Renault–Nissan reached a major milestone earlier this month by selling its 100,000th electric vehicle. The two companies announced that they have sold more zero-emissions cars than all other automakers combined, with sales led by the LEAF.

Renault-Nissan lead the way to a greener future

“The age of the mainstream zero-emission vehicle is here,” said Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn. “We expect demand to keep growing as the charging infrastructure develops – and we remain 100% committed to zero-emission technology for the long term.” Electric cars from Renault and Nissan have driven approximately 841 million zero-emission kilometres, enough to circle the earth more than 20 000 times. Together, they represent 53 million litres of oil saved and 124 million kg of CO2 that have not been emitted. Worldwide, more than 71,000 Nissan LEAFs have been sold since the car was first released in December 2010 and, according to Nissan, the all-electric car makes up more than half of all global sales of pure electric cars. The U.S. leads the market with about 30 000 LEAFs sold, with the car in the top 10 vehicles sold in San Francisco, Seattle and Honolulu. Japan scooped up 28 000 sales, while in Europe, 12 000 have been sold. The LEAF also has made great strides in Norway where 4600 have been sold, making it Nissan's top-selling vehicle in the country. Meanwhile, Renault has sold 30 000 electric vehicles since it launched its first model the Kangoo Van Z.E, and leads the electric vehicle market in Europe with a 61 percent market share. The two-seater Twizy is its best-selling model, with 11 000 units sold since it went on sale in early 2012. In order to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles around the world, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is working with government authorities, utility companies and others to rollout a network of charging stations that allow drivers to recharge their cars from zero to 80% capacity in less than 30 minutes. Rival automakers are expected to launch competing electric models over the coming year, including BMW's i3, set to hit show rooms in November.