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Nissan Debuts Their All-Electric, Zero Emission Car

Posted on: Monday, 3 August 2009, 06:00 CDT

Nissan revealed their first electric car, the Leaf, on Sunday, which they hope will start a new chapter for the afflicted auto industry and will give them a lead over their rivals in zero emission vehicles.

The mid-sized car, which will be available for purchase in 2010, is a daring bet by Nissan that implies that hybrids are a fad.

The Leaf, portrayed by Nissan as "the world's first affordable, zero-emission car," can travel 100 miles on one charge, the company said.

They hope that it will "lead the way to a zero emission future, opening a new era in the automotive industry," chief executive Carlos Ghosn said.

"The Leaf is totally neutral to the environment: there is no exhaust pipe, no gasoline-burning engine. There is only the quiet, efficient power provided by our own lithium-ion battery packs," he noted.

The price was not available, but Ghosn anticipated that it would be "very competitive."

"The monthly cost of the battery, plus the electric charge, will be less than the cost of gasoline," Ghosn said.

Owners can recharge the battery through a regular power supply in eight hours and charge it to 80% in half an hour at electric recharging stations.

Owners can use their cell phones to turn on air conditioning features, and set up the battery charging. If they have to find a charging station, the navigation system will help them find one.

Nissan was not as fast as Toyota and Honda to start making gas-electric hybrids, but wants to take customers away from their competitors.

The idea of an electric car has not made it into the mainstream due to the limited battery life and expensive costs.

However, after technological advances that the long-life lithium-ion battery made, the electric car may go into the mainstream.

"This is not a niche car," Ghosn said. "We didn't make it unusual looking. It had to be a real car."

Nissan sees a future for electric cars, he noted.

"Hybrids are not mass market. They represent two percent of the global market after many years," he said.

Nissan lost 2.5 billion dollars this year and was forced to eliminate 20,000 jobs.

"We need to invest a lot of money to build the car plants and the battery plants at a moment where all the auto companies are saving investments," said Ghosn. "But there is such a high potential that we (will) go ahead with it."

Koizumi hopes that the environmentally friendly car is key to Japan's economic recovery.

"It was so unexpectedly smooth and quiet," he said after getting out of the car. "I am sure this car is going to be popular."

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On the Net:

• Nissan Zero-Emission website

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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