Nissan Rolls Out Electric Car

First Public Viewing of Zero-Emission Vehicle Leaf, Set to Go on Sale in Japan, Europe and the U.S. in 2012

(AP)  Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn drove quietly out of the Japanese automaker's soon-to-open headquarters Sunday in the first public viewing of its new zero-emission vehicle.

It was the first time the external design was shown of Nissan Motor Co.'s environmentally friendly automobile, set to go on sale in Japan, the U.S. and Europe next year. The blue hatchback had a sporty design and a recharging opening in the front.

Designer Shiro Nakamura said the vehicle was intentionally designed to avoid a stereotypical futuristic design.

"This is not a niche car," he said. "We didn't make it unusual looking. It had to be a real car."

Nissan has promised that the Leaf, which goes into mass-production as a global model in 2012, will be about the same price as a gas-engine car such as the 1.5 million yen ($15,000) Tiida, which sells abroad as the Versa, starting at about $10,000.

The car has a range of 100 miles on a single battery charge, according to Nissan. The company is targeting initial annual production of 50,000 units for the Leaf at its Oppama plant in Yokohama, including export models.

Ghosn drove out on stage with former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi sitting next to him, and a Yokohama governor and mayor in the rear seats.

"This car represents a real breakthrough," Ghosn told reporters and guests in the new headquarters' showroom.

He said the new car and new office building in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, marked two fresh starts for Nissan, which hopes to take the lead in zero-emission vehicles.

Nissan, which has an alliance with Renault SA of France, has fallen behind Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. in gas-electric hybrids that have become increasingly popular recently.

Nissan said the new 22-story headquarters was designed to be energy-efficient to qualify as one of the most ecological buildings in Japan. The company, which is losing money amid the global downturn, is selling its old Tokyo headquarters as part of efforts to cut costs.

Koizumi said environmentally friendly auto technology holds the key to Japan's economic growth.

"It was so unexpectedly smooth and quiet," he said after getting out of the car. "I am sure this car is going to be popular."

Nissan received a $1.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to modify its Tennessee-based plant to produce electric vehicles and batteries to power them, with production starting in 2012.

Other carmakers, including U.S.-based Tesla Motors, are also racing to make electric automobiles.

In June, Nissan's smaller Japanese rival, Mitsubishi Motors Corp., launched its electric vehicle, the 4.59 million yen ($48,300) i-MiEV. The company has acknowledged that may be too expensive for most consumers.

Toyota has said it plans to sell electric vehicles in the U.S. by 2012. Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Corp. has teamed up with a Dutch-based company to develop and make electric cars.

Ghosn said Nissan's electric vehicle will get a boost from the interest of governments around the world, adding tougher emissions regulations were expected to increase market share of such cars to 5 percent. Hybrid models only make up about 2 percent of the auto market now, he said.

[ibzjem]

Hydrogen is a dangling carrot. It's been the talk of the town for almost 15 years and we've not seen one car come to market. It's simply being used as a promise for future cars and to postpone any other new technology today.

[rf35]

This is the first electric I've heard of that is planning to sell for an affordable price. I'd love a Volt, but I simply cannot pay $40,000 for one. The last time I looked, Teslas were out of reach as well. I still think hydrogen fuel cells are the way to go. Volkswagon recently announced a hydrogen combustion engine. Either way you slice it, America needs to get started on a hydrogen infrastructure or be left behind as Europe converts and then sits back laughing at us still buying Muslim oil.

[sjc_1]

Hydrogen mostly comes from reforming natural gas. It makes more sense to run cars, trucks and buses on natural gas. It is cleaner and domestically available. You can make renewable methane out of corn stalks and not corn. If you have a dual fuel (FFV/NG) hybrid that gets 50 mpg, you use less fuel all the time.

[Yes_ABWH_Fan]

No one is mentioning how an electric car will get me warm and able to see out the windshield, through a raging blizzard, without using up all the electricity on heat! How will that issue be handled?? Or are these "fair weather cars"??

[Yes_ABWH_Fan]

This is the way to go. Since these bacteria EAT CO2, it is zero-sum pollution, and involves NO changes in lifestyles or infrastructure.
http://oilproducingbacteria.com/
Ross

[LouBlue1952]

If you're really that concerned about the cost, efficiency and environmental impact of generating electricity, I suggest that you look into the Federal tax credits that just went into effect for people who install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof or a wind generator in the back yard and tie it into the existing electrical grid. I recently finished doing the calculations for my own situation and have decided to take advantage of the Federal government's offer to subsidize 30% of the cost of putting enough PV cells on my roof to run my electric meter backwards... and I live in Kansas, where there are no incentives at the state level. In places like California where they do have additional incentives, now is definitely the time for folks to convert to solar and wind. By the time plug-in electric vehicles are available for a reasonable price, the sun will be supplying the bulk of my electricity, so I'll have no qualms about dumping my gas guzzler and getting an electric car. The higher the rates for electricity go here, the more my local utility company will have to pay me for any excess power my PV cells generate, albeit at the wholesale rate. Check into it.

[clancy49]

The environment is important as far as car emissions, but how much more is the electricity going to cost to run? The Florida Public Service Commission allowed Progress energy to raise rates 27%. Yes, it is a fact. The rates were raised 27% during this tightening of belts, no raise, lost savings, recession. I cut my energy use by 1/3 and the difference is my bill is between $1 and $5. I can't imagine what my electric bill would be with plugging a car in every night for a battery charge. Great concept, but I'll wait for the nano paint solar car. That is totally environmental, emission free, and no cost other than a thank you to the sun.

[fleabag75]

Yeah Newster1,,,,,,,,,, let's keep the same old, stupid, inefficient, polluting, crises causing engines we've had for over a hundred years. At least batteries can be recycled. What do you think of that new thing that seems to be catching on,, the telephone.

[Newster1]

Theres no such thing as a zero emissions car!
That battery bank has to be charged by electric, plugging it into a wall socket, that just transfers tailpipe pollution to powerplant stack pollution. Battery charging is VERY inefficient due to the inherent losses in the conversion process, most of the input energy is lost as heat, just touch a battery charger that's been on a few minutes and you can see it.

[cattlekate1]

newster makes a good point. Electricity is only about 33% efficient - 1/3 of the potential energy of a fuel source is lost in burning, and 1/3 lost in transmission. So the "per mile" heat loss and pollution generated from coal-fired plants is greater than that of internal-combustion engines. It'll be a different story if the battery could be charged from a solar system.

[lileoj]

True which is why then need to use solar paneling instead of coal burning electricity to charge it up.

[sjc_1]

If you put 4 kWh of PV solar panel on your house, you would have enough to run this car 100 miles every day, completely pollution free and renewable. The panels would Net Meter during the day supplying power for ACs and you would charge at night when power is plentiful and low cost.

[fiberglass3]

Untrue - How do you know the electric is coming from a fossil fueled plant? What if it's clean nuclear or wind power. Everything I own is electric except for the automobile in the driveway.

[doctor_know]

I have friends who work at the California Air Resources Board, and they tell me that when the discuss potential emission standards and regulations with the auto industry, the Japanese car companies hire a bunch of engineers to figure out how to meet the new requirements, while the American companies hire a bunch of lawyers to fight them.

[ToolMangler1]

"The car has a range of 100 miles on a single battery charge, according to Nissan. The company is targeting initial annual production of 50,000 units for the Leaf at its Oppama plant in Yokohama, including export models"



That means a 200 mile trip to the beach would take two days, WOW!!!! Motel 6 must be loving this one.....

[ToolMangler1]

The next year they will color it 'Red' and name it the "Maple Leaf" (for sale in Canada only)