Million target hit ahead of target

The initial plan was to reach the one million mark in 100 days... but the campaign has so captured the imagination of the public that the milestone was reached on Thursday June 21, 15 days ahead of schedule.

“We are delighted to have hit one million ‘turn ons’ ahead of schedule,” said Paul Willcox, senior vice-president for sales and marketing, Nissan in Europe.

“It shows that more and more people are realising that cars like Nissan LEAF are a real alternative. While Nissan might have reached its target early, The Big Turn On will continue to spread the word about the 100 per cent electric LEAF.”

As well as encouraging car drivers from France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK to consider the benefits of zero-emission driving, the campaign is also showing that the Nissan LEAF is incredibly safe, environmentally friendly and economical to run, with the range between charges being easily sufficient for the vast majority of daily trips.

At the end of the campaign, the city with the most drivers turned on to electric vehicles will be given 30 Nissan Quick Chargers, while the individual who encourages the most people to turn on will win a Nissan LEAF.

These CHAdeMO standard Quick Chargers are among 400 that Nissan plans to donate to cities across Europe by the end of FY2012 to speed up infrastructure development. The batteries in the Nissan LEAF, and other compliant vehicles, can be “refuelled” by these chargers to 80 per cent capacity in just 30 minutes making significantly longer journeys possible. The first Nissan Quick Chargers have already been installed in the Netherlands and France.

Taking part in The Big Turn On is as easy as clicking a computer mouse on the dedicated website - www.nissan.co.uk/thebigturnon - via social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook, or by taking a test drive in a Nissan LEAF.