Renault-Nissan Plots its Electric Car Future, One Small Country at a Time
By Michelle Krebs July 14, 2008By Nick Kurczewski
LISBON, Portugal - Renault-Nissan continues to hinge its very big plans for its future electric vehicle on the cooperation of some of the world's smallest countries. The auto giant recently announced that it will market its upcoming zero-emission electric car in Portugal, beginning in 2011.
This is the third phase in Renault-Nissan's military-like electric car strategy, which targets small countries where the usual limitations of an electric vehicle (short driving range, limited recharging points) are less of an obstacle.
This latest news follows previous announcements that Renault-Nissan will market its electric car in both Denmark and Israel, also starting in 2011. Sales throughout Europe, Asia and North America are planned for 2012.
In hard numbers, the addition of Portugal represents the biggest step yet for Renault-Nissan's electric car plans. With double the population of Denmark, and roughly four times the landmass of Israel, Renault-Nissan appears to be slowly scaling up its commitment to marketing electric vehicles.
In a statement, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn praised the Portuguese government's step towards sustainable mobility. "Portugal is a recognized global leader in the development of renewable energy, and we applaud the government's actions to make electric cars an economic reality for their citizens," said Ghosn.
These "actions" include the Portuguese government's agreement to develop a network of recharging stations, and to implement tax breaks for car buyers who purchase an electric vehicle. "Promoting electric cars in Portugal will reduce our dependence on imported oil and will contribute to a cleaner environment," said Portugal's Prime Minister José Sócrates.
This follows a pattern set by Renault-Nissan's electric vehicle plan for Denmark and Israel, developed in cooperation with California-based Project Better Place. In Israel, Project Better Place has confirmed that it will construct and maintain up to 500,000 recharging stations. The use of renewable energy sources (such as solar and wind power) will be used whenever possible.
This scheme lessens the criticism that electric cars only shift the problem of energy use, by substituting a smog-spewing tailpipe for an overburdened powerplant. Another electric vehicle weakness has been the limited driving range. In smaller countries, this should pose less of a hurdle, at least for everyday driving.
Speaking about the Israeli program earlier this year, Ghosn stated that up to 90 percent of Israelis drive less than 70 kilometers (43 miles) a day. Therefore, the electric vehicle shortcoming of limited battery range is less an issue in Israel (or Denmark and Portugal) than it would be in a large country, like the United States. Renault-Nissan has not released many mechanical details about its electric car, though its lithium-ion battery pack is said to provide up to 100 miles of range and a top-speed of around 93 miles per hour.
Tax Incentives the Critical Key
Perhaps most important for the project's success is news that Israel, Denmark and Portugal have all agreed to adopt tax incentives for car buyers who choose an electric vehicle. Speaking at this year's EVER Monaco ecological car show, Nissan's general manager and technology chief, Kazuhiro Doi, explained to AutoObserver the importance of tax incentives.
"Initially, the cost of an EV is not affordable for the normal customer," said Doi. The high development and manufacturing costs of an electric car would initially make electric vehicles prohibitively expensive compared to gas or diesel-powered alternatives. Doi explained his belief that tax incentives, and other government measures, will be essential to lessen the cost burden of the first wave of mass-market electric vehicles.
Renault-Nissan has been coy about the layout and design of its upcoming electric car. An electric-powered Mégane sedan (Renault's small family car) will spearhead the company's electric car efforts in Israel. However, Renault executives have confirmed to AutoObserver that the electric-powered Mégane will definitely not be the type of electric car sold in Denmark, Portugal and other global markets by 2012.
One hint to the car's design could be the Nissan Mixim, a four-wheel drive, electric-powered concept car powered by lithium-ion batteries (the same as you'd find in your cell phone or laptop). First seen at last year's Frankfurt auto show, the petite wedge-shaped Mixim seats three and is about the size of a Mini Cooper.
Photo by Nissan
The Nissan Mixim electric car made its debut at last year's Frankfurt auto show.
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