A new version of the Nissan LEAF, featuring more than 100 updates, is now being produced at the company’s Sunderland Plant in the UK. This development means that the Leaf is now being manufactured on three continents: North America, Europe, and Asia.
Among the updates present in the 2013 Nissan Leaf EV, two of the most significant are an improved range, now up to 124 miles, and a faster charge.
The addition of Leaf production at the Sunderland Plant has resulted in the creation of over 2,000 new jobs. (This includes jobs at Nissan’s new UK Battery Plant.)
The UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron was quoted in Nissan’s press release as saying: “Nissan’s record breaking year last year is a success story for UK volume car manufacturing and demonstrates how our automotive industry is competing and thriving in the global race. I warmly welcome the production of the new electric LEAF model and battery plant at Sunderland. This £420 million investment, backed by Government, is supporting over 2,000 jobs in our automotive sector including more than 500 at Nissan in Sunderland, helping people in the area who want to work hard and get on.”
The Nissan Leaf has been doing pretty well as of late. Sales this year have have climbed about 37% since last year, with about 55,000 total units sold since its release. Not bad. Major infrastructure improvements in Europe have been coming along as well, with the number of charging points in Europe growing from 12,000 to over 20,000 during the last year. With improving infrastructure, sales should continue to climb into the foreseeable future.
Image Credit: Nissan Leaf via Wikimedia Commons
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