RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE AND ELEKTROMOTIVE JOIN FORCES TO ACCELERATE INSTALLATION OF CHARGING NETWORKS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Tuesday, 3rd March 2009
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the two companies ahead of an imminent and dramatic rise in the number of EVs on Europe’s roads, with the Renault-Nissan Alliance starting sales of purpose-designed EVs in Japan and the US from next year and globally by 2012.
The two parties will study ways to promote the use of electric vehicles and will share information on EV development and energy supply on a global scale. The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Elektromotive collaboration will also undertake education programmes and develop incentive schemes to attract EV purchasers. As well as continuing with further development of its infrastructure system, Elektromotive will purchase or lease EVs built by the Alliance.
Elektromotive, which is based in Brighton, England, started developing charging station technology in 2003 and installed its first Elektrobay charging post in Westminster in the centre of London in 2006. To date, it has installed more than 40 charging bays in London and a further 40 in other major UK cities.
Elektrobay is a safe and easy-to-use way of providing recharging facilities for pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars. The robust, eye-catching charging stations are conveniently located at the roadside and in multi-storey car parks. It is programmed to allow full data transfer between the power supplier and the consumer.
“Our two companies complement each other perfectly: owners of Alliance-built EVs will need access to a comprehensive charging system wherever they live and work and Elektromotive is in a unique position to supply user-friendly charging stations for our EV customers,” says Andrew Palmer, senior vice president of Nissan Motor Co. “Together we can work towards a zero emission future.”
Calvey Taylor-Haw, managing director of Elektromotive Ltd, says: “We believe passionately that the emission-free electric vehicle represents the best way forward for future mobility. And with Nissan and Renault bringing serious, practical and desirable EVs to market soon, public awareness and usage of the EV can only increase.”
The Renault-Nissan Alliance aims to be the global leader in zero-emission mobility and has already started zero emission initiatives in Israel, Denmark, Portugal, the Principality of Monaco, as well as the US States of Tennessee and Oregon and Sonoma County in northern California and in Japan with the Prefecture of Kanagawa and the City of Yokohama.
The Alliance has also partnered with the French utility company EDF and the Swiss electric utility company Energie Ouest Suisse (EOS).
Renault
The Renault Group generated global revenues of €37,791 million in 2008. It designs, engineers, manufactures and sells passenger and light commercial vehicles throughout the world. The Renault Group is present in 118 countries and sells vehicles under its three brands - Renault, Dacia and Samsung. The Renault Group employs 129,000 people worldwide.
Nissan
Nissan Motor Co. generated global net revenues of 10.824 trillion yen in 2007. Nissan is present in all major global auto markets selling a comprehensive range of cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and light commercial vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Nissan employs over 220,000 people worldwide.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance
The Renault Nissan Alliance, founded in 1999, sold 6,090,304 vehicles in 2008. The objective of the Alliance is to rank among the world's top three vehicle manufacturers in terms of quality, technology and profitability.
Elektromotive
Founded is 2003, Elektromotive is the world’s leading provider of technology and engineering solutions for electric vehicle recharging stations. The company’s main product is the Elektrobay, a recharging station for on-street or multi-storey car park use.
The simple-to-operate Elektrobay was first introduced in Westminster, London, in 2006, and by May 2009 there will be 80 Elektrobays located across the capital. A further 40 fully-operational Elektrobay charging stations have been installed in cities and shopping centres around the UK. The Brighton-based company also exports Elektrobays to Sweden, Holland, Germany and Ireland.
Elektrobays are typically situated next to parking bays, within easy reach of an electric vehicle’s charging point. The Elektrobay’s socket is located under a secure, weather-proof door, accessed using a personalised key fob. When charging is in progress, the door locks shut to prevent interference. With a power output of 240 volts AC and 13 amps in the UK, or 230 volts AC and 16 amps in Europe, Elektrobay is compatible with all fully-electric and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles.
For more information on Elektromotive, visit www.elektromotive.com
To download the PDF press release please click here
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For more information, contact:
Nissan Europe SAS:
Gilles Gautherot:+33-(0)1-30-13-6767
mailto:ggautherot@nissan-europe.com
http://www.nissaneurope-newsbureau.com/
Renault SA:
Olivier Floc'hic, Tel: + 33 1 76 84 56 51
olivier.floc-hic@renault.com
http://www.media.renault.com/
Elektromotive Ltd:
Camilla Coveney: +44 (0)1622 766526
camilla.coveney@pfpr.com
Peter Cox: +44 (0)1622 766527
peter.cox@pfpr.com
www.elektromotive.com
