ATLANTA - Clean Cities-Atlanta and Nissan North America, Inc. entered into an agreement to advance zero-emission mobility by promoting the development of electric vehicles and an electric-charging network. The announcement, made Oct. 29, was part of Atlanta's Sustainability Week, a series of events to raise awareness throughout the City about sustainability issues.

As part of the agreement, Nissan and Clean Cities-Atlanta will collaborate on plans to promote a charging infrastructure for EVs, as well as the deployment, operation, and maintenance of a charging network. Clean Cities-Atlanta is a coalition of government agencies, utilities, public interest groups, and public and private fleets that advance the use of alternatives to gasoline, and diesel fuels in cars, trucks, and buses. The partners in the agreement also will work to coordinate the establishment of policies and help streamline the deployment of an EV infrastructure.

"Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a critical component of making Atlanta a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable city," said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. "We appreciate Nissan for choosing Atlanta to be one of the first cities in the southeast to launch the Nissan LEAF. This public endorsement affirms our commitment to alternative fuels and supports our drive to be a top-ten sustainable city."

Earlier in the week, Mayor Reed unveiled a Power to Change sustainability plan with the goal of making Atlanta a top 10 city for sustainability. Changes include reducing fleet fuel consumption and ensuring that 15 percent of the city fleet is using alternative fuels by 2012.

Nissan, with its alliance partner Renault, has formed partnerships with more than 80 governments, cities, and other organizations to advance the deployment of electric vehicles. The Nissan LEAF, a five-passenger compact electric car with a range of up to 100 miles, makes its global debut in December in certain states and will roll out to the state of Georgia in 2011, according to Nissan.