Nissan (Nasdaq: NSANY) and the State of Tennessee are forming a
partnership to promote zero-emission vehicles, including electric
vehicles, with participation from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., announced the agreement during the dedication of Nissan
Americas, a newly completed building in Franklin serving as the
coordination point for the company’s operations in the United States,
Canada and Mexico.
Ghosn and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen signed the agreement during a meeting Monday night in Nashville.
"The
State of Tennessee is proud to join Nissan, TVA and others in promoting
use of zero-emission vehicles, including electric vehicles," Bredesen
said. "Our clean-energy future depends on our ability to find real
strategies for encouraging Tennesseans to adopt a zero-emission
mindset."
For his part, Bredesen has agreed to explore strategies
in which the state might help support the deployment of infrastructure
for electric vehicles, including charging stations in public places.
The collaboration will initially focus on the region’s heavily
trafficked Interstate 24 and Interstate 65 corridors.
"As the
nation’s largest public power supplier, TVA is looking forward to being
part of this project to explore the potential of electric vehicles,"
said TVA Chairman William B. Sansom.
Nissan and its electric
vehicle alliance partner Renault (RNL.F) have begun similar ZEV
initiatives in Israel, Denmark and, just two weeks ago, in Portugal.
In Israel and Denmark, the Alliance will be working with Project Better Place,
which will create an infrastructure of charging stations. Vehicles for
those two initiatives will be provided by Renault and lithium-ion
batteries to power the vehicles will be provided by Nissan, through its
Automotive Energy Supply Company joint venture.
Nissan has a five-year
business plan to introduce ZEVs in the United States in 2010 and to mass market them globally two years later.
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