Win-win for popularisation of electric vehicles

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has signed a cooperative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the popularisation of electric vehicles (EV) with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), a program of the William J. Clinton Foundation. The move signifies MMC's commitment to "Leading the EV era, towards a sustainable future" as laid out in its "Mitsubishi Group Environmental Vision 2020," MMC's environmental policy, part of which is to proactively collaborate with various partners in creating a pleasing and low-carbon society.

The move is also part of the C40 Electric Vehicle Network, announced on December 16 at the Climate Summit for Mayors in Copenhagen. The C40 is a group of cities that are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, of which CCI is the implementation partner. The Clinton Climate Initiative works with C40 partner cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through projects such as energy efficiency building retrofits, waste management and transportation.

Through the newly formed C40 Electric Vehicle Network, some of the world's largest cities have committed to take steps over the next year to collectively address the key areas of municipal action critical to successful introduction of electric vehicles. MMC has agreed to work together with the Clinton Climate Initiative and the C40 Electric Vehicle Network to help develop cities' electric vehicle policies, vehicle procurement and infrastructure decisions through advice on vehicle specifications, charging parameters and incentives.

MMC is committed to making progress toward its stated goal of having 20% of total production as either electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2020. It also introduced the new-generation MMC electric vehicle, the i-MiEV, in Japan this summer and has already delivered more than 800 of these innovative vehicles to date with plans to roll out the vehicle globally.

Major points of the MoU for cooperation between the Clinton Foundation and MMC:

Exchange information regarding EVs
Promote development of demand for EVs in C40 cities
Promote the expansion of EV charging infrastructure in C40 cities
Gather and share data on EV usage in C40 cities