MTEMC drives away with first Leaf

MURFREESBORO ? Rutherford County now has its first fully-electric vehicle ? and, not surprisingly, the electric company has the keys.

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation became the first proud new owner of a Nissan Leaf, a fully electric zero-emissions vehicle that runs on battery power, during a delivery ceremony at Nissan of Murfreesboro on Memorial Boulevard Friday.

"We are really excited about this," said Pam Humphrey, the dealership's executive manager. "This means a lot to our livelihood and to our families and our friends."

Humphrey told a group of about three dozen residents and others gathered for the event how proud she was to be a part of Nissan, a company that is leading the way in electric vehicle technology.

Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess said he was thankful that Nissan has chosen Rutherford County as a home, referring to the Smyrna manufacturing plant that will begin production of the Leaf in 2012.

"They have been great employers and great assets to this county," he said. "They are taking a proactive leadership role in helping us become less reliant on fossil fuels. This means so much for this county and the state of Tennessee and the future of this great country."

Various staff members of Nissan of Murfreesboro showed off key design features of the Leaf before handing over the keys to the vehicle to Chris Jones, vice president of engineering for MTEMC.

Jones said Middle Tennessee Electric staff considered the receipt of the Leaf a "great honor."

"We have a long-standing relationship with Nissan through the manufacturing plant in Smyrna and the corporate headquarters in Williamson County and they are members of Middle Tennessee Electric," he said. "This is a great honor and is special for us. We are proud to be the first in Rutherford County to have this vehicle."

Nissan handed over the first set of keys to a Leaf to a Nashville couple, Jeff and Ashley Heeren, in December.

A shipment of more than 600 Nissan Leaf electric cars left Japan for the United States on March 10, just before last week's devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami.

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The company had to suspend further production to assess damage to four of its plants. Other Japanese manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota were in similar situations.

Japan is the world's second-largest auto producer.

All of Nissan's American plants, including the Smyrna plant, are operating and will continue normal production until further notice. Nearly 70 percent of Nissan vehicles sold in the U.S. are made in North America.

Nissan Americas has pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross in relief support in Japan.

Production of the Leaf will begin at the Smyrna plant in 2012. Construction is currently under way on a $1 billion lithium-ion battery plant for the Leaf. Up to 1,300 new jobs are planned in Smyrna with the new automotive line.

Efforts are also under way statewide to build quick-charging stations that will allow Leaf and other electric vehicle owners the ability to recharge their vehicles. The Murfreesboro dealership and Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce building on Medical Center Parkway already have charging stations, while Publix and Cracker Barrel locations are among others that are planning to include charging stations in the future.

The Leaf has a range of about 100 miles before needing a recharge.

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