Renault partners with EDF to launch electric car fleet
LONDON - Renault has formed a partnership with French energy company EDF to produce electric cars with the aim of becoming the world's leading manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles.
Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Renault and Nissan, and Pierre Gadonneix, chairman and CEO of EDF, signed an agreement yesterday to create a "large-scale zero-emissions individual transport and travel system".
Their aim is to establish electric cars as a viable and attractive form of transport for consumers.
France will be one of the first global markets to receive the all-electric models, along with Israel, Denmark, Portugal, Tennessee in the US and Kanagawa prefecture in Japan, all of which have announced similar partnerships with the Renault Nissan Alliance.
The Renault Nissan Alliance and EDF will jointly develop a commercial project, open to other interested parties, leading to the creation of an Electric Mobility Operator, which will supply customers with the infrastructure to recharge an electric vehicle and manage its range.
The partners will study engineering requirements, national and European regulations and all necessary technical and financial procedures, including the identification of new partners, between now and January 2010.
The plan is to ensure that the infrastructure is ready for a vehicle launch in 2011.
EDF claims to own the world's biggest fleet of electric vehicles and has experience in electric power storage technologies and recharging infrastructures.
Ghosn said: "To reconcile the demand for individual mobility with the preservation of the environment and high cost of oil, the Renault Nissan Alliance is committed to the development of 'zero-emission' vehicles.
"Thanks to our partnership with EDF, in 2011 we will be able to provide our customers in France with high-performance and affordable electric vehicles."
Gadonneix said: "This technological and industrial partnership paves the way for innovation that will promote the emergence of new-generation vehicles that are clean, competitive and ecologically virtuous.
"The aim is to reconcile the challenges of individual mobility and economic growth with efforts to combat global warming."
Renault: 2011 launch plan for electric car
Comments
gotnoteef - 10/10/2008
great idea - but Renault's reputation for reliability \(or lack of) might be enought to put people off. Personally, I will never again buy a car produced by the smelly, cheese-eating surrender monkeys!