Nissan Motors is laying the groundwork for a 2011 rollout of its LEAF EV in the United Kingdom. This groundwork includes a recent agreement with One North East, a regional development agency, to establish EV education programs and infrastructure over the next two years. Nissan promises to place priorities on orders of LEAF EVs from customers in northeast England beginning in spring 2011. One North East, in turn, is investing money in EV demos, infrastructure development and other elements needed to make LEAF EV ownership easier.
Representatives of One North East noted that 619 EV charge points will be installed throughout northeast England by January 1, 2011. In addition to 3kW and 7kW charge points, One North East is planning to install a dozen 50kW fast chargers. These charging stations will provide free electricity to EV owners until March 31, 2002 when itemized billing of power use at charge points is expected to begin. One North East and its public and private partners will need to resolve the issue of who bears the brunt of public EV charging costs as LEAF EVs hit area streets.
The LEAF EV rollout is part of One North East’s plan for a Low Carbon Economic Area for Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles. The agency intends to create a business park with EV-friendly parking and an EV test track to encourage low carbon vehicle ownership and development. One North East is also investing $3.9 million in a National Centre for Sustainable Manufacturing and $3.8 million in an Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Development Centre. Instead of focusing solely on the LEAF EV rollout, One North East is looking to the next generation of EVs with this program.
Perhaps the most crucial elements of the One North East/Nissan collaboration are incentives to ensure early adoption. Both sides will work with local and regional authorities to develop traffic lanes devoted to hybrid and EV drivers. One North East is working with local businesses to open 200 free public spots for EV charging by November 2010. The agency will work with Nissan to lobby local governments to require EV charging stations in all new buildings. These incentives allow consumers to surmount obstacles to EV ownership while ensuring a slow but steady development of charging infrastructure in northeast England.
