A zero-emission motoring future has moved two steps closer thanks to environmental commitments from the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Initially, Renault-Nissan Alliance plan mass-market electric vehicles in Israel and Denmark in 2011 as announced at the beginning of this year. Moreover, Nissan has recently announced its plans to start selling electric vehicles in the US and Japan by the end of 2010.

Secondly, Renault-Nissan Alliance is developing fuel cell-powered electric vehicles. Two prototypes are currently in an advanced engineering phase: the pioneering X-Trail fuel cell vehicle that has been undergoing real-world testing for more than two years; and the most recent development is a Renault prototype called Scenic ZEV H2.

Based on a Renault Grand Scenic, the Scenic ZEV H2 is a joint Alliance development. It features Nissan’s in-house developed fuel cell stack, a high pressure hydrogen storage tank and compact lithium-ion batteries. Renault engineers and technicians prepared the Grand Scenic architecture to accept the different FCV elements under the floor, thus managing to keep ample cabin space for five adults, and to integrate Renault and Nissan electric and electronic systems.

Both FCVs have been created to demonstrate the viability of the fuel cell concept – the only by-product is water – and to underline the Alliance’s commitment to a zero emissions future. Renault Scenic ZEV H2 and Nissan X-Trail FCV will be taking part in environmental road shows across Europe this summer.

From June to September, Nissan will demonstrate the X-Trail FCV in six European countries while Renault will showcase the Scenic ZEV H2 at its Environmental Workshop in Barcelona during the second half of June.

Sources: Renault, Nissan

Eddie Jordan and Marco Pierre White have raised £200k at a private "Rock ‘n’ Roll" fundraising party hosted at Frankie’s Italian Bar & Grill in Knightsbridge, London to help young homeless people.

The exclusive dinner prepared by Marco Pierre White, was attended by a host of celebrity guests and friends invited by both Eddie and Marco in their ongoing support of the Amber Foundation. Without doubt, the star of the evening was the latest state of the art green must have - the high performance Vectrix e-bike. Donated for auction by Eddie Jordan, frantic bidding for this super-charged zero emission motor-bike saw Damon Hill literally drive off with the top prize as the highest bidder.

Clearly enjoying his new environmentally friendly mode of transport, Damon gave an impromptu display to photographers outside Frankie’s demonstrating his acrobatic driving skills on two wheels as he balanced motionless on the Vectrix. "Amber is a fantastic charity and it was great that Vectrix supported it by supplying one of their carbon zero electric bikes for the auction. I could not resist the chance to buy one and help Amber at the same time! Now I feel twice as good as I did before!" said Damon Hill.

The second Vectrix e-bike went to Queen drummer Roger Taylor and his partner Sarina. Not currently bikers, Vectrix will help them through the process of CBT training and learning how to ride and enjoy the Vectrix.

Rounding off the evening Eddie’s band, The Robbers, entertained guests with a fabulous live gig and included guest appearances from Barry McGuigan and Damon Hill, making the whole evening an unforgettable night of compassion, generosity and music genius.

Eddie Jordan who is a keen supporter of Amber and a regular visitor at its centers, said: "It’s fantastic the Vectrix bikes drew so much attention, making this auction a phenomenal success for Amber. Tonight will go a long way to funding a new Amber centre, to help more disadvantaged young people rebuild their lives. I own a Vectrix myself and must say that this product is one of the most exciting developments I’ve seen from the automotive industry for some time. With the benefit of being a consumer product we can all, from F1 drivers to City commuters, play a part in helping to reduce our carbon footprint."

Sue Crawford-Condie from Amber said "The Amber Rocks event was hugely important in helping us to raise the money we need for a new Amber centre and we are extremely grateful to Alex Bamberg and his team at Vectrix for providing such a great auction prize. Amber looks forward to an ongoing association with Vectrix".

Sources: Vectrix, Amber Foundadtion

Westminster City Council has officially launched 10 new on-street Juice recharging posts for electric vehicles. Now with 12 recharging locations, Westminster now offers the largest on-street network of electric car charging points anywhere in the UK.

The new posts have been installed outside homes, offices and prime locations across Westminster following a successful 2-post pilot scheme in Covent Garden. The new recharging points are at the following locations: Berkeley Square (2), Wilton Street (2), Sutherland Avenue (2), Manchester Square (2), Spencer Street (Behind City Hall) (2), Wellington Street (1), and Southampton Street (1).

Users, who must either work or live in Westminster, have to pay an annual £75 fee to cover administration costs to register and use the on-street recharging posts. They then receive a high quality recharging cable and personalised key, which will trigger a welcome message and start charging. Registrants to the scheme are also entitled to discounts to use an additional 48 charging points already installed in 13 of the council's car parks.

The new Juice Points, which cost £3,300 each, have been funded by Westminster City Council, Transport for London, the Energy Saving Trust and EDF Energy. The scheme is part of Westminster Council’s strategy to improve its air quality and is part of its Go Green programme, which sets out the ways in which the City Council intends to lead in creating a more sustainable city. The near-by London boroughs of Camden and Islington have also installed several recharging points as have several other Boroughs across the capital.

According to Westminster Councillor Alan Bradley, Cabinet Member for Street Environment: "We hope, by taking the lead and offering more recharging points than any other area of the UK, that we can get more people to switch to electric-powered cars, saving both money and the environment. This scheme represents an important step in the development of environmentally friendly travel and an improvement to London’s transport system, and we hope other councils will follow our lead, not just in London but across the country, so we can have a truly comprehensive system of recharging points across the UK."

Robert McKinnon, Head of Business Marketing at the Energy Saving Trust, said: "With over 20% of the UK’s total carbon emission produced by road transport every year, these advances in technology are vital. Driving electrical cars is just one of the ways of cutting down harmful emissions in the city. We’re proud to have been involved in supporting this innovative development and hopefully Westminster, as well as the environment, will see the benefits."

Peter Thorn, EDF Energy Head of Business Development Strategy, said: "EDF Energy and Elektromotive are firmly committed to encouraging the development of a UK wide recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles. We firmly believe that by making recharging posts readily available, there will be greater interest in electrical transport, which in turn will help people reduce the impact their driving has on the environment. That is why we are delighted to be supporting Westminster City Council in the official launch of the additional charging posts and the ongoing development of electric transportation."

Sources and links: Westminster City Council, Eco-Mark scheme