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Nissan to get more electric by 2010
The media has given a lot of attention to Toyota and GM in the race for automotive electrification. After all, many of the other current players in the game license their technology from the likes of these two. Nissan has remained relatively quiet in the competition though, sitting behind its Hypermini small electric vehicle and Hybrid Altima, the latter of which happens to be the result of one of those previously mentioned licensing deals. The recent 2008 New York Auto Show saw Nissan taking things a step further, however, with the unveiling of an electric Cube concept that's expected to hit production by 2010. According to Carlos Ghosn, it's just the beginning of a worldwide full electric lineup for Nissan and its alliance partner Renault.
The run up of oil prices and, of course, the current marketing trend that makes being environmentally aware the hip thing for squares, makes the future market for electrified vehicles a more viable prospect. Technological advances, especially in batteries, have also made an electric venture more economical. Mr. Ghosn expects a global mass market for electric vehicles by 2012 and fully anticipates that Nissan will be a part of that band wagon. The Chief Executive also hopes to push demand through the creation of government tax incentives for zero-emission vehicles, making their lifetime cost to consumers below that of any gasoline chugger. Good luck, Ghosn!
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
KDubz 6:50PM (5/02/2008)
Is it me or am I seeing everything in italics?
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Shardm 7:43PM (5/02/2008)
I think it's just you
Das Boese 11:41PM (5/02/2008)
Good, good! The more companies jump on the electro-bandwagon, the faster we get there!
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Cervus 12:11AM (5/03/2008)
Bring on the electrics!
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J 12:36AM (5/03/2008)
Hello people! Wake up and realize that electric cars are not the answer to our problems! Think about it, if everyone gets electric cars then the price of electricity itself will go up because of the increasing demand. Our electric grids that are already overloaded will not be able to take the increasing demand. Power plants that are coal or nuclear powered will be used more, causing coal power plants to pollute the air more and nuclear power plants to create more radioactive waste. Our nation is not prepared to handle the increase of power consumption if electric cars start hitting the road.
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Duders 2:29PM (5/03/2008)
You're right. Thats why we need to look to other sources to create that energy, a la renewable resources. And while nuclear energy has its pitfalls, such as the waste generated and the limited amount of minerals to use in such a plant, it is another way to create energy relatively cheaply. The problem with our current situation is that our way of life is so heavily involved in traveling mass distances for almost everything. If you take that out of the situation you eliminate almost all the problems. Or as Calguy says, just walk a little bit more.
brad 2:52PM (5/11/2008)
Good point about over use of the grid, however, there are great strides in solar which will allow refueling our cars from our roof tops. Taking a few years of gas expenditure in stride, and applying it to solar and wind, many of us can and will circomvent the grid. Try making gasoline for our cars and we hit a wall, not electricity.
Gary Lowe 6:39AM (5/03/2008)
5 minutes ago Mr. Ghosn declared there was no market for Hybrids much less electric cars. 5 minutes later a market will appear in 2012. What a flash in the pan this guy turned out to be. If he and Condoleezza Rice had a child it would look of Satan himself and have an IQ of 15.
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CalGuy 10:48AM (5/03/2008)
While electric cars don't solve the problem in general (leave that to bikes and walking) there IS the opportunity to power an electric car off solar and wind produced energy.. and it's resourceful options like those that begins to make a difference..
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howard 2:42PM (5/07/2008)
A few years back I did an article for my science class; It was titled "THE BIRTH AND THE INEVITABLE RE-BIRTH OF THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE." In the years since I did this piece technology has grown by leaps and bounds and today there's a battery on the market that will permit an electric vehicle to travel 250 miles without recharging, then if the oil companies do their job at every Service Station there will be a "CHARGING FACILITY" that will be plugged in to re-charge the batteries in 5-10 minutes (that's right, the new battery the Japanese have developed will be fully charged in 5-10 minutes,) there's a meter on the plug that records the amount of electric power you use and that's what you're charged for! (shades of the old gas pump) of course it's not a LEAD ACID battery, it's a LITHIUM battery but, there;s another battery with 10 times the duration of the lithium, it's called the NANOWIRE BATTERY! (wow 10 times the duration) Most of the time on a regular trip we stop and stretch or legs around 200-250 miles so, you see, while were recharging the body the car is being refueled and ready for another 200-250 miles!