Renault-Nissan "Infects" Seattle with the EV Virus

Like an octopus spreading its tentacles, the Renault-Nissan Alliance continues its zero-emission offensive in yet another city in the United States. After Phoenix, the Alliance yesterday announced that Nissan and the City of Seattle are forming a partnership to advance zero-emission mobility by promoting the development of an electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

"Nissan through the Renault-Nissan Alliance has committed to being a global leader in zero-emission vehicles," said Dominique Thormann, senior vice president, administration and finance, Nissan North America.

"Nissan and the City of Seattle share in the belief that electric vehicles offer one of the best solutions to reducing CO2 emissions. This partnership expands our infrastructure development efforts on the West Coast, which also includes initiatives in Oregon and California, and is an important step in making zero emissions a reality from Seattle to San Diego," he added.

To prepare for the arrival of the silent, electric-buzzing electric vehicles, the two partners will develop a charging infrastructure for EVs and will also take care of deployment, operation and maintenance.

Scheduled to introduce zero-emission vehicles in the United States in 2010 and to mass market them globally two years later, Nissan also agreed to make available a supply of EVs in and around the Seattle metropolitan area.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance started the electric offensive in the Kanagawa Prefecture and Yokohama in Japan, and continued in Israel, Denmark, Portugal, Monaco, the UK, France, Switzerland, Ireland, China and Hong Kong. In the United States, Seattle follows the State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, Sonoma County and San Diego in California, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.