The State Government of New South Wales has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Renault-Nissan to explore the development of a Zero Emission Vehicles program.
A joint working team will identify potential areas of co-operation in promoting the use of zero emission vehicles in the State.
The move is along the same lines as partnerships already formed between the Japanese-French vehicle conglomerate and more than 40 Governments in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia - all aimed at advancing the deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs) worldwide.
Co-operation between vehicle manufacturers and Governments/Utility Providers is crucial to the implementation of electric vehicle technology - for starters in the re-charging function.
Rather than bogging down in arguments about who pays for the electricity, in London and several other European cities, the local Governments have bitten the bullet for the greater good and provide free re-charging points (essential in many European cities where car owners typically don't have home garages). The cost of electricity to recharge a modern electric car from totally flat is less than four cents.
We hope Nissan-Renault (along with Mitsubishi with its i-MIEV electric vehicle) can persuade the NSW and other Australian State Governments to adopt similarly progressive thinking as those European cities.
