Milton Keynes Council and the Renault-Nissan Alliance today passed a milestone for the future of greener driving in Milton Keynes by signing a Definitive Agreement which sets out a road map for the roll-out of electric vehicles and infrastructure in the Borough.

The agreement forms part of the council’s Low Carbon Living agenda and details the commitments that both parties are making in order to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles in Milton Keynes: The council will support the development of a network of charging posts and the Renault-Nissan Alliance will make electric vehicles available for the public to buy.

Under the agreement, Milton Keynes Council will facilitate the installation of 430 electric vehicle charging points in a mixture of public and private locations in the city, plus up to two thousand points in homes. Drivers will receive local incentives to switch to electric vehicles, such as free charging and free parking at city centre posts, as well as national Government incentives which could include up to £5,000 towards the cost of an electric car.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance, in its partnership with Milton Keynes, has agreed to place priority on requests for electric vehicles in the UK from Milton Keynes.

Nissan will supply the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable electric vehicle for the global mass market. Nissan LEAF will go on sale in Japan, the US and select markets in Europe in late 2010 and will be available in Milton Keynes from early 2011. Designed specifically for a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, the medium-size hatchback comfortably seats five adults and has a range of 160 km.

Kunio Nakaguro, Senior Vice President and head of European R&D at Nissan International SA, commented on the signing: 'We applaud Milton Keynes Council for its foresight in seizing the opportunity to bid for central government funding to build the electric charging points necessary for electric cars. Today’s agreement demonstrates that by working together, local government and EV car manufacturers like the Renault-Nissan Alliance can create the right framework for electric vehicles to succeed.”

Roland Bouchara, Renault UK’s Managing Director, said, “In partnership with Nissan we are excited to be working with Milton Keynes Council as one of the first to be involved with Plugged-in-Places programme. The agreement between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Milton Keynes Council presents a great opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of our range of electric vehicles in a realistic environment and is a significant step towards our goal of bringing affordable electric mobility to the mass market.”

David Hill, Milton Keynes Council’s Chief Executive said, “We are delighted to be working with the Renault-Nissan Alliance to give Milton Keynes people the opportunity to be at the forefront of electric vehicle use. We have always been a pioneer for green technologies and initiatives, and this agreement is yet another positive step for Milton Keynes as a showcase low carbon city.”

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