Renault-Nissan Alliance Expands to Kita-Kyushu

The number of partnerships signed between the Renault-Nissan Zero Emission Alliance with cities around the world got bigger this week, with the addition of a new Memorandum of understanding between the group and the City of Kita-Kyushu in Japan.

As was the case with all the other partnerships, the agreement calls for the creation of a EV development project, called here "Kita-Kyushu; Environment and Technology Town 'e-Frontier Project," which will focus in the following objectives:

• develop an efficient and effective charging network
• encourage private enterprises to install charging stations
• introduce preferential incentive measures to promote the adoption of low-carbon vehicles among consumers and private sectors
• conduct educational programs for consumers through events such as eco-car fairs
• establish low carbon model communities in specific areas such as Yahata Higashida and Jono

Another important goal for the new partnership is to establish Kita-Kyushu as the Technology capital in Asia, a goal to be achieved mainly by developing new technologies with local companies and universities. The technologies are to focus on informative EV navigation, charging technology using renewable energy, as well as the reused battery application.

"In our efforts to achieve a sustainable future for our planet, it is necessary that we take action and find partners, like Kita-Kyushu city, to collaborate in the areas of environment, technology and society," Hitoshi Kawaguchi, Nissan vice president said in a release.

So far, Renault-Nissan signed some type of partnership with 40 governments, municipalities and companies worldwide, in light of the introduction of the electric Leaf on a global scale by 2012.