"There are some risks that other people are not ready to take. But if I have to take a risk, I'm glad to take this one," Carlos Ghosn said in 2008 when the Renault-Nissan joint venture unveiled its green plans.
The Zero-Emission campaign the alliance has started more than a year ago saw the two companies become partners with top organizations and authorities in lots of countries across the globe, with a single major purpose: to encourage EV adoption and to provide the necessary infrastructure for using an electric car.
"Thanks to our ‘Zero-Emission’ mobility program, Renault will offer a broad range of zero-emission vehicles starting in 2011. For Renault, electric vehicles with zero carbon dioxide emissions in use constitute a real answer to current environmental concerns," commented Uwe Hochgeschurtz, Director of Renault's Corporate Sales Division back in September 2009 when the alliance signed a deal with Europcar.
The first electric car of the French-Japanese group, the so-called Leaf, has been named the 2011 European Car of the Year and will go into production in select markets this month.
The Leaf, the first electric vehicle designed to be sold worldwide, can run for 100 miles (160 km) on a full charge, thanks to the laminated compact lithium-ion batteries that manage to develop 90 kW. The electric motors produce an additional 80 kW/280 Nm of torque. Recharging the battery to 80 percent of its capacity can take as little as just 30 minutes thanks to a new charging system developed by Nissan. It will however still take 8 hours to bring the battery to full capacity from a 200V home outlet.
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