ROSSLYN, South Africa – Nissan donated two Nissan LEAF vehicles to the United Nations Development Programme in Namibia. The donation will showcase the impact electric mobility will have to the sustainable development goals and to quality of life in Southern Africa.
The UN Namibia agency will innovate in the area of mobility and energy with an advanced Vehicle-to-Grid Integration (VGI) project in Africa. Mobility and energy are fundamentals to address two of the three focus areas of the UNDP – climate change and inequality.
The vehicles will primarily be used to transport employees, emission free, to meetings and workshops as well as run errands around the city. The electric vehicles support the overall system in creating resilient energy supply. In the evenings specifically, the vehicles will serve as a power source replacing more expensive energy from the grid. Also, if the grid goes down, the vehicles will provide a backup power supply for primary appliances such as lighting, communication equipment as well as lower priority functions such as refrigeration or air-conditioning.
"Nissan is committed to the sustainable development goals," said Wonga Mesatywa, Nissan South Africa Executive Director of Corporate Affairs. "We shape our corporate strategy around them to ensure our organisation is aligned to moving our country, region and world forward, bettering people and society. As such, partnering with the UNDP to contribute to essentials such as mobility and energy in underdeveloped markets is something that is bigger than us and that we are truly proud of."
"We expect to raise a lot of awareness about electric vehicles and the benefits thereof. Our hope is that this project will influence people's choices to reduce their carbon footprint," says Ms. Alka Bhatia, UNDP Resident Representative.
This is not the only exciting partnership that Nissan has with the UNDP. It also recently partnered with the organisation on the very first Electric Vehicle Road Trip across South Africa. This journey saw various industry players participate as they journeyed from Johannesburg to Cape Town solely on electric power to showcase the capabilities of the vehicle and highlight key sustainability messaging along the way.
Locally, Nissan is also working with Filadelfia School in the community of Soshanguve to improve its access to reliable electricity and increase its use of renewable energy. The school will suffer less from load shedding and unscheduled power cuts as a result of the innovative Nissan Energy solution.
Filadelfia School in Pretoria, which caters to disabled students with a variety of needs, has received Nissan Energy, equipping the school with a functioning back-up solution during power outages and periods of load shedding.
Nissan Energy is an innovative and flexible solution which combines second life Nissan LEAF batteries and solar panels to generate sustainable power. TurnKey Energy provided the solar panels, as well as labour and materials for installation as part of their social responsibility initiatives.
"We are excited for a continued partnership with the UNDP as these projects have the potential to be replicated in a number of ways to foster change in our world," concludes Mesetywa.
Learn more about Nissan Energy and Filadelfia School on Nissan Stories.
For more Nissan Africa news, photos and videos, please do not hesitate to visit: https://africa.nissanmotornews.com
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2017, the company sold 5.77 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.9 trillion yen. On April 1, 2017, the company embarked on Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, a six-year plan targeting a 30% increase in annualized revenues to 16.5 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 2022, along with cumulative free cash flow of 2.5 trillion yen. As part of Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, the company plans to extend its leadership in electric vehicles, symbolized by the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance sold 10.76 million vehicles combined in calendar year 2018.
For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit
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About Nissan in Africa
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. supplies innovative and exciting models across the hatchback, SUV, sedan and pickup segments in Africa. Nissan has three operational hubs and factories on the continent: Egypt in northern Africa, and Nigeria and South Africa in Sub-Sahara Africa. Nissan South Africa is the operational hub for the Sub- saharan Regional Business Unit. In South Africa, the company offers a range of 24 vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands, including the popular locally-produced Nissan light commercial vehicles - the NP200 half ton pickup and NP300 one-ton Hardbody - produced at the Rosslyn plant, north west of Pretoria. Nissan made history locally in 2014 with the introduction of Africa's first electric vehicle, Nissan's flagship Nissan LEAF. As well as boasting zero emissions leadership, Nissan is also a leader in the crossover segment. The Nigeria plant, in partnership with the Nissan and Stallion Group, formed after the Nigerian government introduction of new policies to stimulate local industry. Production of the first Nissan vehicles started at Stallion's VON plant in Lagos in April 2014, in doing so Nissan became the first OEM automaker to build cars in Nigeria for Nigeria.
The plant assembles the Nissan Patrol, Almera, NP300 and Urvan. Nissan is targeting significant growth on the continent with a strong sales network and expanded product range introduced in emerging markets with innovative vehicles across the board including award-winning models such as the Qashqai and X‑Trail. Nissan is targeting significant growth on the continent. More about Nissan in Africa: www.africa.nissanmotornews.com.
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Media contact:
Nthabiseng Motsepe
Head: Government & Public Relations Mobile: +27 83 654 8763
Email: nthabisengm@nissan.co.za