Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced delivery of the 100 percent electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF to Saitama City as part of a partnership to promote electric vehicles (EVs). The three vehicles delivered will be used as official prefecture cars for the mayor and other officials. These are the first of nine units that the city is planning to introduce within this fiscal year.

Called the "E-KIZUNA Project," the collaborative effort aims to create a sustainable low-carbon society, helped by the mass introduction of EVs. The project was created in November 2009 when Nissan and the City of Saitama signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the E-KIZUNA Project.

Part of this project, the second phase of the "new action TOUR" for the widespread adoption and education of EV, was held at Saitama City in collaboration with Nissan and NPOs (Non-Profit Organizations).

With participation of other local governments, it's hoped that the E-KIZUNA Project will garner nationwide attention, with Saitama City serving as a model city for sustainability. To this end, the first E-KIZUNA Summit Forum in Saitama was held at Saitama City in April 2010.

The forum was attended by the heads of two prefectures and eighteen cities mainly in eastern Japan, ten companies including Nissan and three central governments. They discussed what local governments could do to work towards sustainability, how they should provide support and the necessity of cooperation between local governments for the promotion of EVs. From the gathering came the "E-KIZUNA Forum Declaration".

"The E-KIZUNA Summit Forum was a unique opportunity for so many local governments to gather and talk about the widespread adoption of EV," commented Nissan chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga, who attended the forum in April. "It was a meaningful conference which helped us understand the important role local governments can play in leading change for sustainability. Today, we are pleased to deliver Nissan LEAF earlier to Saitama City than committed and look forward to ongoing contributions to the E-KIZUNA Project."

With the goal of becoming a global leader in zero-emission mobility, Nissan, in conjunction with Alliance partner Renault, has signed more than 80 partnerships for zero-emission mobility with governments, municipalities and companies worldwide.

Nissan LEAF went on sale in Japan and the United States this month. Selected markets in Europe will follow, and release in other global markets is set to begin in 2012.