Renault is to help establish a network of recharging points in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

İstanbul Enerji, a subsidiary of the Istanbul Metropolitan  Municipality, and the French carmaker have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement a program for expanding the use of electric cars in the country’s biggest city. 

The partnership program will deploy a charging network for electric vehicles, which will be launched in 2011. The carmaker also hopes to explore ways to increase funding for electric vehicle projects in the city and develop special opportunities for fleets and the public to trial electric cars to further encourage their use.

Renault, announced back in October that it would be producing its Fluence Z.E electric car at its Turkish plant in Bursa. This will make the Fluence Z.E. the first mass-produced electric vehicle in Turkey.

As part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the carmaker has signed more than 60 agreements worldwide, aimed at developing infrastructure and consumer demand for electric vehicles around the world.

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India is the next stop for the Renault-Nissan Alliance after it signed a memorandum of understanding with Bajaj Auto Ltd.

The companies will work together on an innovative four-wheel product for the Indian market and other emerging countries. They initially agreed to work together back in November last year but have been working on an agreement regarding the product, a manufacturing plan and distribution.

The design, engineering, manufacturing and supply base expertise will all come from Bajaj with the support of the Alliance who will then lead the marketing and distribution.

Further updates are expected as progress on the project is made.

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Take a look at the brand new electric concept car (below) from Renault scheduled to be launched at this year’s Paris Motor Show.

The dazzling concept is known as DeZir – a direct reference to Renault’s ZE signature for its forthcoming electric vehicles. Powered by an electric motor mounted in a mid-rear position to optimise weight distribution, the car uses a vertically mounted 24kWh lithium-ion battery for a range of 99miles. 

The Renault DeZir electric car concept.

Three battery charging methods can be used – a standard charge using a conventional household plug; a fast charge using a 400V three-phase current; and a fast battery exchange with Renault’s Quick Drop technology. The battery is cooled by the air channelled from the front to the back of the car and by the flow of air that enters through the lateral scoops that are concealed behind aluminium panels on either side of the body.

To optimise performance, the weight has been kept at a minimum with the body made from Kevlar, and a tubular steel frame also employed. Its power and torque is 110kW and 226Nm respectively, while it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just five seconds.

The Renault DeZir’s energy efficiency is further enhanced by a Kinetic Energy Recovery System that is used in Formula One. This recovers deceleration energy and can provide a temporary power boost at the moment the driver chooses by using a button located on the steering wheel.

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Having established various partnerships around the world, Renault has now turned to its home country for its latest green vehicle agreement.

The French manufacturer will team with the CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) to work on electric vehicles, new energies and cleaner combustion engines. The CEA is funded by the French government with a focus on technological research across three fields: energy; information and health technologies; and defence and security.

The two will co-operate at several sites and will identify areas of synergy as well as approving a three-year research and development programme. The committee will be chaired jointly by the head of the DREAM (Research, Advanced Studies and Materials division) with four main areas of research established: new energies in transport; upgrades in electrical and electronic architecture; improvements in the competitiveness of combustion engines; and connected vehicles.

Renault hopes to achieve technological breakthroughs by exploring a broader view of mobility while CEA will provide input and suggestions.

According to Odile Desforges, the executive vice-president of engineering and quality at Renault, sustainable mobility is one of the company’s key focus areas and developing solutions that respect users and the environment is one of its key targets.

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Tuesday 15 June. The Green Piece Column.

The highly competitive world of car manufacturing isn’t exactly the environment in which you’d expect relationships to be formed. However, since car making has gone green it seems manufacturers are lining up to be each other’s BFF.

Last week, Swedish manufacturer Saab declared its intention to find a ‘partner’ to help develop a new premium small car (see article) expected to be a throwback to the original Saab 92 launched in 1949. Ford too has indicated that it would be open to considering green car partnerships (see article). However, while Saab and Ford may have only just posted their lonely hearts ads, there are a host of manufacturers that have already declared their love for one another with green cars being the aphrodisiac that’s igniting these new romances.

Here we take a look at the industry’s hottest couples…

When Renault met Nissan…

Partners since 1999, French manufacturer Renault and Japanese carmaker Nissan have motoring’s greenest relationship – Renault has a 44.4 per cent stake in Nissan, while Nissan owns a 15 per cent stake in Renault.

Together they have been signing deals with municipalities, governments and utilities around the world to introduce their electric cars into key locations while also supporting the building of recharging infrastructure in these zones. It began with a deal with Project Better Place to mass market electric vehicles in Israel and has since expanded to include emission free agreements in areas such as the US states of Oregon and Tennessee; areas of California; Orlando in Florida (see article); the State Government of New South Wales in Australia (see article); Yokohama in Japan; Wuhan in China (see article); Portugal; the Principality of Monaco; Lombardy in Italy (see article); and Milton Keynes in the UK (see article). The companies are even working together in a bid to take over South Korean auto maker Ssangyong Motor Company to feed strong demand in the developing markets of South East Asia (see article).

A love triangle: Renault, Nissan and Daimler

It’s fair to say that Renault-Nissan is the green car industry’s power couple but they clearly have an open relationship as indicated by their decision to form a bond with German car giant Daimler (see article).

Daimler took a 3.1 per cent stake in both Renault and Nissan earlier this year, with the Alliance returning the favour. Now they will work together to increase the development and production of electric cars with Renault-Nissan engines expected to be used in the electric drive Smart cars. We have more on this partnership in a previous Green Piece column.

Another threesome: Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Citroen

PSA Peugeot Citroen is the second largest car manufacturer in Europe and its union dates back to 1974 when Peugeot acquired a 38.2 per cent stake in fellow French car maker Citroen – a union that was expanded in May 1976 when Peugeot took an 89.95 per cent stake in the then bankrupt company.

Now PSA has looked to Japan for electric car inspiration and has forged an agreement with Mitsubishi which will see the i-MiEV electric vehicle sold in Europe under the Peugeot and Citroen brands – as the Peugeot i0n (see article) and Citroen C-ZERO. The vehicle will be available in the UK from the end of the year and offers an 80mile range and a top speed of 81mph.

Their partnership does not end there, however, with reports now suggesting that the companies will work together again with Mitsubishi to supply a small internal combustion engine for Peugeot and Citroen cars with a 1.0-1.3litre displacement (see article).

The hot new couple: Toyota and Tesla

The undisputed hybrid car leader is to team up with the electric car market’s hottest newcomer as Toyota and Tesla Motors join forces prompted by Toyota purchasing $50million of Tesla common stock (see article).

A deal with Toyota is expected to fast track the Tesla Model S into production after the company hit financial difficulties last year – the vehicle will have a range of 200miles and can race from 0-60mph in just 5.6seconds. Meanwhile, Tesla is expected to play a key role in the introduction of a Toyota electric car, now rumoured to be unveiled before the end of the year based on an existing Toyota model. The partnership represents a significant shift in direction for Toyota, a company that has previously focused its mid-term strategy almost exclusively on hybrid cars. There is even talk that Toyota may team up with Daimler to accelerate the production of fuel cell vehicles too (see article).

Our verdict

The rush for love in the car industry is no coincidence and many of these partnerships will be looked back on as marriages of convenience.

With the industry still reeling from the credit crunch it makes sense for car makers to pool their resources; and with a new age of electric cars on the horizon, sharing knowledge, skills and expertise will assist the manufacturers in their efforts to hit emission targets and be well positioned for a surge in demand for electrification.

Whether these relationships end up being more “Cheryl and Ashley” than “Posh and Becks” remains to be seen – but if they bring more green cars to consumers at a faster rate then we’re happy to let sparks fly.

Faye Sunderland

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With partnerships now formed with more than 60 governments, cities, and other organisations around the world, it can be an exhausting task trying to keep track of the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s various electric car agreements. However, now you can add another to the list.

The Alliance has formed a partnership with the city of Wellington in New Zealand with the aim of exploring the development of a zero emission vehicles programme.

Together the organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding under which a working team of representatives from the city council and Nissan will look at areas of co-operation to promote the use of electric vehicles in the city.

Nissan Motor Company’s vice president Hideaki Watanabe and Mayor of Wellington Kerry Prendergast met to sign the memorandum with Prendergast even taking the Nissan LEAF for a test drive.

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The Renault-Nissan Alliance is already making significant in-roads into the electric vehicle market – and now it may be about to become an even greater force in the market.

The company has submitted a letter of intent to acquire South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor Company with a Renault spokesman informing Dow Jones newswires that its bid is one of six that have been shortlisted by the company. Ssangyong selected six bidders to conduct due diligence so they can decide whether to submit binding bids next month.

A senior Nissan official commented that Ssangyong has the industrial capacity that could be used by the Alliance to feed the strong demand in South Korea and other fast growing markets in South East Asia despite the fact that it has been under court-led bankruptcy protection since early 2009 after suffering cashflow problems.

Ssangyong Motor is currently South Korea’s fourth largest car maker.

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French brand Renault has set a target to produce more than 200,000 electric vehicles per year by 2015/16, a French national paper reports.

According to La Tribune, which quoted unnamed company sources, the French carmaker aims to produce at least 150,000 of its ‘Zoe’ electric supermini models by the middle of 2012.

Although Renault has issued no official statement on the story, the paper also added that the carmaker is expecting electric cars to account for a higher share of the firm’s overall production than the 5 per cent estimated for the industry as a whole by 2016.

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Renault’s brand new Tangier plant, which is set to start up in early 2012 with annual capacity of 170,000 vehicles, is expected to establish new standards in low environmental impact.

The plant will enjoy CO2 emission reductions of 98 per cent – the equivalent of around 135,000 tons a year with no industrial waste water to be discharged into the natural ecosystem and the quantity of water consumed by manufacturing processes to be slashed by 70 per cent.

These eye-catching results will be achieved through innovative manufacturing processes coupled with the use of renewable energy and the optimisation of the water cycle.

Renault has been working with Veolia Environnement to cut the site’s consumption with Renault revising its painting process and making substantial savings through the combination of innovative technologies and best practices. Together the companies have also identified a zero-CO2 thermal energy generation system with biomass boilers to produce the high-pressure, super-heated water required and part of the fuel for the biomass boilers will be made up of locally sourced olive stones.

The Moroccan National Electricity Office’s campaign to develop renewable energy forms will allow the site to be powered entirely by wind and hydraulic electricity.

Stephane Caine, the director of industrial markets and new activities at Veolia Environnement is thrilled with the results.

“A new industrial approach with a lasting commitment creates demands for results that go far beyond conventional solutions,” he said. “With the Tangier plant, Veolia Environnement has demonstrated its capacity to propose solutions that break with traditional methods in order to meet the demands of its customers.”

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Having already announced that Portugal will be one of the first two countries in Europe to receive its all electric compact family car in December, the Nissan LEAF, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has now made another electric mobility partnership in the country.

The Alliance will team with the Portuguese consortium MOBI.E Tech after a letter of intent was signed committing the two parties to studying the promotion of electric mobility using the MOBI.E model, the charging system being deployed by the consortium.

MOBI.E will actually make charging stations available to all electric vehicles and will have stations installed across the country in venues ranging from shopping centres to hotels, airports and petrol stations. The network will have normal charging points capable or charging an electric vehicle in six-eight hours using wind energy produced during the night; while also boasting rapid charging points that can charge an electric vehicle in less than 30 minutes.

Users will only need an identification card to access the network.

The initiative follows on from Renault-Nissan’s agreement to implement a nationwide electric mobility programme in the country in 2008. This involves 1,300 charging points by 2011 and the supply of electric vehicles to the country beginning with the Nissan LEAF in December, 2010.

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