Renault has announced that it is developing a new vehicle propulsion technology that uses electricity and will eliminate CO2 emissions when the vehicle is in motion. The technology is being developed in partnership with Nissan and a vehicle application is expected in 2010.

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Renault says the technology is suited particularly to city driving and that the project has reached an advanced stage in which the automaker is now working on developing all the future vehicle’s components.


The technology will use lithium-ion battery technology that is being developed by the two companies. Other development work is focusing on packaging, the electric motor and the software needed to manage the engine. Work is also under way on a process to recover energy when the vehicle brakes.


Renault will focus mainly on the fleet market in France and Europe in 2010, while Nissan will presumably focus on Japan.


In a statement outlining its new Green Programme 2010 published today, Nissan said that it is planning to launch an electric vehicle in Japan from 2010. The company also said it is accelerating development of plug-in hybrid technologies that can utilise grid power to recharge batteries in addition to the onboard charging system.

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At the end of November GM announced that it is developing similar plug-in hybrid technology. It is proposing an SUV that will use a modified version of GM’s two-mode hybrid system and plug-in technology, combined with a lithium ion battery pack.


A plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle differs from non-plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles by offering extended electric-only propulsion, additional battery capacity and the ability to be recharged from an external electrical outlet.