The company said that the Nissan Leaf powered by a lithium-ion battery, the medium-size hatchback seats five adults and has a range of about 100 miles (160km). The car will go on sale in Japan, the US and Europe in late 2010.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance will start mass-marketing electric vehicles globally in 2012. To lay the foundations for widespread expansion, the alliance has already formed partnerships with more than 40 governments, cities and other organizations in Japan, the US and Europe to advance the deployment of EVs worldwide.
This includes developing a comprehensive charging infrastructure through public and private investment; incentives and subsidies from local, regional, and national governments; and public education on the individual and societal benefits of zero-emission mobility.
In the future, Hertz and Nissan plan to expand Nissan Leaf electric vehicles into Hertz’s global car share service, ‘Connect by Hertz’.
Mark Frissora, chairman and CEO of Hertz, said: “The partnership with Nissan seals Hertz’s commitment to green-car rentals and firmly demonstrates our mission to advancing zero-emission mobility on a global scale. With unique solutions like the Hertz Green Collection already available to our customers, we believe in continuously providing innovative mobility solutions to sustain the growing demand for eco-travel.”
Toshiyuki Shiga, chief operating officer of Nissan Motor, said: “Our partnership with Hertz is an important step towards our goal of promoting widespread acceptance of electric vehicles. Together with our Alliance partner Renault, we aim to be the leader in zero-emission vehicles which we believe are one of the best solutions for sustaining the growing need for transport across the globe.”
