Nashville hotel commissions Nissan Leaf Limo to ferry VIP guests

Being a VIP guest at a premium hotel often means that you generate one heck of a carbon foot print for every hour of your stay. From the extra heating/cooling that your oversized room requires to the food that has been shipped from overseas and the gas-burning complimentary high-end transportation that the hotel provides you with, being a VIP guest makes it really hard to lead a green life. But a Nashville hotel is now offering its prized guests the chance to cut down on their carbon footprints without giving up the luxuries that the “good life" comes with. And their first step towards turning the green leaf has been to commission a Missouri-based limo company to stretch out the Nissan Leaf for use in the VIP shuttle service.

Nissan Leaf Limo

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Nissan Leaf Limo

Nissan Leaf Limo

At the behest of the Embassy Suites Nashville South hotel, the all-electric Nissan Leaf conversion was undertaken by Imperial LimoLand and the result was a not too shabby, all-electric, street legal, licensed, road-worthy Nissan Leaf limousine. The hotel staff claims that the vehicle is the first of its kind in the world and combines their passion for the green lifestyle as well optimum luxury. Since the average guest at the hotel only ask for these limos to make trips into the town which comes down to less than 8 kilometers, the Nissan Leaf, with its green powertrain and excellent mileage seemed like the natural choice for the conversion.

Since the Leaf is already one of the most desirable models in the market in terms of styling, LimoLand only needed to add a few extras. After the stretching treatment was completed, the conversion specialists added some cedar paneling, leather upholstery and mirrors to jazz up the interior. The stretching added 400 lbs to the center of the car though the rest of vehicle still weighs the same as the regular Leaf. Intended for use by VIP hotel guests Leaf limo seats 7 passengers and a driver.

For better balance, the single battery used by the vehicle has been moved into the rear. The vehicle is still powered by its advanced 80kW AC synchronous electric motor which is mated to an advanced 24 kWh lithium-ion battery. The 100 percent electric drive system outputs zero emissions and provides instant torque off the line. The powertrain is also supported by the LED headlights that strain the battery less while the rear diffuser, the front spoiler and the flat underbody reduce drag. A standard Leaf returns a mileage of a hundred miles on a single charge though with extra 400 lbs on the Leaf Limo might bring that figure down slightly.

Via: Gizmag