SDG&E PARTNERS WITH NISSAN TO GET SAN DIEGO ‘PLUG-IN’ READY

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New, Zero-Emission Electric Vehicles to Reach San Diego
Next Year

April 1, 2009 (San Diego) – San Diego County will become one of the nation’s
first “plug-in” ready green regions and start the transformation into a clean
transportation community with San Diego Gas & Electric’s landmark partnership
announced today with Nissan Motor Co. and the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

As President Obama pushes energy independence by creating opportunities for
renewable energy vehicles, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Nissan
will accelerate the transition to all-electric vehicle fleets by studying ways
to invest in the necessary charging infrastructure these cars utilize.

Local community leaders and fleet operators joined SDG&E today at the
Port of San Diego for a test drive as Nissan unveiled a prototype that features
its newest generation zero-emission vehicle technology at the first of several
planned California stops. Nissan’s all-electric vehicle will be introduced
to fleet operators in late 2010 and reach showroom floors by 2012.

Under the partnership, SDG&E will serve as the local San Diego coordinator
to help assemble a critical mass of regional electric vehicle fleets that municipalities,
universities, the military, the port, private fleets and others use daily. The
public-private collaborative will work to further develop and fine-tune the
charging infrastructure, which is the critical link in making the vehicles
commercially viable.

“SDG&E’s partnership is another step toward making San Diego a national
center for clean technology and green practices,” said San Diego Mayor Jerry
Sanders. “The public and private sectors in this region are working hand-in-hand
to promote innovation and adoption of environmentally friendly technologies.”

As part of its commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from its vehicle
fleet by 15 percent by 2012, SDG&E has a goal of replacing its passenger
vehicles with compressed natural gas and electric vehicles. With today’s
announcement, SDG&E will be adding 15 to 20 of Nissan’s new zero-emission
electric vehicles to the utility’s current fleet of 200 alternative-fuel vehicles.

“The increased use of zero-emission electric vehicles in San Diego will help
achieve our nation’s goals of energy independence and reduced greenhouse-gas
emissions, and foster new jobs and opportunities in the region as we become
a pioneer launch for these advanced vehicles,” said Debra L. Reed, president
and chief executive officer of SDG&E. “The support and involvement
of local government and private fleet operators will be crucial to our success
in demonstrating San Diego’s continued leadership role in clean technology.”

In 2010, Nissan will introduce a five-passenger, compact all-electric passenger
vehicle for fleet sales that is capable of achieving 100 miles on a single
charge. Charging of the advanced lithium-ion battery is expected to take
four to eight hours with a
220-volt line and also will be capable of charging through a standard 120-volt
outlet. The vehicle will be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

“Nissan through the Renault-Nissan Alliance has committed to being a
global leader in zero-emission vehicles,” said Dominique Thormann, senior vice
president, administration and finance, Nissan North America. “Nissan
and SDG&E have a shared belief that the introduction and expansion of electric
vehicles is one of the best solutions to reducing CO2 emissions. This
partnership is an important step in making zero-emission a reality in San Diego.”

SDG&E plans to collaborate with the San Diego Association of Governments
(SANDAG) and other local organizations to provide the critical mass needed
to not only assess electric vehicle viability and charging infrastructure needs,
but customer needs and education. With this investment, SDG&E expects
to gain valuable insight into the impact of electric vehicles on the local
electric distribution system, including customer charging habits, and to evaluate
technologies that track a vehicle’s electric consumption so further investment
can be warranted in the future.

“Increasing the supply of electric vehicles and creating infrastructure to
better utilize renewable resources fits with SANDAG’s overall energy strategy
for the region,” said Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler, chair of the SANDAG
Board. “The strategy calls for reducing overall consumption as well as
cutting our dependence on foreign oil – electric cars will help us accomplish
those goals.”

Last year, SDG&E announced the results of a year-long study of plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles. The plug-in hybrids showed a 60-percent increase
in gas mileage and a 37-percent decrease in carbon-dioxide tailpipe emissions
when compared with the original version of the hybrid vehicles. The early
version of the hybrid vehicles already showed great reductions in these areas
when compared with a conventional, gasoline-operated car.

SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune
500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering,
consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan
has committed to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010,
whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and
increasing recycling. More information on Nissan in North America and
the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.infinitiUSA.com.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance, founded in 1999, sold 6,160,046 vehicles in 2007.
The objective of the Alliance is to rank among the world’s top three vehicle
manufacturers in terms of quality, technology and profitability.


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