Renault, EDF Announces Electric Cars Project

09 October, 2008 06:17:00

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Renault and French electric utility EDF are partnering on electric cars and supporting recharging infrastructure in France.

Through the agreement signed today, the Renault Nissan Alliance and EDF aim to provide consumers access to electric cars from 2011. The Renault Nissan Alliance and EDF will jointly develop an innovative commercial project, open to other interested parties, leading to the set up of an Electric Mobility Operator in the longer term. The role of the Electric Mobility Operator will be to supply customers with the infrastructure to recharge an electric vehicle and to manage its range.

Between now and January 2010, the partners will study engineering requirements, national and European regulations and all necessary technical and financial procedures, including the identification of new partners, to ensure that the infrastructure is ready for a vehicle launch in 2011.

Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Renault and President and CEO of Nissan, 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" (ZEVs). 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."

The Renault Nissan Alliance has plans to become a global leader in affordable electric vehicles. Nissan plans to introduce ZEVs in the U.S. in 2010 and two years later will mass market ZEVs globally.

The Renault Nissan Alliance aims to become the world's leading manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles. France will be one of the first global markets to receive these all-electric models. Nissan has already signed deals in Israel, Denmark, Portugal, the state of Tennessee (USA), and Kanagawa Prefecture (Japan).

EDF is also working with Toyota on the testing of plug-in hybrids in France and the UK.

EDF, owner of the world's biggest fleet of electric vehicles, has considerable experience and expertise in electric power storage technologies and recharging infrastructures, and in operating fleets of rechargeable vehicles. EDF is committed to expanding the availability of clean mobility solutions.

Meanwhile, Daimler and RWE are teaming up on an electric car project in Germany’s first such pairing between a carmaker and a power utility company.

[source: Renault]

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