Held by the Electric Vehicle Union (EVU) and Norwegian EV Association in Norway, the vehicles drove in unison outside of the country’s capital city, Oslo, along a pre-determined 4km route and was monitored by two-camera carrying drones to ensure that all vehicles were moving simultaneously and qualified for the new world record.

The event was open to owners of all EVS but saw a large proportion made of the Nissan LEAF, with 128.5 vehicles – including a token half LEAF – participating.

The previous record, which was set with just Nissan LEAF vehicles at the Silverstone circuit in the UK in 2012, was beaten by 35.5 EVs.

‘Although it was a fun event, it had a serious side,’ said Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles at Nissan Europe. ‘Its aim was to show that EVs are thoroughly practical everyday cars with the added benefit of producing no tailpipe emissions and very little noise. We had a customer from Hundeidvik, which is over 500km from Oslo, registered to take part using the quick charger network to get there. Norway is ahead of all other European electric vehicle markets, but many other governments and councils are watching closely and sales are increasing across the region.’

Nissan celebrated the momentous record breaking occasion by handing over the keys to the initial allocation of Nissan LEAFs purchased by the Oslo municipality, the first of 1000 EVs the municipality will acquire over the next three years.

Zero-emission EVs are hugely popular in Norway where, in 2012, they accounted for 2.9% of the country's total new car market thanks to benefits including exemption from sales tax, free city centre parking and even the right to drive in bus lanes without penalty.