Nissan Motor Co. unveiled a new prototype electric vehicle Wednesday with batteries twice as powerful as conventional technology, aiming to take a lead in zero-emission cars.
Japan’s third-largest automaker said the front-wheel drive, boxy-shaped car has a newly developed 80 kilowatt motor with advanced lithium-ion batteries installed under the vehicle’s floor to avoid taking up space.
The laminated batteries, jointly developed with electronics giant NEC Corp., pack twice the electric power of conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries currently used in hybrid and electric cars, it said.
Nissan aims to start selling an electric car in the United States and Japan in 2010 and the rest of the world in 2012. It will have a new “unique bodystyle” that is not based on any existing model, the company said.
Nissan has been slower than rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. to embrace petrol-electric hybrids, but it aims to become the industry leader in electric vehicles.
Such cars have so far failed to break into the mainstream, partly because of their limited battery life.
Nissan is also developing hydrogen fuel-cell cars as well as its own hybrid system, betting that zero-emission vehicles will take a 15 percent share of the global auto market in the future.
The company also unveiled a prototype hybrid which will also be launched in the US and Japan in 2010, as well as a new, slimmer fuel cell stack with double the power density of previous ones and 35 percent lower costs.
I read also that in late 2010 that the electric car will be first introduce in Nashville near there new Headquarters. The state of Tennessee is working with them to get a Recharge System set up also.
In Today’s Market of Screaming V-8s, and gas prices that scream just as loud, Nissan has taken a big step towards Reducing your day to day Expense. This December a new wave of commuter car will “environmentally” pull into Advantage Nissan, A metro Seattle Nissan dealer. The 2011 Nissan “Leaf” a fully electric, true Zero emission, 4 door hatchback may make “going green” more affordable than ever. Unlike competitors like General Motors “Chevy Volt” the “Leaf” will run on a COMPLETELY electric system. The five-passenger hatchback sports a 23 kilowatt-hour lithium-manganese battery that’s good for 100 miles and recharges in only eight hours on a level 2 charging, and 30 minutes on a level 3! And the price? The Nissan Leaf electric car will cost $32,780, Add in the $7500 federal EV tax credit, and the bottom line is $25,280. And leasing? Nissan says the numbers work out in the Leaf’s favor if you lease one, too. Although Nissan gets the federal EV tax credit because it actually owns the car, it will pass it along to consumers as an incentive. Sign a 36-month lease and put $1,999 down, and your monthly payment will be just $349. The 220-volt charging station you’ll need to keep the car going will cost you about $2,200, but that includes the installation. An additional federal tax credit will cover up to $2000 of the installation, Later this summer, customers who reserve a Leaf through the Leaf website can schedule an in-home assessment. EV infrastructure company Aerovironment will send an electrician to your house to provide an estimate, line up the permits and install the charger. For perspective leaf owners who live along the I-5 corridor in Oregon or in Seattle, San Diego, Phoenix-Tuscon or east-central Tennessee, you could get a free charger. The Department of Energy has awarded a grant to install as many as 1,200 charging stations in each of those five markets through a program called the EV Project. Of course, you’ll have to share your charging data with the Federal Government to help plan a broader charging infrastructure. Nissan starts taking reservations for the Leaf on April 20. $99 reserves yours when Nissan starts building the cars in September. The first cars roll into showrooms in December and will be available in five markets, plus the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. Nissan plans to offer the car nationwide by the end of 2011. Here at Advantage we are compiling a list so if the order date gets moved up we can contact interested parties, and get their order placed as soon as possible.
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Jason Lewis
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