Washington, D.C. – More than a dozen business leaders, including Nissan Motor Company CEO Carlos Ghosn, have formed the Electrification Coalition with the intention of deploying electric vehicles.

The nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization is committed to promoting policies and actions that will facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale to combat the economic, environmental and national security vulnerabilities associated with dependence on petroleum.

As its first official act, the Coalition released the Electrification Roadmap, a sweeping report detailing the dangers of oil dependence, the benefits of electrification, the challenges facing electric cars, and specific policy proposals to overcome those challenges.

The Roadmap contains a specific vision: by 2040, 75 per cent of light-duty vehicle miles travelled in the U.S. should be electric miles, which will reduce oil consumption by more than 75 per cent, and eliminate U.S. crude oil imports.

“The first electric vehicles will be delivered in twelve months,” Ghosn said. “The widespread acceptance of zero-emission cars will require more than the efforts automakers can provide on their own. Public and private collaboration will be the key to mainstream acceptance.”

The Roadmap also proposes specific policies in the areas of batteries and vehicles, charging infrastructure, electric power sector interface, and consumer acceptance.

The members of the Coalition represent such companies as NRG Energy, Coda Automotive, Coulomb Technologies, Johnson Controls, Bright Automotive, A123 Systems, and FedEx Corporation.