Published on November 15th, 2015 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez
0Renault-Nissan Alliance employees go the distance for COP21
Two hundred employees will promote Renault-Nissan’s leadership in electric vehicles while driving EV shuttles during the global summit on climate change in Paris. Employees – who completed a one-and-a half-day training course to become drivers and EV ambassadors – will shuttle VIP negotiators, delegates and media at the 21st annual Conference of Parties (known as COP21), from Nov. 29 to Dec. 11.
Renault-Nissan Alliance will provide 200 pure electric vehicles for COP21 – the world’s largest electric-vehicle fleet ever to an international conference. The EV fleet – which is comprised of the Nissan LEAF, Renault ZOE and the Nissan e-NV200 – is expected to cover more than 400,000 km in two weeks, fueled with renewable and extremely low-carbon energy, without a single drop of petroleum. Delegates can request an EV shuttle through an online reservation system specifically developed for the event. Shuttles from Renault-Nissan will run to and from hotels to the conference venue. More than 20,000 U.N. participants from 195 countries are expected to attend the summit.
In June, the Renault-Nissan Alliance launched a call for volunteers to allow employees in and around Paris the opportunity to be part of COP21 as volunteer drivers. The response was overwhelming, with more than 450 employees applying before the recruitment process was closed. Many of the volunteers drive an EV, and others work directly for Renault and Nissan’s EV programs. Employees selected for the program had to have driver licenses for at least two years, French and English language skills (additional languages preferred), and motivation to promote Renault-Nissan’s EV leadership. Each candidate had to write an essay explaining their interest in the program.