Nissan on the Road to Electric Car by End of Decade

Nissan is looking to be the first mass-manufacturer and seller of electric cars

Nissan's been using the Cube as a test bed for its future electric car. (Photo: Nissan)

in North America. Putting aside the brief phase that we had with electric cars during the ‘90s (where electric cars were leased to Californians and those in a few other states, but taken back afterwards with no buy-out option), Nissan is staging a return to a market segment that is growing in interest as quickly as fuel prices rise (they hit a $3.27 average across the States yesterday).

The first electric cars to come from the Japanese automaker will be small and compact, and will feature lithium-ion batteries supplied by Japanese electrics manufacturer NEC. Nissan is currently testing out these batteries in a converted version of its subcompact Cube, a tall, boxy hatchback that might actually make it for sale here next year. Interestingly, the Cube already supports a

The Mixim is an all-electric concept Nissan did earlier, back in '07. (Photo: Nissan)

bit of an electrical architecture; on certain models, it features e4WD, which incorporates an electric motor driving the rear wheels to increase traction in slippery conditions.

What's impressive is that Nissan wants this plug-in car on the road by 2010, both in the USA and Japan, for fleet customers. The most important market for Nissan would, of course, be California, but it would soon expand to other markets. Two years after its initial debut, Nissan plans to offer its electric cars for sale to regular consumers.

To whet North America's collective appetite to the idea of an electric car that isn't a Tesla Roadster, Nissan showed its all-electric concept at the New York International Auto Show earlier this week.

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