The agreement will cover several areas including analysis of the technical integration between Renault and Nissan's electric vehicles and Enel's recharging infrastructure; examination of the development of integrated product and service offerings for the customers of electric vehicles; analysis of various recharging technologies and the services associated to the charging infrastructure, and; study of the entire battery life cycle, including the possible use of the battery as an energy storage system of energy produced from renewable sources in the second part of its life cycle.

Under the agreement, the firms will also work on a joint evaluation for development of pilot projects in areas to be identified in Italy, Spain and Latin America.

Renault and Nissan have already announced their commitment to 'mass commercialisation of zero-emission mobility'. By 2012 Renault is to launch a range of four electric vehicles: the urban vehicle Twizy ZE, the compact hatchback Zoe ZE, the family sedan Fluence ZE and the Kangoo ZE light commercial vehicle. And later this year, Nissan will launch its Leaf model, billed as 'the world’s first affordable all-electric vehicle for the global mass market'. Sales will begin in the US, Japan and select markets in Europe before global mass marketing in 2012.

Enel is the leading power company in its home market of Italy and is currently developing its own smart recharging infrastructure system based on digital metering technology, with more than 32 million smart meters already established in Italy.

Subsidiary company Endesa, which is the largest electric utility firm in Spain and also operates across Latin America, says it is firmly committed to the development of sustainable transport model based on the electric vehicle in its combat against climate change as reflected in its Strategic Plan for Sustainability 2008-2012.