Renault sets high bar for electric-car sales

Renault is targeting its Zero Emissions electric vehicle at corporate fleets.

(Credit: Renault)

Renault announced a sales target of 200,000 electric vehicles by 2015, according to an article in La Tribune. The French automaker will introduce its first electric vehicle--a version of a medium-size family sedan--in Israel and Denmark in 2011, followed by an electric version of New Kangoo based on the ZE Concept car for fleet sales.

While its sales goal forecast sounds high for a technology that hasn't yet reached mass production, the Nissan-Renault alliance partnership, which enables the carmakers to share key electric car components, is poised to meet whatever manufacturing demand exists.

The expanded Nissan plant in Smyrna and new battery manufacturing facility has capacity to produce up to 150,000 Leaf electric cars in its first year, and the alliance estimates that the two car companies should have capacity to manufacture 500,000 electric cars by 2013.

Nissan executives estimate that in four years global sales could reach 500,000, and this scaled up production could eliminate the need for government-sponsored sales incentives. Nissan already filled the 20,000 preorder slots for the Leaf this year.

Renault will introduce its first electric vehicle in 2011, followed by an electric version of New Kangoo based on the ZE Concept car for fleet sales.

(Credit: Renault)