CASCAIS, Portugal – The head of Nissan global product planning says lithium ion battery power density remains the key to unlocking a purpose-built electric vehicle by 2010 in the US, but nevertheless expects the automaker to take the lead in the nascent electric vehicle market.

Nissan has committed to introducing a plug-in rechargeable EV, first for use in government and private corporate fleets by 2010, followed by a significant retail rollout by 2011 in the United States.

But the car could be available in dealerships even sooner than initially planned. Thomas Lane, vice president for product planning and strategy, tells Green Fuels Forecast that the EV initiative is “one of the fastest moving projects” he’s ever worked on, one which also has the full endorsement of Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. In fact, Lane says Ghosn is the project's “No. 1 supporter” and requests monthly briefings on the its progress.

“This is not just for (emissions) compliance or for image reasons,” Lane says during the “Nissan 360” press event, which provides journalists from around the world a chance to drive Nissan's global fleet. “I believe there is a real market here that should make this commercially viable. ... We're going to put the vehicles out there and see what happens."

Without revealing details, Lane says the powertrain and vehicle architecture are mostly set, but lithium ion battery power density issues are still being worked through. In April 2007, Nissan and NEC Corp. established a joint-venture company – Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) – to focus on lithium-ion battery business for wide-scale automotive applications by 2009. AESC will be the likely battery supplier for the US-bound EV unless “something better and cheaper comes along” Lane says.

As more proof of its electric intentions, Nissan showcases its three-passenger Mixim EV concept, which houses an electric motor/generator that powers the front axle and a second driving the rear axle in an all-wheel drive configuration. The scissor-door, three-passenger model carries a lithium ion pack mounted longitudinally underneath the chassis, and weighs in at 2,094lbs. The US EV model won’t come in the form of Nissan’s EV Denki Cube, which was is purely a show car the company unveiled during the 2008 New York Auto Show.

The Mixim EV

This far out, Lane obviously wouldn’t provide any kind of vehicle volume estimates, but notes that the vehicle will be available in select cities first. Lane says the EV will be affordable for average consumers. He declines to provide any pricing window, but says it won't cost anything close to $80,000, for instance. Although testing continues at Nissan’s Technical Center in Kanagawa, Japan, Lane says there’s no reason the EV couldn’t be built in the US.

Despite several well known EV failures in the US, Lane nevertheless believes Americans are more than ready to embrace the technology.

“To be honest, it’s kind of a matter of attitude,” he says. “We have to believe in it, because if we don’t, the dealers won’t believe in it and the customers won’t believe in it.”

Nissan will offer the EV in other countries with different variants to match local power systems. The company plans to introduce their electric car in the same time frame as Subaru and Mitsubishi.

Larry Dominque, who leads Nissan product planning for North America, says that initial US EV launch will be in the hundreds - not thousands - of vehicles.

“But we’re definitely not giving up on hybrids – just the opposite," he says.

Dominque says Nissan’s next-generation hybrid technology will appear by the 2010 calendar and will mark a significant advancement in fuel economy from the present hybrid powertrain, available only on the Altima.

Also during the 360 event, Nissan also reveals a new by-wire braking, steering and system. The car concept, called the EA2, uses "X-by-Wire" cords to replace mechanical and hydraulic systems, resulting in improved packaging flexibility.

Lane wouldn't confirm if the X-by-Wire technology will appear on the retail EV, but "electric definitely opens a lot of possibilities, you just couldn’t have with (ICE) models."

APRIL 2008