Nissan cleans up London with the world's first car-powered graffiti

• Nissan LEAF powers "Reverse Graffiti" street art in Waterloo 
• Mass-scale mural imagines a cleaner London, without car fumes
• The artwork is on show in Waterloo, London near popular Southbank

LONDON – Nissan is highlighting London's battle with air quality in the UK by using the 100% electric Nissan LEAF – the world's best-selling electric vehicle (EV) – to power a striking piece of street art in Waterloo, London that depicts the capital's iconic skyline.

Nissan commissioned Reverse Graffiti artist Moose – the founder of his field – to create the mass-scale mural, which was unveiled today.

Unlike traditional graffiti, Moose creates his art by cleaning dirt off surfaces using a jet washer or wire brush, leaving a striking design in negative on the wall. Much of the dirt is caused by particulate matter from vehicle exhausts, levels of which often exceed guidelines and limits in busy areas of London and other European cities.

The artwork – which is on show in the subway on Station's Approach, Waterloo – includes a host of London's most famous landmarks: Buckingham Palace, The Shard, Battersea Power Station and The London Eye, to name just a few. Produced to highlight the growing issue of poor air quality across Europe's biggest cities, it aims to showcase how much cleaner they could be if more people adopted electric vehicles. The jet washer used to clean the wall was powered by the Nissan LEAF via a portable device that converts electricity from the car's battery to provide as much as two days of power to a household on a single charge.

Before the artwork made its way onto the wall, Moose sketched the skyline by hand and then created stencils that pieced together to produce the finished artwork, standing some 2.5 meters tall and 10 meters wide.

The campaign places Nissan at the center of leading the call for clean air and smarter cities around the world.

"I've been using reverse graffiti for fifteen years now – in fact I named it," said explained Moose, who originates from Leeds. "My whole ethos is about highlighting the amount of pollution we endure daily using a very positive harmless method that never fails to ask questions about what we accept and what we shouldn't accept in our environment. For these reasons I was keen to be involved in this project. Electric cars and alternative fuelling systems provide the brightest future we've ever known in the history of the automotive industry in terms of protecting our environment. It's a pleasure to be given the opportunity to create public art in this way, and I'm very pleased with the iconic simplicity of the mural and its message."

Moose's artwork is on show in London Waterloo, and Nissan is encouraging the public to come out and see it for themselves.

"This piece of art is a striking call to action that air quality is one of the biggest issues facing the citizens and visitors of Europe's largest cities today," said Jean-Pierre Diernaz, EV Director of Nissan Europe. "It is a reminder that electric vehicles don't have an exhaust to emit the kind of air pollution which has stained the wall Moose has created his piece on. Working with Moose to highlight the effect of air quality on our cities through a piece of art powered by the Nissan LEAF is an exciting and powerful way of reminding people about the benefits of zero emission vehicles."

About Nissan in the UK

• Nissan Sunderland Plant produces the Nissan Qashqai, Note and Juke and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF
• Production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles began in 2012
• Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than seven million units with 80 per cent of production exported to 97 markets worldwide
• Total investment made and announced since then is over £3.5 billion
• 501,756 units were produced at Sunderland plant in 2013
• In 2013, one in three cars built in the UK was a Nissan.
• Sunderland Plant currently employs more than 7,000 people
• Nissan's European Design Center is located in Paddington, London and employs around 65 people
• Nissan's European Technical Center is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire and employs around 1,000 people
• Nissan's sales and marketing headquarters in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire employs around 190 people

About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 635,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular Electric Vehicle with 97% performance satisfaction and 95% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for sale in Europe today, and is positioned to become the number one Asian brand in Europe.

About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with approximately 236,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/

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Contacts

Kayleigh Edwards
Product Affairs
kayleigh.edwards@nissan.co.uk
01923 899937 (M: 07814 141097)
   
Ian Tonkin
Product Affairs
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01923 899934 (M: 07975 236039)

David Jackson
Public affairs
david.jackson@nissan.co.uk
01923 899933 (M: 07966 878 665)

Nayab Khan
Press Fleet and Product Affairs
nayab.khan@nissan.co.uk
01923 899934 (M: 07773 176864)