Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Electric Vehicles: Renault-Nissan Alliance Hits Milestone of selling 350,000 Electric Vehicles and Maintains Position as Global EV Leader

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is ahead of everyone in terms of electric cars sold globally. They have announced that they have sold 350,000 electric vehicles since December 2010 when they first started selling the Nissan LEAF (pictured above). Now from that 350,000 vehicles,  It has now hit an important milestone as from January to August 2016, they've sold 100,000 EVs in total. Imagine that, 100,000 people bought EVs from either Renault or Nissan throughout the world. 

From that total amount, Nissan has sold 230,000 Nissan LEAFs. Quite a feat. I think this is also due to the fact that the newer 2016 spec Nissan LEAF has a range of 250km. which is quite a feat. You can buy a reasonably priced Electric car to travel further instead of something costly like a Tesla which costs almost triple the LEAF yet can only travel 100km further. 

I think cars like the Nissan LEAF and the Renault Zoe (which boasts faster charging times that when it first came out) is a realistic future for the electric car. As are plug in hybrids like the fabulous Volvo XC90 T8. The Tesla costs so much more and does not benefit the lower end of the car market (which are the large volume buyers compared to the number of people who can afford something like a Tesla). Of course, here in Malaysia it still isn't affordable for the masses. A LEAF costs about RM150,000 which isn't dirt cheap. But the thing about a Tesla is that is costs RM400,000 minimum. Which is an astronomical sum for most. 
Read what the Alliance says in their press release below:
PRESS RELEASE
PARIS and YOKOHAMA, Japan, Sept. 13, 2016 
  • Alliance reaches historic EV milestone in August with 100,000 EVs sold in one year 
  • Nissan LEAF remains world's most popular electric vehicle with more than 230,000units sold 
  • Renault delivers its 100,000th EV to a customer in Norway 
  • Alliance's EV offering continues to improve with extended range of batteries and more innovations 
The Renault-Nissan Alliance, the world's leader in zero-emissions mobility, has sold its 350,000th electric vehicle since December 2010, when the Nissan LEAF went on sale.
The Alliance achieved the historic milestone in August, while also setting an industry record of 100,000 EVs sold in a single year.
The Alliance today accounts for half of the EVs sold worldwide. The Nissan LEAF remains the industry's best-selling EV ever, with more than 230,000 units sold globally. Renault is the best-performing EV brand in Europe .
"This historic milestone confirms our customers' recognition of the benefits of Renault and Nissan electric vehicles," Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said. "Our commitment to contribute toward a zero-emissions world by bringing to the market a full range of affordable EVs makes Renault-Nissan the indisputable leader in EV technology."
Historic milestones for Nissan and Renault  
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is the only global car group with a wide range of zero-emission vehicles for personal and business use. In addition to the LEAF, Nissan also sells the e-NV200, a light commercial vehicle sold mainly inEurope and Japan since 2014. Along with the ZOE, Renault also sells the Renault Kangoo Z.E van, the SM3 Z.E. sedan and the Twizy, a two-seat, urban commuter vehicle.
To date, Nissan has sold more than 250,000 EVs in 48 markets globally. The Nissan LEAF has driven more than 2.7 billion kilometers (1.7 billion miles), helping prevent an estimated 455,249,190 tons of CO from entering the atmosphere(1). The United States , Japan and Europe accounted for 90 percent of LEAF sales, with the U.S. leading the way with about 97,000 sales, followed by Japan (68,000) and Europe (61,000).
Renault reached the 100,000 EV milestone worldwide since its first model, the Kangoo Z.E., went on sale inOctober 2011 . The milestone was marked with a ceremony in Norway , where a customer took delivery of a Renault ZOE. ZOE is the best-selling EV in Europe , and, with sales increasing 32 percent during this first six months of this year, Renault is the best-performing EV brand in Europe : One of four electric vehicles on European roads are Renault.
Driving range increase and technology innovations  
The Alliance keeps improving the range and features of its EV fleet, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with zero-emissions technology to meet customer expectations and needs.
Nissan launched the updated Nissan LEAF with 250 kilometers of range(2) in the United States and Japan in late 2015, and in Europe earlier this year.
Renault last year improved the ZOE's range by 30 kilometers with 10 percent faster charging times. Renault's engineers improved the motor's efficiency by optimizing its electronic management system.
The Alliance continues to innovate by combining its EV expertise with the research and development of other advanced technologies. In January, the Alliance announced plans to launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive technology by 2020. The technology will be installed on mainstream, mass-market cars at affordable prices, confirming the Alliance's commitment to achieve its twin goals of zero-emissions and zero-fatalities.
ABOUT THE RENAULT-NISSAN ALLIANCE  
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a strategic partnership between Paris -based Renault and Yokohama, Japan -based Nissan, which together sell one in 10 cars worldwide. The companies, which have been strategic partners since 1999, sold 8.5 million cars in nearly 200 countries in 2015. The Alliance also operates strategic collaborations with other automakers, including Germany's Daimler, China's Dongfeng, and Japan's Mitsubishi Motors. The Alliance has a majority stake in the joint venture that owns Russia's top automaker, AVTOVAZ.
(1) Total figures based on Nissan's Global Data Center (GDC) as of August 2016 . The distance and the amount of CO2 are only collected from those Nissan LEAF EVs registered in the telematics system],[ which account for approximately 53% of total global sales (average projection.
(2) New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) value.

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