Nissan to trial "sexy" electric cars in London and California by 2010?
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, European Union, UK, USA, Middle East
Lots of Nissan electric car news today. Shortly after hearing that Nissan intends to be a global leader in affordable electric cars, news comes that the company is looking at a few cities to trial some of their new electric vehicle technology. One such city on the short-list is reportedly London. Carlos Ghosn says, "We have not yet got to the level of talking to the mayor's office. At this stage it is just a feasibility study, but London is definitely among the cities interested." London seems to be a rather obvious choice, considering the cities controversial new congestion charges which would offer zero-emission vehicles a big advantage over their gas or diesel-consuming cousins.Let's recap the other recent news. Israel and Denmark want in on the electric car craze too. In fact, What Car reports that Israeli authorities have struck a deal with Nissan allowing the automaker exclusive rights to sell electric cars in Israel for a period of ten years. California is slated to be the first stop for an upcoming Nissan electric car in the U.S.
Interestingly, Nissan hopes to get 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, of range from a single battery pack, which could then be swapped out or recharged at an EV station -- sorta like an electrified version of today's gas stations and part of the Project Better Place idea. Ghosn says that Nissan is fully capable of offering an EV, sans battery, for the same cost of a normal gas-powered car. After the initial purchase, the cost of the battery and the amount of money spent keeping it charged will be less than the cost of gasoline. Ghosn also says that Nissan's electric cars will be sexy and attractive. That seems to cover all the bases rather well. Nissan, you've got our attention... we're waiting!
[Source: What Car]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-02-2008 @ 11:06PM
meme said...
So... if you have to commute over 30 miles each direction, you'd have to change your battery daily? That'd suck.
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5-02-2008 @ 11:21PM
Mark said...
I hope they allow people to charge their cars at home. Electric cars won't take off if there's a 2 hour lineup to get the car charged..
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5-03-2008 @ 6:45AM
jmspearman said...
You wouldn't be waiting for your car to be charged at a station, you would be exchanging the battery for another battery, probably taking about the same amount of time as filling up. Considering how many cars fill up at a typical station, that's a lot of huge battery packs sitting around.
My worry with any battery exchange system is that they develop proprietary equipment that can't be charged at home, only exchanged at an approved station. If I charge at home I am only paying for the cost of electricity, using off-peak electricity, and saving twenty minutes a week stopping at a station. But if I use someone's facility I am then paying a markup on the electricity, placing more stress on the grid, and paying for all their capital costs. No deal!
According to Project Better Place's website their first investor was an oil company, and while I'm not a conspiracy guy, I do think those companies want to get their cut of the new paradigm.
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5-03-2008 @ 8:55AM
Dave said...
There is some good stuff in this article in terms of availability of 2010 and that they are committing to all attractive designs. However, the battery exchange part of it does not make sense to me at all. The EV's should have the capability to charge at home. If solar is made more efficient and viable then the public could charge a second pack at home during the day off a solar unit.
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5-03-2008 @ 9:41AM
mike baz said...
Israelis can't even buy land, they can only lease it from their oligarchical government. I hold little hope that Project Better Place will make home plug-ins available. More likely it will attempt to replace the current energy control mechanism, that elites hold over us great unwashed, with a new energy control mechanism. Refuse to go along with it; plug in electric freedom, no substitute.
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5-03-2008 @ 11:10AM
stevefazek said...
charging stations that are like gas stations use those very high powered induction chargers that subaru and phoenix are working on. Those things draw something like 440V and 100 amps
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5-05-2008 @ 1:17AM
Lad said...
Project Better Place is designed so that every (every) place there is a parking place in Israel, there is a recharge receptacle nearby. Denmark's Project Better Place has similar specifications. So a 62 mile battery should work in those smaller countries.
In the U.S. a 62 mile EV should work as a commuter car; however, I would like to see EVs offered in various configuration of batteries and gensets to meet the needs of individuals and their families; there is no reason to carry around the weight of a 100 mile battery, if 40 mile battery will do the job...here is no reason to carry around a genset if you only need it twice a year to take vacations. I think the battery cars should be offered with custom sized battery and gensets to meet unique needs assessments.
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5-12-2008 @ 7:33PM
Wanker said...
62 miles will do me just fine. That would allow me to grocery shop and play golf in the same day. I am looking forword to it.
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