LAS VEGAS - Today, 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC), has announced a partnership with Nissan to help cities plan and prepare for autonomous vehicles, electric cars, and new mobility services. The partnership was announced by Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn during Nissan’s keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
“The biggest transformations in future mobility will not take place inside our vehicles, or even inside our companies,” Ghosn said.” Rather, they will take place on the stage of the world’s cities. From population growth, to the increase in elderly populations, to the stresses on transportation infrastructure, cities are facing challenges that could be solved, in part, by mobility solutions. To align technology, policy, and planning, automakers and cities must work as partners. Together with 100 Resilient Cities, we will help some of the world’s most innovative cities lay the groundwork for these new and exciting technologies.”
Nissan becomes the first automotive company to join 100RC’s Platform of Partners, a group of more than 90 leading companies, non-profit organizations, and other experts providing free tools and services to the 100 member cities of the network – to support their resilience-building efforts against a myriad of physical, social, and economic challenges.
“Cities are ever-more on the forefront of tackling the world’s biggest problems – from shocks due to a changing climate to stresses due to rapid urbanization and globalization,” said 100RC President Michael Berkowitz. “The partnership between 100RC and Nissan will begin priming cities for new automotive technology, while creating better mobility for citizens, and building long-term resilience to the shocks and stresses cities may face.”
As a first step, Nissan and 100RC will convene Mayors and Chief Resilience Officers from cities throughout the network for two-day workshops in 2017 to discuss the pressing issues cities face in planning for future mobility technologies and services. Based on these discussions, Nissan will develop a report on initial findings and opportunities, which will be available to all cities in the network. As a second step, Nissan will work with selected cities to test and pilot emerging mobility technologies, such as autonomous drive, driverless cars, and electric vehicles, as well as charging and vehicle-to-grid infrastructure, to enable cities to better plan for their adoption on a large scale.
In addition to the immediate challenges of infrastructure and sustainability, there will be additional challenges to ensure new technologies are to the benefit of all communities, especially those not currently connected by public transportation, as cities prepare for driverless and zero-emission cars.
More than 50% of cities that belong to 100RC have identified transportation and sustainability as key issues in developing their resilience strategies. Nissan has a record of working with cities and regions to test and integrate new technologies, and today’s announcement adds to this legacy. As a Japanese automaker whose manufacturing plants were affected by the 2011 Japan earthquake, Nissan understands the importance of resilience-building, and the role of business to help ensure communities are able withstand a range of crises.
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Media Contacts
Nissan: Josh Clifton (Josh.Clifton@Nissan-USA.com) | 615-725-1767
100 Resilient Cities: Max Young (myoung@100rc.org) | 646-612-7142
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About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.19 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.
About 100 Resilient Cities—Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation
100 Resilient Cities - Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) helps cities around the world become more resilient to social, economic, and physical challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century. 100RC provides this assistance through: funding for a Chief Resilience Officer in each of our cities who will lead the resilience efforts; resources for drafting a Resilience Strategy; access to private sector, public sector, academic, and NGO resilience tools; and membership in a global network of peer cities to share best practices and challenges. For more information, visit: www.100ResilientCities.org.