Nissan has 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,” says 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 Alka Bhatia, UNDP Resident Representative.
