Oct 28 2009
The Renault–Nissan Alliance and the city of Barcelona today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the development of zero emission mobility in the Catalan capital. The two organizations will work together to identify areas of co-operations in promoting the use of zero emission vehicles in the city.
Barcelona has made environmental sustainability a key policy initiative through the use of renewable sources of energy and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Earlier this year, Barcelona made public its plans to implement a sustainable mobility program by creating the necessary conditions to make electric vehicles an alternative to traditional means of transportation. The scheme includes tax breaks for EV buyers, as well as dedicated EV-only zones and parking spaces. The plan also calls for the establishment of 191 charging points across the city by 2011. At the recent Frankfurt motor show, Renault revealed four innovative electric vehicles that will enter the market between 2011 and 2013. In August, Nissan revealed the LEAF, a medium-size hatchback that will be launched in late 2010 in Japan, the United States and Europe.
City of Barcelona representative Jordi William Carnes said: “The city of Barcelona is driven by innovation and the zero emission mobility program is one of our commitments. Also, when considering the population density of the city, there is a need for concrete actions to promote sustainability.”
“The Alliance is proud to partner with the City of Barcelona,” said Manuel de la Guardia, Managing Director Nissan Iberia, S.A. “We have a long history and deep connections with this city and through the signing of the MOU we are opening a new chapter towards zero-emission mobility”.
Ernesto Salas, Renault’s Institutional Relations Director) confirmed, “This agreement strengthens the involvement of Renault promoting zero-emission mobility in Spain which represents a key market for us.”
The Alliance’s strong industrial presence in Spain is guided by a constant attention to environmental issues resulting in a total of seven ISO14001 certified-plants.
Renault recently announced the production of a fuel-combustion engine, an electric vehicle, as well as a fuel-combustion vehicle in Castille and León, between 2011 and 2013. Furthermore, its four plants in Spain (Valladolid, Seville and Palencia) are equipped with solar panels saving every year more than 160 tons of CO2. The Palencia plant, where Mégane is assembled, features the group’s state of the art water treatment area. And the Valladolid engine plant recycles a 100% of its industrial waste.
On its hand, Nissan’s Zona Franca plant created the largest solar panel structure for industrial use in Spain cutting CO2 emissions by 20%. In recognition of the moves made to improve its energy efficiency, Nissan has won the 2008 Carles Ferrer Salat Award, presented annually by Fomento del Trabajo Nacional, a confederation of Catalan businesses.
Barcelona is the hometown of Nissan Motor Ibérica SA (NMISA) where Nissan manufactures Pathfinder, Navara, Primastar and the newly introduced compact van NV200. In 2008 135,568 vehicles were produced at NMISA.