For general public by 2012
Nissan takes the environmental issue very seriously, arguably more so than Bob Lutz personally, and is constantly pushing ahead with their Electric Vehicle (EV) range. Plans are that Japan and California will see the first pure electric cars, based on the Japanese Cube minicar, by 2010. This first wave will initially be sold to a test fleet market before retail customers can lay their hands on the Nissan EV.
Last week at the Geneva Motor Show, two senior Nissan Execs talked to Automotive News and went into a few details. First of all that the Nissan EV will be based on the Nissan Cube (pictured) but may not necessarily be called that and will use an engine powered by a range of Lithium-Ion batteries developed by the new joint-venture between Nissan and NEC Corp.
"The technology will first appear in a small vehicle," Masahiko Tabe, Nissan's manager of advanced vehicle engineering said. "The New York show will give you some hints." We will see a battery powered concept car at the upcoming motor show in New York that will hint to the styling and techonology of this EV. The new electric car should be good for 100 miles (commuters average 62 miles a day), a top speed of 75 mph and a full recharge should take about 8 hours.
