Development agency, One North East has agreed to install 619 free charging points for electric cars in the North East of England by 2011.
In signing a next stage agreement with carmaker, Nissan, the two extend their partnership and set out a road map for the roll-out of electric vehicles and infrastructure in North East England, cementing the region’s status as the national centre for the development of ultra low carbon vehicles.
Under the agreement, One North East will install at least 619 publicly available, ‘future-proof’ charging points by January 1, 2011, which will support both 3kW and 7kW charges and will also include twelve 50kW ‘rapid-charging’ stations.
Electricity at the 619 charging points will be provided free of charge until March 31, 2012, or until an itemised billing system becomes available. As part of the agreement, One North East has already installed two charging points for public use within its own head office car park at Newburn Riverside in Newcastle.
One North East will now also work with regional partners on developing further incentives for people driving electric vehicles that include introducing at least 200 free of charge, dedicated public parking places by November 2010, and introducing preferential access to identified road lanes and city areas. The Agency is also working with developers to have charging points installed in newly constructed buildings which feature parking spaces.
Nissan has agreed to work in partnership with One North East to supply Nissan LEAF electric vehicles to the region in early 2011 and to place priority on requests for electric vehicles in the UK from North East England.
Nissan says its LEAF model will be the ‘world’s first affordable electric vehicle for the global mass market’ and will go on sale in Japan, the US and Europe in late 2010. Designed specifically for a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, the medium-size hatchback comfortably seats five adults and has a range of more than 160km (100 miles) to satisfy real-world consumer requirements.
Margaret Fay, Chairman of One North East, and Trevor Mann, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, formally signed the historic agreement this morning at Nissan’s Sunderland car factory, which will also produce batteries for electric vehicles in the future.
One North East Chairman Margaret Fay said: “Today marks a significant step forward in our ambitions to become a leading global location for ultra low carbon vehicles. The commitments we are making today will show industry and consumers alike that North East England is serious about electric vehicles. We look forward to stimulating and shaping this emerging industry which will create new jobs for our region and help to reduce CO2 emissions.”
“With no tailpipe and no emissions, Nissan LEAF redefines the automotive experience – and delivers the performance, roominess, comfort, safety features and quality that people expect from Nissan,” said Trevor Mann. “Thanks to One North East’s efforts, the necessary conditions – including infrastructure and incentives – will soon be in place to allow rapid adoption of Nissan LEAF and other electric vehicles in this region.”
The Definitive Agreement also includes One North East’s commitment to a £2.4m investment in the National Centre for Sustainable Manufacturing and a £2.3m investment in the Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Development Centre.
