Nissan transforms the Leaf into mobile Christmas tree

MANILA: Nissan is showing its holiday spirit with the help of the electric Nissan Leaf. The automaker released images of the Nissan Leaf completely decked out in thousands of LED holiday lights. What makes the feat even cooler is that the lights are fully powered by the vehicle itself. Besides channeling the holidays, Nissan used the opportunity to demonstrate the electric vehicle’s (EV) regenerative braking feature, perfectly illustrating how EV’s reclaim energy when in use.

The Nissan Leaf can successfully power the lights thanks to its onboard battery pack. Ideally, however, the vehicle shouldn’t be able to drive very far with all of the lights plugged in. This is where the Leaf’s regenerative braking system comes in. 

Similar to most EVs and hybrids, the Leaf uses regenerative braking to recover lost energy. When driving normally, this is what allows drivers to decelerate without needing to touch the brake pedal. According to Nissan, 18,000 kilometers (11,184 miles) on the Leaf can generate approximately 744 kWh of clean energy. That’s enough to recharge the Leaf’s 62 kWh battery pack 12 times. Not only that, that 744 kWh of energy is enough to power 266 Christmas trees with 700 incandescent lights for a full hour. 

Nissan added that they’re looking at how they can use the data for other potential uses. According to their findings, 744 kWh of energy is also capable of powering 10,783 houses with 1,000 LED lights each for five hours.

While regenerative braking is actually standard in electric cars, the Nissan Leaf offers an additional feature for drivers: the Nissan e-Pedal. The Nissan e-Pedal combines both regenerative braking and conventional mechanical brakes. This makes it less confusing for the driver on when they should use the brake pedal. In fact, the Leaf can bring itself to a complete stop without even needing to touch the pedal.

Nissan is currently working on a new electric crossover which could potentially be inspired by the design of the Nissan IMx. The automaker has already confirmed that they are developing a new dual-motor electric all-wheel-drive system. 

Nissan also announced that it is planning to launch the Leaf in the Philippines next year. Keep checking Zigwheels Philippines for more updates.

Also read: Check out the 50th Anniversary special edition of Nissan GT-R