German carmaker Daimler AG (NYSE: DAI) and utility RWE (RWE.DE) plan to
open recharging stations for electric vehicles in Berlin at the end of
2009, company officials announced last week.
Opening of the stations will coincide with a limited production
fun of Daimler's electric Smart minicars, which the company said will
be equipped with lithium-ion batteries.
"This is a pilot market and more will follow. Then we will see
how this does in practice," RWE Chief Executive Juergen Grossmann told
reporters.
Daimler said it expects to begin large-scale production of the electric vehicle in 2012 at the latest.
Nissan (Nasdaq: NSANY) and its electric vehicle alliance partner
Renault (RNL.F) are working to build networks of recharging stations in
Israel, Denmark and Portugal. They are working with startup company Project Better Place in Israel and Denmark.
Nissan also formed a partnership to promote electric vehicles with the State of Tennessee and the Tenessee Valey Authority.
In July, Portland General Electic Co. (NYSE: POR) in Portland, Oregon, unveiled a new charging station designed for use by electric or hybrid-electric vehicles.
