There are so many reasons consumers who buy the Nissan LEAF EV feel good about their purchase: no more visits to the pump, long-term savings from funds not spent on fuel, zero CO₂ emissions, the car's friendly-looking aesthetic that mirrors it's eco-friendly performance, peppy driving experience... You catch our drift.

Now, there is one more reason Red River Nissan, serving Denison feels compelled to add to the list. That is, Nissan is now employing a cargo ship outfitted with solar panels to transport new Nissan LEAF EVs.

That's right; Nissan is taking their light-footprint approach from their cars to the vessels that transport them. And to optimize the power the cargo ship garners from the sun, engineers have also coated the ship's helm with a slick, water-cutting finish.

The carrier, coined "Roro", took four years to build. And with a diesel engine and nearly 300 solar panels on deck, it took its first voyage in late January. Tomohiki Uchiyama, President of Nitto Kaiun Corporation (Roro's operator) puts this significance of this feat into perspective. He explains, "This is the first domestic vessel to have photovoltaic panels. Together using LED lighting on the ship, we aim to create an energy-efficient [Nissan LEAF] carrier."¹

It's also important to note that employing Roro to transport new Nissan LEAF EVs in Japan is just one step the Japanese automaker is taking to lighten their carbon footprint. Given the stringent goals Nissan has outlined for themselves in the Nissan Green Program 2016, you can expect many more eco-friendly initiatives to follow.

To find out exactly what they are, be sure to stay tuned to the Red River Nissan blog. In the meantime, remember you can always explore our entire new Nissan and used car inventories with just a few clicks of the mouse or a visit to 2020 Highway 75 Denison, TX 75020, during our regular business hours. Questions? Contact us here.

Source: ¹ http://green.autoblog.com/2012/02/01/nissans-solar-powered-roro-ship-sets-sail-with-leaf-deliveries/