Nissan Joins The Electric Vehicle Race

Earlier this month, Nissan introduced an electric Cube concept vehicle, which is expected to go into production in 2010. The concept will be the first in what Renault chairman Carlos Ghosn promises will be an all-electric lineup. Nissan and Renault are development partners, and recently announced the creation of an electric vehicle for the Middle East market.

According to Ghosn, global demand for electric vehicles will begin in earnest in 2012, due in part to the continued high cost of oil and increased pressures to meet increasingly tight CO2 emissions targets. Ghosn also supports tax incentives for zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) that will offset the increased cost of the technology, and will reduce their overall cost to consumers.

Audi has also announced its intention to produce ZEVs within ten years, although the company expects that diesel drive trains and battery-powered vehicles will rise to the forefront temporarily. According to an interview in Welt am Sonntag, Audi's chief indicated that the company's primary goal was the development of fuel-saving technologies that would meet stricter emissions regulations.

GM and Toyota are racing to bring a mass-produced electric vehicle to market by 2010. Chrysler has said that it expects to produce electric vehicles exclusively by the 2020's, and Ford will increase the number of hybrids in its vehicle lines within the next few years.

Photo: Nissan