Nissan is only two years away from launching its first electric car – and there will soon be a full family of battery-powered models, boss Carlos Ghosn revealed today. Forget milk floats or crazy concepts like the Pivo 2 (pictured far right) – he vowed the cars will be desirable and stand alone as real cars that are as practical as a Micra or Qashqai.
The company, which will announce its next five-year plan outlining key corporate objectives on 13 May 2008, reckons electric models are a short-term win in certain key markets. It’s already speaking to governments and businesses about launching its small battery car around the world.
At the Nissan 360 event in Portugal, CEO Carlos Ghosn said: ‘In 2010 we will bring a zero-emissions car to the US. In the longer term, it won’t be just one car – but a whole line-up. In 2011 it will be launched in Denmark and Israel, and in 2012 it will enter the mass market worldwide.’
Nissan electric car: coals to Newcastle
So confident is Nissan about its expertise in electric car technology, that it’s even planning to launch it in the oil-obsessed Gulf states, too. Ghosn said the company was lobbying for lower import tariffs; one Middle East state was planning to cut taxes from 70 percent to 10 percent on zero-emissions cars. ‘That gives us a 60 percent advantage – we will make money on these cars,’ he claimed.
Ghosn admitted that biofuels were falling out of popularity but said they would remain suitable in some markets where the infrastructure was in place.
Please tell me I won’t have to drive around in a Pivo!
True, the Pivo’s not to all tastes, but don’t worry. Nissan’s global design boss Shiro Nakamura told CAR Online that the ‘EV’ (shorthand for electric vehicle – it’s what every Nissan exec calls this vehicle) would look like a real car. Think more Nissan Moco K-car tiny tot (main image) than outrageous concept car.
‘We haven’t quite signed off the design yet – it will be frozen in late 2008,’ he said. ‘It will be an all-new model, just an electric version of an existing car. It will be a small car, but capable of normal, everyday activities like carrying four people.’
Nakamura admitted that the basic layout of an electric car opened up new possibilities for designers; after all, the battery pack can be sited anywhere in the vehicle. However, electric vehicles have different cooling requirements to regular-fuel cars and they need slippery shapes to boost their range, according to design sources familiar with the project.
Charged up: the electric family
It’s still not clear exactly what shape this new breed of battery cars will take. But Nakamura hinted that there would be different expressions to cater for different tastes. ‘One will be more traditional, one is more likely to be radical. We could do a light commercial vehicle too. Do you remember the NV200 concept?’
When asked about the Mixim project – a sporty, electricified small coupe – the design chief looked enthusiastic but hinted that performance EVs would be further off.
Nissan has commissioned out the design work to its studios in San Diego, Taiwan and Tokyo. The London office isn’t working on the EV as it’s at full capacity on 11 other projects.