Nissan will unveil the zero-emission vehicles in the US in 2010 and will mass market them globally in 2012.
“Nissan through the Renault-Nissan Alliance has committed to being a global leader in zero-emission vehicles,” stated Dominique Thormann, senior vice president, administration and finance, Nissan North America, Inc. “Nissan and the City of Seattle share in the belief that electric vehicles offer one of the best solutions to reducing CO2 emissions. This partnership expands our infrastructure development efforts on the West Coast, which also includes initiatives in Oregon and California, and is an important step in making zero emissions a reality from Seattle to San Diego.”
Greg Nickels, Seattle Mayor, has set an objective to integrate clean, green electricity with the city’s transportation system. In Seattle, power comes from the city’s utility, Seattle City Light, the first public utility in the world to be net zero for greenhouse gas emissions.
“From light rail to street cars to electric vehicles, we’re reducing the impact of transportation on our climate,” stated Nickels. “Electric-powered transportation is particularly attractive in a city with a carbon-neutral utility, generating clean electricity through hydropower.”
Under this agreement, Nissan and the Seattle City will also work to coordinate the establishment of policies and help streamline the installment of an EV infrastructure. Nissan also has agreed to make available a supply of EVs in and around the Seattle metropolitan area.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has started zero EV initiatives in Kanagawa Prefecture and Yokohama in Japan, and also in Israel, Denmark, Portugal, Monaco, the UK, France, Switzerland, Ireland, China and Hong Kong. In the US, Renault-Nissan is exploring ways to promote zero-emission mobility and the development of an EV infrastructure in the State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, Sonoma County and San Diego in California, and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
