Coquitlam's Bill and Nicole Clendinning, along with four-year old daughter Tara, took delivery of their red Nissan LEAF SL earlier this month at Morrey Nissan of Port Coquitlam. This groundbreaking moment represents the province's first delivery of a mass market, all-electric car to a retail consumer, according to a press release from Nissan.

"This is a significant milestone as we deliver the first all-electric Nissan LEAF to the Clendinning family in British Columbia, the first province in Canada to commit to working with us to promote the adoption of electric vehicles almost two years ago," said Allen Childs, president of Nissan Canada Inc.

"Sustainable mobility is 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."

Both Bill and Nicole Clendinning work at BC Hydro and are committed to reducing their family's environmental impact. Switching to the Nissan LEAF is a big part of that. It fits their lifestyle, offering ample range for trips to Mission and Whistler, where they enjoy going for weekend getaways.

"In British Columbia, transportation is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and we believe that electric vehicles are an important part of how our province can reduce our use of fossil fuels," Nicole said. "What set the Nissan LEAF apart from other vehicles in the market was the driving experience - it's so fun to drive. You forget you're in an electric car and get back to the joy of driving. By choosing this car we feel like we get to have our cake and eat it too."

Delivery of Model Year 11 Nissan LEAFs will continue in the coming weeks across Canada. In late October, Nissan Canada will open its online reservation process for its first allocation of Model Year 12 Nissan LEAFs. Reservations are eligible to those registered on the Nissan LEAF microsite (www.nissan.ca/LEAF) and living within the vicinity of the 27 EV-certified dealers across Canada.

"We're thrilled to host the event [on Oct. 6] representing the arrival of the Nissan LEAF to British Columbia," said Jason Morrey, president of Morrey Nissan. "We've had a lot of consumers come into the dealership asking questions about the Nissan LEAF, really curious about an all-electric car and how it would fit into their lifestyle. It's very exciting to be at the forefront of the sustainable mobility movement."

Nissan describes the LEAF as "a medium-size hatchback with ample cargo space and seating for five adults comfortably." With a range of 160 kilometres (EPA LA4 cycle) on one full charge, Nissan LEAF provides 90 per cent 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 per cent charge can be achieved in 26 minutes.

Because there's no traditional engine, Nissan LEAF is ultra-quiet and for safety reasons a sound had to be added so pedestrians could hear the car coming. In April, Nissan LEAF was awarded a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.