The Nissan LEAF Transforms into the Nissan TREE for Christmas
The City of Lights just became a little bit brighter this Christmas season, and it’s all thanks to the Nissan LEAF. The automaker gave this best-selling electric car a festive makeover by covering it in thousands of Christmas lights, powered by the vehicle’s regenerative braking system.
“Santa shouldn’t be the only one with a festive mode of transport,” remarked Helen Perry, the Head of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe. “We wanted to make the Nissan LEAF more fun at this time of year whilst driving home a very important message.”
Keeping with the holiday spirit, the automaker renamed this one-off festive model — it’s known as the Nissan (Christmas) TREE. Whatever you call it, there’s no denying that it’s an impressive display of the EV’s energy-efficient capabilities.
The power of regenerative braking
The Nissan LEAF has two methods of recuperating energy while you drive: the e-Pedal and B mode. The e-Pedal allows for one-pedal driving. In other words, it makes it so you only have to use the accelerator when operating the car. When you’re braking or decelerating, the system harvests energy from the car’s movement and sends it back to the battery. B mode, on the other hand, collects energy through a similar process but works when you’re using the traditional brake pedal.
These modes save a shocking amount of energy. The automaker estimates that for every 11,184 miles, the average LEAF driver regenerates 744kWh of energy. In other words, that’s enough to power 266 incandescent-light-covered Christmas trees for one hour. It’s also equivalent to powering 297 ovens for one hour, 744 televisions for one hour, or 10,783 LED-equipped houses for five hours.
“We hope this custom-made vehicle inspires people about the endless benefits of regenerative energy,” Perry said.
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