NISSAN is celebrating the power of regenerative energy this Christmas with a special one-off Nissan TREE car.
The Japanese marque has decked out a LEAF electric vehicle with a spectacular light display featuring thousands of LEDs, shimmery baubles and a reindeer.
The Nissan TREE’s sparkling show is powered entirely by the family motor’s own regenerative braking energy system. This features two clever pieces of technology – the e-pedal and B mode – that extend the driving range.
The e-Pedal allows the driver to start, accelerate, decelerate and stop using only the accelerator pedal while harvesting energy via regenerative braking.
This works by recycling the energy from the movement of the car during braking or deceleration, which then goes straight back to the batteries, where it is used to recharge the cells.
Meanwhile, B mode is a driving function that regenerates energy under braking, with drivers using the traditional brake pedal as normal.
Nissan claim the average LEAF driver will regenerate 744kWh of clean energy every 11,000 miles – equal to 20 per cent of the electricity consumption of a normal household for a year.
Helen Perry, head of EVs for Nissan Europe, said: “Santa shouldn’t be the only one with a festive mode of transport. We hope this custom-made vehicle inspires people about the benefits of regenerative energy.”
