On World Environment Day, Nissan has delivered a 100%-electric Nissan LEAF to the Vatican, a symbol of the two organizations’ shared goal of carbon neutrality.

The zero-emissions LEAF, the world’s-first mass-market electric vehicle (EV), was received by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State and President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.

The donation follows the launch of the Vatican’s Laudato si’ Action Platform to make Catholic institutions environmentally sustainable within seven years, which takes its name from the pope’s landmark 2015 encyclical on the environment.

Managing Director for Nissan in Italy, Marco Toro, who handed over the keys to the white LEAF during a special ceremony at the Vatican, said: “I am honored, on behalf of Nissan, to support the Holy See on the path towards the decarbonisation of its operations, a goal which Nissan shares.

“We are working towards 75% of our sales in Europe being electrified by 2023, with a fully electrified range in the 2030s. This builds on the heritage of the Nissan LEAF as the world’s first mass-market EV, with 530,000 cars on the road having saved more than 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 worldwide.”

Available with two battery sizes and with technology including Nissan’s e-Pedal, for single-pedal driving, the Nissan LEAF is manufactured for European markets in Sunderland, UK. Nissan recently announced plans to triple the plant’s on-site renewable energy generation to 20% of the factory needs – enough to manufacture every LEAF sold in Europe.

Ben Greenwood, UK Consul General in Milan and Director of the Department for International Trade in Italy, said: “As part of our Clean Growth campaign and in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow and the Milan Pre-COP this year, DIT Italy is proud to be supporting Nissan Europe in its journey towards an entirely sustainable mobility model that will see all its vehicles electrified by early 2030s.”

“Today’s event is testament to our desire to collaborate with the Holy See to help them reach their sustainability goals and their commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This is part of Pope Francis’ wider effort to protect the environment, as outlined in 2015 in his Laudato si’ Encyclical on Care for our Common Home and announced at the Climate Ambition Summit in December 2020.”

As part of its global journey to net zero, Nissan will offer an electrified version available on all of its vehicles in Europe by the end of 2023. This builds on more than a decade of experience from launching the Nissan LEAF as the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle. Upcoming innovations include the launch of vehicles including the all-new Qashqai and X-Trail with Nissan’s unique e-POWER technology, the new all-electric Nissan Ariya and a new electric van.

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