Nissan unveiled the latest edition of prototype electric Cube a few days ago as part of an advanced technology forum in Japan. Unfortunately ABG didn't get an invite to this event. Popular Mechanics however did have someone on hand and he got to sample the EV-02. The Cube stores electrical energy in a lithium ion battery pack, but Nissan officials told PM that the battery chemistry has not been settled yet. Nissan is apparently still testing at least 16 different battery chemistries trying to find the optimum combination of power and energy capacity. Nissan's target is to have a range of at least 100 miles but they would prefer 150 miles. In addition to a decent range, engineers also want to achieve the ability to get an 80 percent charge in 15 minutes. They will have to come up with a chemistry that can withstand such fast charging but special high-powered charging stations will be required as well. The first early production versions for commercial and government fleet tests should appear in 2010 with retail sales two years later.
[Source: Popular Mechanics]
[Source: Popular Mechanics]
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