Nissan Electric Cars To Launch 2010

By: Andy Hodges
Staff Writer
Published: Jun 23, 2009

Articles - Nissan Electric Cars Enter Mass Production

Nissan Motor Co is making serious plans for its initial launch for new electric cars in the United States. It hopes to achieve an annual production of more than 100,000 electric vehicles annually starting in 2010. The new cars will introduce its zero-emission green technologies and will enter the global market in 2012.

''With our EV strategy, the U.S. is going to be a very important market,'' Nissan President Carlos Ghosn said in a statement. Ghosn said Nissan and Renault will each launch three models of electric cars in various sizes and shapes beginning next year. The automaker plans to assemble its new batteries and vehicles at its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.

While consumers are showing a higher demand for electric automobiles, Nissan also sees initial demands coming from corporations as well as municipal governments. The automaker is also planning to build two manufacturing sites for EVs in Europe. The plants in Europe will be part of Nissan's global mass production strategy for 2012.

Automakers are in a tight race to meet increasing demands for electric vehicles. The market is also attracting new automobile startups from China in an effort to compete. However, Ghosn said NIssan plans to offer a model that will be comparable to existing normal cars.

''Very expensive electric cars will become niche,'' Ghosn said. ''In order to mass market them, economically, they must make sense to the consumers.''

The cost associated with electric cars often comes from the expensive lithium-ion batteries. However, there is growing speculation that Nissan and Renault are researching ways to lease the batteries in an effort to bring down the cost. This will benefit the consumers who purchase electric cars, but it's not clear how it will benefit in the long run.