Nissan Leaf for Rent in Okinawa

This piece of news here might upset a bit the thousands of customers, especially in the US, who are still waiting for Nissan to give them a call and announce that their Leaf has reached the local dealership: the auto maker has struck a deal with rental car companies in Okinawa Prefecture, which will see it deploy no less than 220 electric vehicles in the area.

The deal, meant to support the Eco-resort Island Okinawa Promotion Project, meant that Nissan immediately delivered 190 units to local car rental companies. In the meanwhile, the roll-out for civilian customers in the US and Japan is dragging on.

Nissan says that the units delivered in Okinawa are part of a fleet of 500 vehicles destined to be deployed throughout Japan in 2010, to be used as rental cars. Nearly 40 percent of that number went to Okinawa because the region is a tourist magnet, with some six million coming there every year.

To support the new fleet of EVs in the region, the companies involved have set up a joint venture which will be in charge with providing the required infrastructure. Called Advanced Energy Company (AEC), the new group is responsible for the 27 charging facilities already installed in 18 spots.

“Nissan, through its support of this EV rental car project aims to have as much customers experience the joys of EV and create a ripple effect that will resonate its environmental benefit to the rest of the country,” the auto maker says.

"Nissan Leaf, with its excellent environmental performance is a perfect fit as it features a spacious cabin that accommodates five adults, superior acceleration performance and quietness, and a new ICT system for navigation."