Nissan plans to start selling electric car in Seattle next year

The Renault-Nissan Alliance today 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 will introduce zero-emission vehicles in the United States in 2010 and will mass market them globally two years later.

 “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.”

 Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has set a goal to combine clean, green electricity with the city’s transportation system. In Seattle, power comes from the city’s utility, Seattle City Light, the first public utility in the world to be “net zero” for greenhouse gas emissions.

 “From light rail to street cars to electric vehicles, we’re reducing the impact of transportation on our climate,” said Mayor Nickels. “Electric-powered transportation is particularly attractive in a city with a carbon-neutral utility, generating clean electricity through hydropower.”

 As part of the agreement, Nissan and the City of Seattle will develop plans to promote a charging infrastructure for EVs, as well as the deployment, operation and maintenance of a charging network. The partners also will work to coordinate the establishment of policies and help streamline the deployment of an EV infrastructure. Nissan also has agreed to make available a supply of EVs in and around the Seattle metropolitan area.

 The Renault-Nissan Alliance has begun ZEV initiatives in Kanagawa Prefecture and Yokohama in Japan, as well as in Israel, Denmark, Portugal, Monaco, the UK, France, Switzerland, Ireland, China and Hong Kong. In the United States, the Alliance is exploring ways to promote zero-emission mobility and the development of an EV infrastructure in the State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, Sonoma County and San Diego in California, and Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.