Nissan Canada's president hands keys to 2011 LEAF to first customer

Friday was an exciting day for Ricardo Borba, a 44-year-old man from Ottawa, Canada. He received a delivery from Nissan Canada, who made history when it delivered the first all-electric Nissan LEAF to Borba.

The Nissan LEAF was presented to the lucky consumer at an event in Ottawa as he was honored as the first person in Canada to place an order to purchase the new LEAF SL. He was handed the keys to a beautiful black vehicle from Allen Childs, the President of Nissan Canada.

This was an exciting event for not only Borba, but Nissan as well. Hunt Club Nissan, located in Ottawa hosted the event. The Hunt Club is also hosting the Ottawa stop of Nissan's cross-Canada Drive Electric Tour.

The new Nissan LEAF won 2011 World Car of the Year. It is considered as a perfect everyday car for Borba, and his wife and son. The electric car is practical, affordable and is great for their everyday living events.

In a press release Richard Borba made this statement about his new car: “My family and I were starting to look for a new car last year when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred and prompted us to think about alternatives to gas-powered vehicles. We considered several options and the Nissan LEAF was the one that best fits our needs. It's all-electric and looks and drives just like a regular car with five seats, ample cargo space and loaded with high-tech features. It's smooth, quiet and has incredible acceleration. In other words, it's fun to drive!"

In the same press release, Allen Childs, President of Nissan Canada, Inc. made this statement: “This is a significant milestone in the movement that brings sustainable mobility within our grasp and at Nissan we're excited to be leading the way by bringing the world's first all-electric car to the mass market, which was also recognized as the 2011 World Car of the Year. Today we made history by handing over the keys to Mr. Borba, the first Canadian consumer to purchase a Nissan LEAF. This represents the freedom to choose a car that has no tailpipe, produces no emissions and will never have to visit a gas station."

The Nissan LEAF is a medium-size, 5 seat hatchback with plenty of cargo space. With a range of 160 kilometers (EPA LA4 cycle) on one full charge, Nissan LEAF provides 90% of Canadians with the range needed for daily commutes. With a 240 volt home charging dock full charge is achieved in seven hours, and with a Level 3 Quick Charger, 80% charge can be achieved in just 26 minutes. It is powered by a lithium-ion battery and generates 107 horsepower, 207 lb-ft of torque. It’s very quiet on the road and ultimately is a very fun-to-drive vehicle.