Nissan Motors has developed several concept cars and limited production electric cars, and launched the series production Nissan Leaf all-electric car in December 2010. [1] As of December 2015 [update] , the Leaf is the world's all-time best selling highway-capable plug-in electric car with over 200,000 units sold since its introduction. [2] [3]
The Renault-Nissan Alliance committed €4 billion (around US$5.2 billion) into its electric vehicle (EV) and battery development programs with the aim to become the leader in zero-emission transportation. By mid 2015, the Alliance ranked as the world's leading electric vehicle manufacturer with global sales of over 250,000 units delivered since December 2010. [4]
In September 2017 the Alliance announced plans to produce 12 new electric vehicles by 2022 that are made for China in China . [5] [6] [7]
In August 2013, Nissan confirmed the company has plans for 5 plug-in vehicles in the future. These 5 include the Nissan LEAF, the Infiniti LE, the Nissan e-NV200, and 2 not yet announced models. [8]
Nissan has a long history of developing and selling electric vehicles in limited numbers. In 1974, they introduced the Nissan Laurel C130-EV, which was originally developed by a company Nissan acquired in 1966, called the Prince Motor Company. In 1946, Prince introduced an electric vehicle, called the Tama, and it was sold in limited numbers.
The all-electric Nissan e-NV200 utility van has a range of 73 mi (117 km), similar to Nissan Leaf. [9] Trials with Japan Post Service began in July 2011, followed by trials with FedEx in London starting in December 2011. [9] [10] [11] More testing with a more advanced pre-production version took place in Singapore, the UK, the U.S. and Brazil. [12] [13] [14] A more extensive 6-month trial with 28 units delivered to British Gas began in the UK in November 2013. [15]
The production version was unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Nissan started production of the e-NV200 in the first week of May 2014. [16] The e-NV200 was released in Europe in June 2014, followed by Japan in October 2014. [17] Global sales totaled over 5,200 units through October 2015, with 4,752 sold in Europe and about 500 in Japan. [18] [19] [20]
On February 9, 2011, Nissan introduced the Nissan Esflow, to be unveiled at the March 2011 Geneva Motor Show. It is a sports car weighing less than 1,000 kg (2,000 lb), capable of going 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in under five seconds and having a range of 240 km (150 mi) on a single charge. The body is similar to the Nissan 370Z and the headlights and taillights are similar to the Nissan Juke's. [21] The expected price is US$34,000 to US$40,000.[ citation needed ]
Unveiled at the October 2010 Paris Motor Show, the Townpod is a two-door high-tech vehicle cable of performance as both a family car and a work car for entrepreneurs. With the capability to seat five, it has rear fold-down seats. Production dates, prices, and estimated driving range on a single charge have not yet[ when? ] been announced.
On August 2, 2009, Nissan announced the production of the Nissan Leaf, the company's first series production all-electric vehicle. Deliveries of the electric car began in Japan and the United States in December 2010, [1] followed by various European countries and Canada in 2011. The Leaf is the world's all-time best selling highway-capable all-electric car. [2] [3]
Global sales reached the 50,000 units by mid February 2013, [22] and the 100,000 unit mark by mid January 2014, representing a 45% market share of worldwide pure electric vehicles sold since 2010. [23] The 200,000 unit milestone was reached in early December 2015. [2] [24] Leaf global sales achieved the 300,000 unit milestone in January 2018. [25]
As of January 2018 [update] , the Leaf is available in 60 countries in four continents. [25] As of November 2015 [update] , the top markets for Leaf sales were the U.S. (88,244), Japan (about 57,000), Europe (about 48,000), and Canada (3,076), together representing about 99% of Leaf global sales. [26] As of September 2015 [update] , Norway ranked as the market leader in Europe with 14,736 new units sold, [27] [28] [29] [30]
Nissan Nuvu is a compact all-electric city car with 2+1 seating, with solar panels shaped like tree leaves on the roof that channel the sun's power through a "tree trunk" conduit in the center of the vehicle. It can reach about 121 km/h (75 mph) and travel up to about 129 km (80 mi) on an electric charge. [31] [32]
Nissan unveiled the narrow, weight-shifting Land Glider Concept at the October 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The Land Glider looks and feels like a mixture between a car, a motorcycle, and an airplane. The rear-view mirrors have been replaced by cameras and monitors. [33] Inside, the traditional steering wheel is replaced with something similar in appearance to an aircraft's yoke control. Riding on a motorcycle-inspired Tandem architecture, the Land Glider and its tires can lean up to 17 degrees in turns. Power comes from two electric motors connected to lithium-ion batteries mounted underneath the floor. The Land Glider features a non-contact charging system that enables it to be recharged at any wireless charging station. [34] [35]
The Nissan Altra was an electric car produced by Nissan Motors between 1998 and 2002. The Nissan Altra was introduced at the LA Auto Show on 29 December 1997. Nissan described the Altra as a combination of a sedan, SUV, and minivan. It was mainly used as a fleet vehicle for companies such as electric utilities. Only about 200 vehicles were ever produced. It was based on the Nissan R'nessa, and was sold as an R'nessa in the Japanese domestic market.
The Hypermini is a two-seater electric car produced by Nissan Motors. It was introduced in a limited way in Japan in 1999. It was launched for retail sale through Nissan dealers in the greater Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto metropolitan areas in February 2000, priced at ¥4,000,000 (about US$36,567) with a 200-volt mount-type battery charger and ¥4,015,000 with a 200-volt non-fixed battery charger. Sales were targeted principally at national government offices and agencies, local government bodies and corporations. Nissan claims the Hypermini consumes a quarter the energy of a typical car.[ citation needed ]
The Ariya is a midsize electric SUV set to hit the market in 2022, at a starting price of $45,950. [36]
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands, and formerly the Datsun brand, with in-house performance tuning products labelled Nismo. The company traces back to the beginnings of the 20th century, with the Nissan zaibatsu, now called Nissan Group.
Crude electric carriages were first invented in the late 1820s and 1830s. Practical, commercially available electric vehicles appeared during the 1890s. An electric vehicle held the vehicular land speed record until around 1900. In the early 20th century, the high cost, low top speed, and short-range of battery electric vehicles, compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, led to a worldwide decline in their use as private motor vehicles. Electric vehicles have continued to be used for loading and freight equipment and for public transport – especially rail vehicles.
The Mitsubishi Outlander is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since 2001. It was originally known as the Mitsubishi Airtrek when it was introduced in Japan.
An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric traction motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quieter, more responsive, have superior energy conversion efficiency and no exhaust emissions and lower overall vehicle emissions. The term "electric car" normally refers to battery electric vehicle (BEV), but broadly may also include plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).
The Renault Zoe, known as Renault Zoe E-Tech Electric since 2021, is a five-door supermini electric car produced by the French manufacturer Renault. Renault originally unveiled, under the Zoe name, a number of different concept cars. Initially in 2005 as the Zoe City Car and later as the Zoe Z.E. electric concept was shown in two different versions in 2009 and 2010 under the Renault Z.E. name. A production ready version of the Zoe was shown at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
The Nissan NV200 is a light commercial and leisure activity, 4/5-door van designed and produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 2009.
The Nissan Leaf, stylized as LEAF, is a battery-electric powered compact car manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation was introduced in October 2017. The Leaf's range on a full charge has been increased gradually from 117 km to 364 km, due to the use of a larger battery pack along with several minor improvements.
A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any road vehicle that can utilize an external source of electricity to store electrical energy within its onboard rechargeable battery packs, to power an electric motor and help propelling the wheels. PEV is a subset of electric vehicles, and includes all-electric/battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Sales of the first series production plug-in electric vehicles began in December 2008 with the introduction of the plug-in hybrid BYD F3DM, and then with the all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV in July 2009, but global retail sales only gained traction after the introduction of the mass production all-electric Nissan Leaf and the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt in December 2010.
Electric car use by country varies worldwide, as the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles is affected by consumer demand, market prices, availability of charging infrastructure, and government policies, such as purchase incentives and long term regulatory signals.
The Renault Twizy is a two-seat electric microcar designed and marketed by Renault. It is classified in Europe as either a light or heavy quadricycle depending on the output power, which is either 4 kW (5.4 hp) for the 45 model or 13 kW (17 hp) for the 80 model, both names reflecting its top speed in km/h. Originally manufactured in Valladolid, Spain, production was moved to Busan in South Korea in March 2019 to meet increased demand in Asia. In July 2023 it was announced that production of the Twizy was to end in September 2023; it is to be replace by the new Mobilize Duo.
The Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, originally known as the Renault–Nissan Alliance, is a French-Japanese strategic alliance between the automobile manufacturers Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, which together sell more than 1 in 9 vehicles worldwide. Renault and Nissan are strategic partners since 1999 and have nearly 450,000 employees and control eight major brands: Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Infiniti, Renault Korea, Dacia, Alpine, and Venucia. The car group sold 10.6 million vehicles worldwide in 2017, making it the leading light vehicle manufacturing group in the world. The Alliance adopted its current name in September 2017, one year after Nissan acquired a controlling interest in Mitsubishi and subsequently made Mitsubishi an equal partner in the Alliance.
The Norwegian fleet of plug-in electric vehicles is the largest per capita in the world. In December 2016, Norway became the first country where five in every 100 passenger cars on the road were plug-in; attained 10% in October 2018, and reached 25% in September 2022.
The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in the France is actively supported by the French government through a bonus–malus system through which provides subsidies towards the purchase of all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids with low CO2 emissions. The government also provides non-monetary incentives; subsidies for the deployment of charging infrastructure; and long term regulations with specific targets. Additionally, France passed a law in December 2019 to phase out sales of cars that burn fossil fuels by 2040.
The fleet of light-duty plug-in electric vehicles in Japan totaled just over 300,000 highway legal plug-in electric vehicles in circulation at the end of 2020, consisting of 156,381 all-electric passenger cars, 136,700 plug-in hybrids, and 9,904 light-commercial vehicles.
The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Germany is actively supported by the German Federal Government. Under its National Platform for Electric Mobility, Chancellor Angela Merkel set an initial goal in 2010 to deploy one million electric vehicles on German roads by 2020, which was achieved with a six months delay in July 2021. Initially, the government did not provide subsidies to promote sales of plug-in electric vehicles, however, by the end of 2014 it was recognized that the country was well behind the set sales targets. A purchase bonus scheme was approved in 2016, but premium cars were not eligible to the incentive. In order to meet the climate targets for the transport sector, in 2016 the government set the goal to have from 7 to 10 million plug-in electric cars on the road by 2030, and 1 million charging points deployed by 2030.
The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in the United Kingdom is actively supported by the British government through the plug-in car and van grants schemes and other incentives. About 745,000 light-duty plug-in electric vehicles had been registered in the UK up until December 2021, consisting of 395,000 all-electric vehicles and 350,000 plug-in hybrids. Until 2019, the UK had the second largest European stock of light-duty plug-in vehicles in use after Norway.
The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Sweden is actively supported by the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. As of December 2021, a total of 355,737 light-duty plug-in electric vehicles have been registered since 2011, consisting of 226,731 plug-in hybrids, 120,343 all-electric cars, and 8,663 fully electric commercial vans.
The stock of plug-in electric passenger cars in Canada in use totaled 141,060 units at the end of 2019, consisting of 78,680 all-electric cars and 62,380 plug-in hybrids. Sales totaled 50,960 units in 2019.
The Kia Soul EV is an all-electric subcompact crossover SUV manufactured by Kia and based on the Kia Soul. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official range for the 2020 Kia Soul EV is 243 miles (391 km).
The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Europe is actively supported by the European Union and several national, provincial, and local governments in Europe. A variety of policies have been established to provide direct financial support to consumers and manufacturers; non-monetary incentives; subsidies for the deployment of charging infrastructure; and long term regulations with specific targets. In particular, the EU regulation that set the mandatory targets for average fleet CO2 emissions for new cars has been effective in contributing to the successful uptake of plug-in cars in recent years