Nissan, City Ventures Collaborate to Create Largest Offering of LEAF-Ready Homes in the US

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Aug. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Nissan Americas and City Ventures – California's leading builder of affordable, eco-friendly homes in urban locations – announced a cooperative project to pre-wire 190 Southern California townhomes currently under construction for electric vehicle chargers.   The effort will result in the largest residential, electric vehicle pre-wiring project in the United States.

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Every home in nearly every new City Ventures development will include pre-wired parking spaces or garages, allowing easy installation of a Level II (240v/40 amp) electric vehicle charging dock, the recommended method to charge the Nissan LEAF at home.

"Nissan applauds City Ventures' vision and leadership to create a unique solution on such a large scale," said Brendan Jones, Nissan's director of Electric Vehicle Marketing and Sales Strategy.  "Their model perfectly complements the accepted preference by EV owners to charge at home – including convenient charging during off-peak overnight hours - and is a meaningful step to help advance Nissan LEAF owner satisfaction."

Because target customers for the Nissan LEAF and City Ventures' residences share similar sensitivities and interests in environment issues, the project offers other benefits.

"City Ventures' goal is to provide the most advanced and cost-effective solutions to buying a green home, including offering affordable solar-powered and all-electric homes," added Herb Gardner, City Ventures' President of Homebuilding.  "By pre-wiring multi-family units, homeowners now have a simple, low-cost option to charge their all-electric Nissan LEAF at our all-electric home, and can even use the home's solar panels to power their car.  They'll never have a gasoline or gas utility bill again resulting in a win-win for their pocketbooks and the environment."

As the first phase of the plan, residents will be able to easily install home-charging equipment in single- or multi-family garage locations at City Ventures' developments in Signal Hill (54 homes/108 parking spaces) and Santa Barbara (48 homes/100 parking spaces).   A third location in Alhambra will also include mixed/public use garages (88 homes, 423 total parking spaces) as part of the venue's retail layout.   City Ventures plans to roll-out this approach to all of its new communities going forward.

For Nissan's part, the company has consulted with City Ventures to exchange technical and charging information to help satisfy construction needs, and to better align with consumer charging habits. In addition, the two firms are discussing potential cross-promotional opportunities.

The effort by Nissan and City Ventures adds to a growing list of actions by public, private and residential organizations to enhance infrastructure and charging options which can accelerate the acceptance of electric vehicles, including:

• Nissan's 27 MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with governments, utilities and business partners across the United States  (and 95 worldwide) that are helping to build the market for electric vehicles.

• The 15,000 U.S. public charging stations expected in the next few years through various public and private projects.

• Actions by leading companies to advance green initiatives within their organization, such as Google's RechargeIt program that includes the installation of hundreds of workplace charging locations and NRG's eVgo network of fast charging stations in Texas.

The Nissan LEAF

The Nissan LEAF is the first and only 100-percent electric, zero-emission vehicle available to the mass market. Since its launch in December 2010, Nissan has delivered more than 4,000 Nissan LEAF electric vehicles in the United States. The Nissan LEAF currently is available in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon and Washington, with additional markets launching later this year. To date, more than 350,000 have expressed interest in the Nissan LEAF by signing up for updates, including information on how to purchase and reserve a vehicle, at www.NissanUSA.com.

About City Ventures

City Ventures operates homebuilding divisions in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco, and owns more than 4,500 lots throughout California. The company acquires properties in desirable neighborhoods with the intent to entitle and build high-quality homes and vibrant new residential communities. The company places an emphasis on both construction quality and cost in order to deliver home buyers with compelling value. Because the company was formed in 2009 after the market correction, City Ventures has an unencumbered balance sheet enabling it to serve as the ideal partner for land sellers, home buyers and city agencies. 

About Nissan Americas

In the Americas, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 and 2011. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

About Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4 million vehicles in 2010. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

SOURCE Nissan North America