Renault-Nissan Alliance Electrifies the Alps

DAVOS-KLOSTERS, Switzerland, January 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

-- Renault and Nissan electric vehicles available for test driving and powering appliances during World Economic Forum in Davos --

Top business leaders and heads of state will gather next week in the Swiss Alps to debate global social and economic policy. Thanks to the Renault-Nissan Alliance, they will discover cutting-edge technology that powers cars - and even household appliances.

     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20120119/506023 )

Policymakers, academics and CEOs from some of the world's largest companies will meet Jan. 25-28 to brainstorm the planet's most pressing concerns - particularly those related to resource scarcity and energy security - at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn and other executives from both Renault and Nissan will attend the annual conference.

For the second straight year, the Alliance is offering test drives for WEF delegates in a fleet of zero-emission vehicles, including the new Renault Fluence Z.E. and Nissan LEAF. Electric vehicles offer an immediate solution to reducing CO₂ emissions - whether in an urban environment or in Davos, one of the highest-altitude towns in Europe. (Little known fact: EVs do not require oxygen and therefore perform consistently at any altitude.)

Davos will be one of the first opportunities for delegates to experience Renault's electric Fluence Z.E. saloon, powered by a 70kW electric engine. They can also drive the Nissan LEAF, the world's first affordable, mass-produced electric car and winner of the 2011 World Car of the Year. More than 22,000 LEAF owners on three continents have driven a collective 35 million miles, saving the equivalent of 7,300 tons of C02 emissions.

Test drives begin at the Renault-Nissan Alliance Pavilion, a convenient downtown hub for WEF delegates and the public. GE will provide charging stations for the cars, which will be powered by renewable energy from local hydropower stations from Davos-based EWD.

Davos visitors can also experience one of the newest innovations in sustainable mobility: Nissan's unique LEAF-to-Home (L2H) technology reverses the Nissan LEAF's usual energy flow, enabling the car's 24kWh Lithium-ion battery to charge household appliances for up to two days. At Davos, the system will power mobile phones and laptops in the Alliance pavilion - and even a hot chocolate machine outside! The Alliance will also donate USD $1 to the Brazil forestry program Mata no Peito (matanopeioto.org) for every compostable hot chocolate cup used. Visitors can get free cocoa and learn more about the L2H system.

Check the Alliance blog at http://blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com for posts from Davos all next week, including guest commentary and videos from VIPs interested in the future of transportation. You can also follow us on our Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/#!/TheAllianceRN to stay up to date with all the happenings from the Pavilion and from Davos.