Nissan Canada made history when it delivered the first all-electric Nissan LEAF in Canada, signaling the arrival of sustainable mobility to the Canadian mass market. PowerStream, the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, received keys to its two white Nissan LEAFs MY11, at an event at its head office in Vaughan, Ontario. In addition to Allen Childs, President of Nissan Canada, Frank Scarpitti, PowerStream Board Chair and Mayor of the Town of Markham, and Monte Kwinter, MPP (York-Centre) were also in attendance.
"Electricity is the new fuel for cars and drivers have the freedom to choose a future with no tailpipe emissions or dependence on fossil fuels," said Allen Childs, President of Nissan Canada, Inc. "This Nissan LEAF delivery is just the beginning of the sustainable mobility movement in Canada."
"As leaders in our respective industries who share a common commitment to protecting the environment, it's fitting that PowerStream and Nissan are joining forces here today to officially introduce this new and exciting vehicle into the Canadian marketplace," said Frank Scarpitti, PowerStream's Board Chair and Mayor of the Town of Markham. "The Nissan LEAF is a testament to the new frontier beginning to unfold in automotive transportation. We commend Nissan for its foresight and look forward to using our new LEAFs as a means of testing the impact of electric vehicles on our distribution grid."
Through Model Year 12, Nissan expects to release around 600 Nissan Leaf on the Canadian market. In addition to these MY 12 models, Nissan Canada has secured 100 MY11 Nissan LEAFs with 40 allocated to consumers, ahead of the arrival of MY12 cars which will start to arrive later this year.
To be eligible to reserve a Nissan LEAF, consumers must be registered on www.nissan.ca/leaf and live within the vicinity of a Nissan LEAF certified dealer. Those meeting these criteria will receive an email in the coming weeks with all the details on how and when to order a Nissan LEAF.
Reservations will be very limited for MY 11 and made on a first-come-first-served basis. A second wave of reservations will be available in the coming months for the 2012 Nissan LEAF and as production ramps up and more cars become available, reservations will open to the broader public.
The first Canadian markets to receive the Nissan LEAF are those in which Nissan has formed partnerships with local or provincial governments along with utilities, to foster the development of electric vehicle-friendly policies and an EV-charging infrastructure, which will help ensure the best possible ownership experience. To date, Nissan has partnerships in Canada with:
- The Province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro
- The Government of Québec, the City of Montréal, Québec City and Quebec Hydro
- The City of Toronto
- The Government of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro
