The charging stations are being installed in partnership with EDF, Schneider Electric and the Paris City Council to charge the 200 EVs that the Alliance has already donated as 'VIP shuttles'.

Acting as the official passenger car provider for COP21, Renault-Nissan Alliance's EVs include Renault ZOEs and Nissan LEAFs, which will emit zero carbon while transporting delegates and are expected to cover more than 400,000km over the two-week conference.

Renault-Nissan’s chairman and chief executive Carlos Ghosn said: “COP21 is a call to action to reduce the impact of climate change–including global warming resulting from personal transportation.

“Electric vehicles are the only existing, practical and affordable transportation solution to our planet’s environmental challenges – and they are available today. Expanding the EV infrastructure is mandatory for any city or state that’s serious about environmental stewardship.”

More than 20,000 UN participants from 195 countries are expected to attend the conference. To ensure quick transportation times, the 90 charging points will compromise of standard and quick chargers - the former able to charge from 0 to 80% capacity in 30 minutes.

Plugged-in city

The French power grid distributes electricity with a very low average of 40g CO2 emissions per kWh - compared to the European average of 325g. EDF will also offset the remaining emissions through UN certified carbon credits, essentially making the fleet fully decarbonised.

France already has around 10,000 charging spots, with 4,000 in Paris alone. After COP21 has concluded, 14 of the quick chargers will remain in the city for general public use. These include two at Charles de Gaulle Airport, two on the Paris périphérique highway and one at Orly Airport.

This announcement follows on from a host low-carbon incentives that have been introduced in the city for the two week duration of the talks. AccorHotels will offset the carbon footprint of all overnight stays in the Ile-de-France region - including those at rival hotels.

Meanwhile, the world's largest solar-powered boat is also in Paris for the conference, acting as an 'ambassador vessel' to draw attention to the key issues of ocean plastic waste and maritime emissions.

Mai Linh (Edie)