Nissan’s unique glow-in-the-dark Leaf has been driven on the world’s first glow-in-the-dark motorway, located in Oss, Netherlands.
The EV, which sports a glow-in-the-dark car paint to remind the world how many customers of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle are powering their car from solar energy generated at home, has been shipped to the Netherlands, home of the Smart Highway.
The event marked the first time a phosphorescent car has been driven on the famous stretch of road, which is the world’s only luminescent highway.
Conceived by designer Daan Roosegaarde to help guide drivers in the dark, the project also helps save energy that might otherwise be used in street lighting. A 600-meter (1,968-ft) stretch of the N329 highway has been upgraded with these Glowing Lines, which absorb light during the day and glow for eight hours at night. As a result this increases visibility and safety.
The Nissan Leaf’s spray-applied coating also absorbs UV energy and other visible radiation during daylight hours and glows for between eight and ten hours when the sun goes down. The bespoke, ultraviolet-energized paint created especially for Nissan is unique thanks to its secret formula which contains a solid, odorless Rare Earth Metal called Strontium Aluminate.
The publicity stunt coincides with Nissan’s announcement that its EV sales in the Netherlands have increased by 313 percent last year, to 1,619 vehicles (including Leaf, e-NV200 and e-NV200 Evalia).