 Nissan to sell electric-powered vehicles in Mexico City in 2011Oct 29, 2009 - EFE Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Corp. and the Mexico City government reached an agreement "to begin the large-scale sale of cutting-edge, electric-powered vehicles in the capital by the end of 2011," officials said. The goal is to "improve air quality and the health of (Mexico City's) residents and reduce dependence on hydrocarbons," the office of capital Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said in a statement. The municipal government also announced that the first electric car to be introduced into this market will be the Nissan Leaf, a five-passenger hatchback with a top speed of 160 kph (99 mph). The electric motor- and battery-operated, zero-emissions car takes eight hours to charge - or just 30 minutes via a specialized charging station -, provides a quiet driving experience and is "cost competitive" compared to gasoline-run automobiles, the statement read. Mexico City authorities said their plans to acquire the electric vehicles come at a time when other large metropolises worldwide are also moving in the direction of environmentally friendly vehicles. The project is part of this notoriously smog-infested capital's Plan Verde (Green Plan), which aims to "reduce contaminating emissions into the atmosphere" and includes expansion of public transport and a renovation the bus and taxi fleets with lower-polluting, more fuel-efficient vehicles. "This is about participating, beginning now, in global technological change and not just waiting for the arrival of new technologies from other regions, since that will imply the country falling decades further behind," the statement said. Attending an event to unveil the agreement were Ebrard and Nissan Americas President Carlos Tavares, who congratulated the city government for its efforts to protect the environment. Greater Mexico City has a population of some 20 million. EFE 
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