“It’s time to accelerate the shift to zero-emission mobility by working together with all parties concerned,” says Ghosn.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is adding 90 new charge stations for electric vehicles in and around Paris for the COP21 global summit on climate change. The installations are being done in partnership with French energy provider EDF, Schneider Electric, Aéroports de Paris, Paris City Council and SNCF, France’s national railway company.
France already has about 10,000 quick and standard charging spots. In the Paris region alone, there are more than 4,000 spots, making Paris one of the most “plugged in” cities in Europe.
The charging stations will refuel 200 EVs serving as VIP shuttles for negotiators, delegates and media attending the conference. More than 20,000 U.N. participants from 195 countries are expected to attend the 21st annual Conference of Parties – COP21 – from 30 Nov. to 11 Dec. EV shuttle service is expected to log at least 400,000 kilometers over the two-week summit—without a single drop of oil, much to the dismay of carbon fuel interests.
The COP21 car fleet will feature the Renault ZOE subcompact car, the Renault Kangoo Z.E. van, the Renault Fluence Z.E. sedan, the Nissan LEAF compact car and the 7-seater Nissan e-NV200 van. The vehicles will be available to shuttle delegates 24 hours, seven days week to key venues around the conference, as a complement to public transportation.
“Electric vehicles are the only existing, practical and affordable transportation solution to our planet’s environmental challenges – and they are available today,” says Renault-Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn, not without self interest. “Expanding the EV infrastructure is mandatory for any city or state that’s serious about environmental stewardship.”
The quick and standard EV charging stations will use renewable and extremely low-carbon electricity from EDF, enabling the Renault-Nissan fleet to cover more than 400,000 km in two weeks. The quick charging stations will recharge EVs from 0 to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes.
EVs consume any form of electricity used in the power grid, including hydropower, solar and wind energy. As countries reduce dependence on fossil fuels and increase reliance on renewable resources, EVs become greener.
The COP21 charging stations in the Paris region will use electricity with a small carbon footprint. The French power grid distributes electricity with a very low average of CO2 emissions per kWh: less than 40 g in 2014, compared to the European average of 325 g of CO2 emissions per kWh. Renewable energy accounted for about 19% of France’s electricity last year.
Fourteen of the 27 quick chargers installed will remain after the climate change conference and will be available for the public to use. These include two at Charles de Gaulle Airport, two on the Paris périphérique highway and one at Orly Airport.
