Renault-Nissan and EDF to start 100 EV field test in Paris in 2010

It's another day, so that must mean we have another electric vehicle-related announcement from Renault. This time around, the Renault-Nissan alliance is taking the next step in its partnership with French electric utility EDF. In September of 2010, 100-battery powered vehicles produced by the French and Japanese automakers will be put into service in field test around Paris. The automakers will use the test as something of a final real world evaluation of the passenger and commercial electric vehicles it plans to launch in 2011. EDF and various local authorities will be installing a charging infrastructure at parking areas, along highways and at workplaces. Renault-Nissan plans to quickly ramp up production of electric vehicles in Japan, Europe and also the U.S. in the next several years. Electric versions of the Kangoo, Megane and a dedicated EV based on the car to be produced by Nissan are all on tap.

[Source: Renault]

PRESS RELEASE:

Press release July 2, 2009

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and EDF to test 100 electric vehicles in the Paris region in 2010

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and EDF have announced the launch of a large-scale electric vehicle test in the Paris region. Under the terms of the agreement signed on October 9, 2008 by Pierre Gadonneix, CEO of EDF, and Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, the two partners plan to test the development of electric mobility for the first time in France during real-life trials in the Paris region.

For one year from September 2010, consumers, professionals and local government employees will try out 100 electric Renault-Nissan Alliance passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. They will be able to use a charging infrastructure at home, at the workplace, in car parks and on the public highway. The experiment has been made possible by a technical and financial partnership between all the public and private parties involved.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and EDF plan to use the full-scale trial to test the usage and performance of their future electric vehicles. The vehicles will be identical to the series-produced models scheduled for launch at the start of 2011.

This joint initiative by the Renault-Nissan Alliance and EDF is supported by the Paris region and Yvelines local authorities. It was devised in close cooperation with the "Etablissement Public d'Aménagement du Mantois Seine-Aval" (EPAMSA) local planning body.

The project, called SAVE (Seine Aval Véhicules Electriques), will involve a number of private partners. A file has been submitted to the French Energy Management Agency (ADEME) as part of the invitation for expressions of interest announced on June 26, 2009. The project will be launched only after the financing necessary for its implementation has been approved.