A Jordanian-led consortium is exploring the viability of electric vehicles in Amman as the government prepares to buy 300 Nissan leaf cars at the start of 2012.
Jordan has previously expressed its determination to become a leading eco-tourist destination, and the Leaf (Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family) cars will be introduced into the capital through a pilot scheme next year. The hatchback was first introduced in Japan and the US last year and has an official range is 117km. The car is fully electric and produces no tailpipe emissions.
The consortium headed by Nissan Jordan and NETenergy, a Jordanian start-up company, is charged with overseeing the scheme. Partners DBT and MATRA from France and AllCell and Sun Phocus from the US will help develop the infrastructure and solar photovoltaic battery technology. Training for NETenergy’s technicians will partly be funded by a grant from the US government.
Should the scheme prove a success, NETenergy says it will begin to explore other EV options such as electric bikes, electric scooters and a wider public transportation network.
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