The City of Sydney has taken delivery of 10 Nissan LEAF electric cars, the single largest order of the vehicle in Australia, to date.
The City of Sydney has purchased 10 examples of the innovative Nissan LEAF EV to replace its former fleet of 10 Toyota Prius petrol-electric hybrid cars. The zero-petrol, zero-tailpipe-emission Nissan LEAFs will be used by a range of city employees, including building and health inspectors, town planners and engineers.
William F. Peffer Jr., managing director and CEO of Nissan Australia says: “The City of Sydney should be applauded for taking this leading stance on using zero-emission car technology.
“The LEAF is the first mass-produced, purpose-built electric car, and its green credentials are exceptional.
“The Nissan LEAF EV is a ground-breaking vehicle. It doesn’t use petrol, it has zero tailpipe emissions and features market-leading technology, including the ability to control systems such as the car’s air-conditioning from a smart phone,” he says.
The City of Sydney decided to replace its hybrid-powered fleet with 10 Nissan LEAF electric cars to further reduce its costs and emissions levels.
“Electric cars are extremely cost-effective. They are 85% cheaper to run than standard petrol cars, they have a range of 170 km on a full charge and are very quiet,” City of Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore says.
“While our current hybrid vehicles are more fuel efficient than standard cars, they still use petrol and produce fumes. We are now able to replace them with the latest pollution-free technology which has much lower running costs.
“A shift to electric cars powered by low-carbon energy has benefits for everyone – lower running costs, lower pollution and quieter streets.”
Carbon emissions from charging the electric vehicles will be offset by zero-carbon electricity produced by solar panels installed on city buildings.
The City of Sydney became the first council in Australia to achieve formal certification as carbon-neutral under the National Carbon Offset Standard in November 2011, as a result of its benchmark greenhouse gas reduction programs.
The city is installing 5500 solar panels on 30 of its buildings, including Town Hall House, public buildings, major depots and additional solar panels for electric vehicle charging offsets, the largest building-mounted solar installation in Australia.
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