County, Nissan in formal talks on electric cars

<p>Sonoma County and Nissan Motor Co. have launched formal talks aimed at putting county employees in electric cars by 2010.</p><p>Sonoma County would be the first in California to join Nissan's zero-emissions vehicle program, which also calls for a countywide network of battery-charging stations.</p><p>The county was chosen for the pilot project because it is committed to reducing greenhouse gases by 25 percent over the next seven years, said Mike Kerns, chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.</p><p>"We've set some pretty aggressive goals for greenhouse gas reduction," he said. "We're way out in front of other counties."</p><p>The partnership with Nissan would help reach the county's targets, he said. "Together, we're starting to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels," Kerns said.</p><p>On Tuesday, the county authorized an agreement with Nissan that lays out a framework for talks but doesn't commit either side to an electric car partnership.</p><p>All of the details -- including the number of cars, the location of charging stations and the cost of the program -- must still be hammered out, Kerns said.</p><p>Sonoma County's nine cities are being asked to join the talks, Kerns said.</p><p>"We're working toward developing the first national network of electric vehicles right here in Sonoma County," Kerns said.</p><p>The formal talks will expire March 31 unless the parties complete a partnership agreement by then. They agreed not to disclose confidential information shared in the negotiations.</p><p>The Sonoma County Water Agency also is involved in the talks.</p><p>"We're really in the beginning stages of all this," said Amy Bolten, a spokeswoman for the agency.</p><p>Nissan officials said they would offer Sonoma County incentives to purchase or lease electric cars starting in 2010.</p><p>"This represents a major step forward, not only for Sonoma County, but also for the future of electric vehicles in the United States," said Dominique Thormann, a vice president of Nissan North America.</p><p>Nissan plans to roll out its electric cars in the United States and Japan starting in 2010 and enter the global market in 2012.</p><p>The company also is working on electric car partnerships with government agencies in Tennessee, Oregon, Israel, Denmark, Portugal and Japan, it said.</p><p>Sonoma County operates a fleet of 1,400 vehicles, including 160 gas-electric hybrids, said Jose Obregon, who heads the county's General Services Department. The county might get as many as 50 electric cars under the partnership with Nissan, he said.</p><p>The water agency, which has a fleet of 50 to 60 vehicles, might get five to 10 electric cars, said Cordel Stillman, an engineer with the agency.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 521-5205 or steve.hart@pressdemocrat.com.</p>