heavily behind the scenes as part of a 200 strong electric vehicle fleet provided by the Renault-Nissan Alliance – the world’s largest ever EV fleet at an international conference. Together, the vehicles are expected to cover more than 400,000km, while shuttling delegates during the conference.