Nissan became the first automaker to offer a 100% electric vehicle for sale in Mexico. Such vehicle appears to be the automobile of the future. To date, more than 115,000 units have been sold throughout the world. With this, Nissan confirms its position as a market leader in the production of electric vehicles. It also confirms the company’s commitment to promote zero emissions as it plans to open charging stations throughout Mexico’s territory. The presale of these electric vehicles has already started, and it is expected that the Nissan Leaf will arrive in the marketplace around the end of June or beginning of July. The model to be sold in Mexico will be unique and some of its features include the addition of an electric piece that would allow charging to occur immediately after drivers decelerate, as well as a fast-charging port which will allow for 80% of the battery to be charged in only 30 minutes. The new model has leather seats, a touch-screen display and many other features. The reaction of drivers testing electric vehicles has been interesting. In addition to being enjoyable, and non-contaminating, the almost total silence of the driving experience has been fascinating to many drivers. As previously published in MexicanAutomotive™, Nissan and the state of Morelos have created the first electric automobile corridor in Latin America, which is located between Mexico City and Cuernavaca. Additional plans to develop recharge zones throughout Mexico City are pending, which would be located in the Roma, Del Valle, Coyoacan, Polanco, Santa Fe, Satelite, Altavista and San Angel neighborhoods. In addition to Nissan’s plans to make its electric vehicles match the needs of consumers, such vehicles must also be reliable. Jorge Vallejo, Director of External Relations for Nissan Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean stated that the company understands the anxiety that could result when a driver of an electric vehicle is unable to locate charging infrastructure in a given city, making it even more important for each driver to be able to charge their vehicle at home.
