Paris - Renault and Nissan are planning to mass produce electric-drive cars for the French market by 2011 with the car maker signing a memorandum of understanding with the electricity producer EDF to develop supporting battery recharging infra-structure.

Until January 2010, the partners will study all the necessary technical and other requirements to supply "high-performance and affordable electric vehicles" by 2011, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn announced.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has already announced zero-emission electric vehicle initiatives in Israel, Denmark and Portugal, the United States and Japan.

Ghosn said at the recent Paris Motor Show that the electric-drive programme required huge investments.

"The question is not whether demand will be sufficient. It is whether supply will be able to follow the demand that is already out there," he said.

Renault earlier announced it would produce an electric plug-in version of the mid-sized Fluence sedan in 2011. The Fluence will be on sale with conventional engines in 2009. (dpa)