[Maetrix66]

Nissan to Sell Electric Vehicle in 2010

Japanese automaker's top priority: bringing affordable zero-emission vehicles to the U.S. market.

By Jacob Gordon of TreeHugger

Having fallen behind domestic rivals such as Honda and Toyota in the green stakes, Nissan decided to make EVs the focus of its eco-strategy by announcing it will be the first manufacturer to mass-produce a fully electric horseless carriage.

Nissan Motors recently announced plans to bring an affordably priced electric car to the U.S. market by 2010, raising the stakes in the race to develop environmentally friendly, zero-emission vehicles by being the first major automaker to commit to delivering an electric vehicle (EV) for a certain market by a certain date. While Nissan's yet-to-be-named initial offering will most likely be a small economy-sized car, Carlos Ghosn, the Japanese automaker's chief executive, says the company also plans to roll out a complete line of EVs in all shapes and sizes worldwide by 2012.

According to Ghosn, Nissan's decision to accelerate its EV development program into hyperdrive stemmed from growing public concerns over soaring prices at gas pumps and the negative environmental impact of fossil fuel use, rather than the need to meet stricter U.S. fuel-economy standards that take effect in 2015. Having fallen behind Japanese rivals Honda and Toyota in hybrids, Nissan has definitely made the EV the pillar of its green strategy.


Full article at link
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=662733

 

[Maetrix66]

I love the line about the Volt...

Mark Perry, Nissan's North American director of EV and Advanced Technology strategy, stressed that they would be priced competitively with comparable vehicles, and that the first EV will cost "considerably less" than the $40,000 price tag expected for the Chevy Volt, General Motors' plug-in hybrid due in 2010.

I love how these people are still calling the Volt a plug in Hybrid.

IT'S AN EV WITH A RANGE EXTENDER, YOU IDIOTS!

 

[Pedal 2 Metal]

Greenies are some of the most obnoxious people on earth. They say they don't hate America, they just want American companies to do the right thing. And then we they do, they give them absolutely no credit at all and continue to bash them.

I can't wait till it becomes unfashionable to be a tree hugger.

 

[GMusa]

We'll see what comes out of this.. it could be all hype like the chrysler EV's

 

[pyropanda]

so nissan thinks they can pull a legitimate production EV out of their butts in 2 years? this will be interesting to watch...

 

[Canyonaro]

And what sell only 50 of them? Oh boy!

 

[ogg vorbis]

so the article has one huge glaring technical error...should we discount the entire article??

how much would the volt cost minus the range extender? $2000-$3000 less? a 26 kWh battery should give 100-150 mile range (similar to nimh ev1). even at 40 mile range, it suits 90% of drivers daily needs. the median commuting distance in toronto is 9.4 km! any significant fraction of 2.4 million commuters will impact petrol use and smog.

i like the follow up article on hybrid battery life; http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=542377

 

['Vette Dude]

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::blah::blah::blah::blah::blah:
Nissan won't EVER be able to do this by 2010

 

[rueben44]

People others have been working more than two years and they get good input along the way from GM who seems to love announcing every step of the Volt to everyone. It should not seem strange that just about everyone claims a 2010 production date....hum I wonder why? GM needs to get it out next year but they won't. Hell I bet at least two manufacturers will beat them to the punch.

 

[zete]

so nissan thinks they can pull a legitimate production EV out of their butts in 2 years? this will be interesting to watch...

Naturally. Look. They're the company that built the Titan. That's a big, honkin' truck. How hard can it be to build an electric car, which is no more than a glorified golf cart.

 

[1G6]

They abandoned their substandard BOF truck design, this will fail as well. Nissan is utter garbage.

 

[squat]

Good, the more competition the better for us.

 

[ZeroDrag]

so nissan thinks they can pull a legitimate production EV out of their butts in 2 years? this will be interesting to watch...

C'mon.. take it easy.. I think they will be able to bring an EV vehicle to the market by 2010, but there's just one little problem - Nissan will void the warranty if you use EV mode too much.

 

[Canyonaro]

Sure they may be able to get it out by 2010, but I have a hard time seeing too many in production at that date, let alone comparable to the Volt.

 

[eurohazard]

They abandoned their substandard BOF truck design, this will fail as well. Nissan is utter garbage.

LMFAO at "substandard BOF design"....like you've ever ridden in a Nissan Armada or Titan. Believe me, it is not substandard. Nissan's problem with the Titan was:
- not offering a V6
- not offering a manual
- not offering a smaller, lower cost V8
- not offering a 3/4 ton version
- not offering a 1-ton version
- not offering a regular cab
- not offering a long bed from 2004-2008....the long beds didn't come until 2008.5

That is Nissan corporate's fault, not the "design's" fault.

As for the EV's.....I don't know.....even if they beat the Volt, they don't sounds as good as a Volt.

 

[Maetrix66]

I see all of these companies thinking that they are ahead of the curve with a straight EV.

I am going to show my support for GM's Volt program by giving them their first advertisement to cut all of the competitors offering straight EV's (without range extenders) off at the knees.


UNPLUGGED-By:Maetrix66

EXT. SUBURBAN DRIVEWAY. DAY

A affluant, well groomed metrosexual begins to unroll the power cord from his shiny new Nissan EV as his family packs the vehicle for a trip. A minute later (seconds in movie magic time) they are off. Their next door neighbors are packing up their Chevy Volt, only they unplug the cord and stow it safely inside the vehicle before leaving.

They pass road rigns that show that they have traveled a considerable distance, and pass the Chevy Volt and their neighbors at a gas station. They drive by with their noses turned up.

METROSEXUAL
I can't believe that some people are still using gas! That is so 20th century!

The entire family shares a laugh.

FADE TO

The power cord tightens (still being dragged behind the car)

CUT TO

The fathers expression erupts in horror as the sound of tensing cable fills the car.

CUT TO

INT. METROSEXUALS GARAGE. DAY

The power cord is ripped forcefully from the wall. On it's way out through the adjoining garage, it knocks down shelves, turns over a standing compost receptacle, and smashes a sign in their front yard in support of GreenPeace.

It then proceeds to destroy windows and cause cosmetic damage to about 15 cars. It then trips a crossing guard and a group of kids as they are crossing the street on their way to school.

CUT TO

EXT. ROADSIDE. DAY

The METROSEXUAL is standing next to his car, which has been pulled over on the side of the road. He paces around to the rear of the car, and is visibly irritated when the Chevy Volt goes by and his neighbors kids in the rear seat wave to him.

At this point his power plug arrives, striking the rear of the vehicle with a loud thud. The METROSEXUAL smiles his elitist smile as he picks up the plug and inspects it. He turns to the side of the road and begins looking around.

FADE TO

The METROSEXUAL is leaning up against the car, his cell phone pressed to his ear, and a disgusted glare on his face. He tosses the electrical plug into the dirt on the side of the road.

ZOOM ON PLUG IN DIRT

FADE TO

The neighbors reach their destination (a beach) and hop from the vehicle, leaving it centered in camera.

ANNOUNCER
The Chevy Volt. Smart is using the power from a common electrical outlet to get you the first 40 miles. Smarter is having the flexibility to make it to where you are going, even if..

CUT TO

EXT.SIDE OF ROAD.NIGHT

METROSEXUAL is still waiitng by the side of the road. He kicks the tire.

ANNOUNCER(O.S.)
....the place you are going doesn't have electrical outlets.

ANNOUNCER (continued)
The Chevy Volt. An American Revolution.

 

[ogg vorbis]

the benchmark that the EV1 set 12 years ago still stands. however, good AC motors aren't new. NiMH batteries aren't new (and have shown to last 8-10 years without problems) so little validation is required. inverters/controllers aren't new (and have made huge improvements). LRR tires aren't new. nissan's platform likely won't be all new - it may not have to recertify crash testing. no emissions to speak of. ev are pretty much plug and play nowadays. the japanese are famous for developing new cars in 12 months. if they're saying it now, they've been working on it already. they probably said 2010 just to taunt GM

 

[LONGHORN]

The rumor is the Nissan is going to be under $20K and get a 60 mile range. Will it sell? You bet,especially in California. And don't forget VW has plans to do the same. As hard as it to believe, by the time the Volt does arrive to the market, it may be just more of the same in the market eyes.

 

[minnfang]

so nissan thinks they can pull a legitimate production EV out of their butts in 2 years? this will be interesting to watch...

Actually, a purely electric car would be a LOT easier to design and build than a hybrid or an EV with range extender like the Volt. It involves far less complex hardware and software.

On a purely electric vehicle, it mostly comes down to the batteries and whether or not they are up to the task.

That's why I've said all along that there is nothing really magic about the Tesla. It's basically a garage project with a ton of money behind it.

 

[ByTheLake]

so nissan thinks they can pull a legitimate production EV out of their butts in 2 years? this will be interesting to watch...

Are you assuming that Nissan just started this project today?