Renault-Nissan: big plans for electric cars

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, has made a firm commitment: Renault-Nissan will be the world leader in the electric vehicle industry, and their efforts will be far-reaching and profitable.

And hopefully world-changing.

Renault-Nissan has teamed up with Silicon Valley-based electric vehicle startup Project Better Place. These are their plans:

• 2010: Nissan will launch a battery-powered car in the U.S.
• 2011: Renault-Nissan will introduce all-electric vehicles and a network of charging points in Israel and Denmark.
• 2012: Renault-Nissan will offer a complete range of electric vehicles in every large car-market.

Ghosn highlights these major points:

Electric cars will be less expensive

Renault-Nissan's electric cars will be less expensive than equivalent gasoline-fueled models.

Only better batteries are missing

Technically, everything is in place for electric vehicles to become mainstream, except for the batteries. He says that Nissan and NEC are investing massively in this industry, in order to improve range and recharge times.

A new way business model

Renault-Nissan's business model will be very different: car owners will subscribe to a battery-replacement and charging plan based on anticipated mileage. Recharging will be done at Project Better Place-built stations.

To summarize his commitment, Ghosn has said,

"We must have zero-emission vehicles. Nothing else will prevent the world from exploding."

Read more at the Economist.

Tags: Renault, Nissan, Renault-Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, Project Better Place, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, alternative energy, sustainable energy, electric cars

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