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Last April, Nissan began
construction of a battery plant in Sunderland, United Kingdom,
which will start operations in early 2012 with an annual
capacity of 60,000 units. Renault’s battery plant in Flins,
France will have a total production capacity of 100,000 units a
year.
Philippe Klein, Renault’s
Executive Vice-President of Corporate Planning, Product Planning
and Programs, said, “The inauguration of the Cacia battery plant
is another concrete step in the electric mobility revolution
spearheaded by the Alliance. The plant will supply batteries for
one of the four electric vehicles in the Renault Z.E. range,
Fluence Z.E., which will be launched in autumn 2011.”
Renault’s gearbox plant in Cacia,
244 km north of Lisbon, was chosen as the site for the new
battery facility thanks to its easy access to road, rail, sea
and air transportation. The project also benefitted from support
from the Portuguese government who shares the Alliance’s vision
for zero-emission mobility.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance aims
to be a global leader in zero-emission mobility. By 2015, the
Alliance will have the capacity to produce 500,000 electric
vehicles and batteries at its plants around the world, making it
the only automotive group in the world to build electric
vehicles and batteries on this scale.
The Alliance is taking a
comprehensive approach towards the mass-marketing of electric
vehicles which encompasses both the product and the
infrastructure. To date, Renault and Nissan have entered into
more than 90 partnerships with governments, municipal
authorities and companies around the world to put in place the
necessary incentives and infrastructure for the successful
adoption of such vehicles.
In 2008, Portugal became the first
country in Europe to partner with the Alliance for zero-emission
mobility. The country is building an extensive network of
charging stations and this summer expects to have installed
1,350 units across the nation, including 50 quick chargers.
Nissan delivered nine Nissan LEAFs
to the Portuguese electric mobility consortium MOBI.E and one to
the Portuguese government in December ahead of the car’s
official launch to individual customers in Europe shortly.
(February 11, 2011)
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