Category: Nissan

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Mitsubishi to Increase EV and PHEV vehicles to 20% of Production by 2020

Mitsubishi Motors plan to refocus its lineup on Plug-In SUV's and electrified sedans under a new three-year business plan that aims to boost global sales 29%.

At this month's Tokyo Motor Show, it will unveil three electrified concepts: a plug-in hybrid SUV, a plug-in crossover and a microhybrid van with an engine start-stop system. The Outlander plug-in hybrid, already on sale in Japan and Europe, is due to be launched in the US but may not arrive in the United States until 2015.

The company will push electrified drivetrains in a bid to make 20 percent of its vehicle output either all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2020. That will entail the development of a next-generation electric vehicle technology that gets a longer driving distance on each charge and a lower price point. Mitsubishi will downsize EV components and aims to introduce a wireless charging system.

Earlier this week on the eve of unveiling the mid-term plan, Mitsubishi announced it was furthering technology and vehicle development ties with the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Under that deal, Mitsubish plans to sell a Renault-based mid-sized car in the United States. The car will be the first of two Renault-based sedans sold by Mitsubishi under the product and technology exchange.

As part of the latest deal, the companies also aim to share technologies and "product assets" related to electric vehicles and recent product platforms.

Nissan is the global market leader in electric vehicles, with its Leaf EV, while Mitsubishi, which markets its own EV called the i, has made EVs and hybrids a central pillar of the company's mid-term business plan.

Mitsubishi and Nissan will further cooperate to develop a new small car to be sold globally. An electric version of the car is also planned. That car will be based on a jointly developed platform for Japan's minicar segment, a type of car restricted in overall dimensions and restricted to engines no bigger than 0.66-liters.

The company says they will boost R&D spending by 30% to an average of 80.0 billion yen ($812.7 million) a year over the next three years, compared with 63.0 billion yen ($640.0 million) a year over the outgoing three-year business plan.

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Nissan LEAF best selling car in Norway for October

The Nissan Leaf has for the first time claimed the number one spot in Norway's passenger car sales chart. In October, the zero emission family car out sold all of its internal combustion engine, hybrid and electric rivals, taking almost 6% of the total passenger vehicle market.

Nissan's second generation LEAF, which was launched earlier in the year, continues to lead the way in zero emission mobility. The Nissan LEAF consistently performs outstandingly in the Norwegian market, the undisputed electric car capital of the world, taking fourth in the sales charts for 2013 to date with over 3% of the market.

Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Nissan Europe Director of Electric Vehicles, is delighted with the latest Norwegian success, commenting: "We have had incredibly strong sales this year in Norway and with the introduction of the new Nissan LEAF in the middle of 2013, we have seen that level not just maintained, but exceeded. To get the number one spot is an extraordinary sales performance, even for the world's best selling electric car, but to be number four in the charts for 2013 so far is something we are incredibly proud of. We continue to be successful in the main Norwegian cities, but the majority of our growth is coming from rural areas, which shows is the breadth of the Nissan LEAF's appeal."

Norway has been the centre of the electric vehicle market in Europe for some time, with a package of incentives including zero VAT and zero road tax for electric vehicles as part of efforts to improve air quality for all citizens.

Jacek Gorski, Nissan Nordic Europe Managing Director believes the success is because the car fits Norwegian customers' needs, commenting: "It is no surprise that we are beating even our April record of second position with the new Nissan LEAF, we knew that that latest version was an even better fit to the Norwegian lifestyle. The increased boot capacity, five seats and standard quick charging make it a great family car. In addition, our engineers have designed a Nordic pack including battery heater, just for the Nordic region, to maintain customer satisfaction even in our very cold winters."

October 2013 Sales in Norway
Position
Model
Sales
Percentage
1
Nissan LEAF
716
5.6
2
Toyota Auris
679
5.3
3
Volkswagen Golf
646
5.0
4
Skoda Octavia
540
4.2
5
Toyota Yaris
446
3.5
6
Volvo V40
319
2.5
7
Toyota RAV-4
300
2.3
8
Mazda CX-5
299
2.3
9
Volvo V70
291
2.3
10
Suzuki SX4
277
2.1


2013 January to October Car Sales in Norway
Position
Model
Sales
Percentage
1
Volkswagen Golf
6239
5.3
2
Toyota Auris
3982
3.4
3
Mazda CX-5
3950
3.3
4
Nissan LEAF
3755
3.2
5
Toyota Yaris
3656
3.1

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Nissan to Lead Rapid Charge Network Project

Nissan is leading a consortium which aims to establish a network of rapid chargers for electric vehicles running the full length and breadth of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

When complete, a total of 74 rapid chargers will have been installed, covering more than 1,100kms of major trunk routes and providing EV-friendly links to five seaports and five international airports.

The project, named Rapid Charge Network (RCN), was presented at the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T) event in Tallinn, Estonia, which was hosted by European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas. Estonia was the first country in the world to open a nationwide EV fast-charging network.

Funding for the Rapid Charge Network (RCN) project is being led by Nissan and is co‑financed by the European Union through the TEN-T programme, with further contributions from fellow consortium members Renault, BMW and Volkswagen and ESB Ireland's Electricity Supply Board. It also draws on the network expertise of Zero Carbon Futures and Newcastle University

"Nissan is delighted to be leading this important initiative. The UK's Rapid Charge Network will provide a vital sense of security for all EV drivers, not just those using the award-winning Nissan LEAF, as well as helping to promote the advantages of zero emission mobility to others," said Olivier Paturet, General Manager Zero Emission Strategy & Corporate Planning.

Running on two priority road axes on the mainland, the network will link major ports and cities including Stranraer, Liverpool, Holyhead, Birmingham, Felixstowe, Leeds and Kingston upon Hull with connections to existing networks in Dublin and Belfast in Eire and Northern Ireland.

Significantly, the rapid chargers being deployed will be the first state-of-the-art multi-standard units in public operation in Europe. This will ensure that every EV owner in the country can undertake long journeys secure in the knowledge that they will never be far from a rapid charger no matter what brand of car they drive. The units are compatible with cars using 44kW DC CCS, 44 kW DC Chademo or 43 kW AC systems. Installation of the rapid chargers is due to be completed by the end of 2014.

By providing a network of chargers for EV drivers, the RCN project is designed to encourage further take up of electric vehicles in a bid to further decarbonize road transport.

The network will also be used to gather strategic information from users, including customer charging behavior and changes in mobility patterns, to help plan the roll-out future rapid charging infrastructure in member states across Europe.

The RCN project is one of 30 priority transport projects across Europe identified by TEN-T. The Projects were chosen according to the added value they offer to the European community and their contribution to the sustainable development of transport systems. They include rail, mixed rail-road, road and inland waterway projects, as well as a ‘motorways of the sea' scheme.

Source: RCN

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Nissan Dualis Crossover EV ‘likely’ for UK Production

Nissan bosses have refused to rule out the introduction of an electric version of the next-generation Nissan Dualis (Qashqai in EU)

According to Autocar Guillaume Cartier, Nissan's head of European sales and marketing says the Japanese automaker won't consider an electric-drive version of the model "for now," implying that there may be one in the future for Europe. He added that economies of scale are driving battery-electric powertrain production costs down, so Nissan is likely to expand the battery-electric option well beyond models such as the Leaf.

The Qashqai has been built at Nissan's UK plant in Sunderland since December 2006. Nissan started production of the LEAF at Sunderland in March of this year.

Cartier also said that Nissan's EV lineup will continue to grow, but EV technology will not be retro-fitted into existing models. New models will be designed with electric propulsion in mind from the outset.

Source: Autocar

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Nissan ZEOD RC makes its first public run at Fuji Speedway [VIDEO]

Japanese fans will have the first opportunity to see the revolutionary Nissan ZEOD RC in action when the car makes its public on-track debut at this year's Fuji Speedway round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Running in pure electric mode, the Nissan ZEOD RC will undertake demonstration runs on October 18, 19 and 20 – all three days of the Japanese round of the WEC. The Fuji demonstration was announced today at the Nissan 360 global media event in California.

The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) will make its race debut at next year's Le Mans 24 Hour. The global leader in electric vehicles for the road, Nissan will trial variants of new electric drive train technologies as part of its intended future return to LM P1 competition to challenge for overall victory at the world's most prestigious endurance race.

The Nissan ZEOD RC will kick off its testing and development program soon in the UK with inaugural Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordóñez behind the wheel.

Ordóñez and Krumm were teammates at Le Mans this year where they scored third place in the LM P2 class with 2011 GT Academy winner, Jann Mardenborough.

Nissan is also enjoying a highly successful season in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LM P2 class with pole position and victory at the first four rounds of the season at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans and Interlagos.

"One of our goals with the Nissan ZEOD RC is to draw back the curtain for fans so they can see what goes on behind the scenes in the development of such a unique race car," said Nissan's Global Motorsport Director, Darren Cox.

"As part of that philosophy, we thought it would be quite fitting that rather than just test behind closed doors, we give the fans the chance to see the car in action.

"To be able to do that at such a great venue like Fuji Speedway only 90 minutes away from the home of Nismo in Yokohama was too good to pass up.

"We'll be on track with many of the cars from the WEC at Le Mans next year so our demonstration runs will also give us some initial comparison data as well."

After the Fuji events, the Nissan ZEOD RC will continue its development program in Europe with Lucas Ordóñez returning to the driver seat. The car is scheduled to make its race debut at next year's Le Mans 24 Hour where it will occupy Garage 56 – an additional entry reserved by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest for cars using new and innovative technology not previously seen in the French endurance classic.

"Nissan has become a global leader in the development of zero emission automotive technology and the Nissan ZEOD RC will allow us to further develop those capabilities using the toughest endurance race in the world as a mobile test bed to test the potential of our planned LM P1 power train," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member at Nissan Motor Company Limited.

"The ZEOD RC program is designed to develop multiple technologies to evaluate how they could be used for a future LM P1 class return of Nissan at the Le Mans 24 Hour."

Nissan is already a global leader in the development of electric vehicles for the road. Launched in 2010, the Nissan LEAF has become the world's best-selling all-electric car. The LEAF won the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, the 2011 European Car of the Year, the 2011 World Car of the Year, and the 2011–2012 Car of the Year Japan.

Nissan launched the Nissan LEAF RC in 2011 – a race car prototype powered by the same 107-hp electric motor that is used in the road car.

The Nissan ZEOD RC is the next step in the electrification of motorsport. The new car will turn speeds faster than GTE class cars running purely on electric power with zero emissions.

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Nissan Race 48 kWh LEAF at ECOseries motorsport event

Nissan employees working at the company's Barcelona Technical Centre are proving there's more to motorsport than striving for the fastest lap times by taking part in a new concept in motorsport: ECOseries, which rewards efficiency and fuel economy rather than outright speed.

The employees - who are all taking part in the series in their spare time - are using three Nissan Leaf in the zero-emission category.

ECOseries, which is based in Spain and combines track and road-rally events over the season, attracts entries from a wide variety of road cars. Aside from the Nissan team, there are cars from rival manufacturers including Peugeot, Toyota, Volkswagen, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.

In the EV category, the Nissan LEAFs and a Mercedes A-Class E-Cell have been fighting for outright honours. Although two of the team's three LEAFs are essentially standard, a third was introduced as a mobile test lab, running in the series' EV prototype category. For the final race, its battery pack was doubled in size to take battery performance to 48 kWh and allowing it to perform on more equal terms with the 36 kWh Mercedes.

In the end, although the LEAF was quicker than the A-Class and ran at the same pace as the Nissan Juke with no potential range issues to affect the car's progress, the Mercedes took outright honours by lapping closer to its regularity target.

A 48 kWh Leaf could have up to 250 miles (400 km) estimated range, although the extra weigh would reduce that slightly.

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Nissan Sold 4,700 LEAF Units Globally in September

Nissan achieved a new global record of 4,700 LEAF units sold in September.

Of the 4,700 LEAFs sold globally, 1,953 were delivered in the United States.

Nissan credits part of the US market success with the proliferation of 1,900 DC quick chargers installed by a variety of companies. Of these, 800 are installed at Nissan dealerships, and plans to install 700 more by the end of this fiscal year.

By the end of September, cumulative global sales of the Nissan LEAF since launch totaled 83,000 units.

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A Day in the Life of an EV Fast Charger [VIDEO]

Nissan is selling more LEAFs than ever before and is the lead sponsor of National Plug-In Day in 2013.

With the day being about plugging in to charge up, Nissan pointed some video cameras at the company's EV quick charger, stationed in front of Nissan Americas headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. to see who is stopping in to charge and go.

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There’s ‘No Charge To Charge’ For New Nissan Leaf Buyers In Texas

Driving the all-electric Nissan LEAF means never having to buy gas. Now, thanks to the new "No Charge to Charge" program, offered by Nissan and NRG eVgo, new buyers and lessees of the all-electric Nissan LEAF in the Dallas-Fort Worth and greater Houston areas will have unlimited access to the eVgo network for public charging stations for their first year of ownership at no cost.

Beginning in October, customers who lease or purchase a new Nissan LEAF in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston markets will receive one year of complimentary access to eVgo's comprehensive Freedom Station (R) charging network, including 23 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and 17 in the greater Houston area. Also, included as part of the eVgo network, is charging at Park N' Fly locations at DFW and IAH airports.

"Nissan LEAF owners who already subscribe to NRG eVgo's Freedom Station network rave about the convenience and increased range confidence it provides," said Erik Gottfried, Nissan's director of EV Sales and Marketing. "Adding one of the country's most innovative charging plans to the world's best-selling electric car is a clear win for Nissan LEAF buyers."

Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing markets in the country for Nissan LEAF sales, with deliveries up 500 percent so far in 2013 as compared to 2012. The presence of strong public infrastructure with eVgo, as well as major technology companies and strong word-of-mouth referrals from existing owners has fuelled the rapid rise in LEAF sales.

"NRG eVgo has created a comprehensive suite of electric vehicle charging products to support the growing number of EVs and to address EV drivers' need to charge both at home as well as on the road," said Jack Cannata, director of marketing for NRG eVgo. "With access to our well-placed charging stations across the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metro areas, Nissan LEAF drivers can really maximize their use of the vehicle."

eVgo Freedom Station sites, conveniently located along major roadways, offer electric car drivers DC fast charging and Level 2 charging. DC fast chargers can deliver up to an 80% charge in less than 30 minutes. Level 2 chargers deliver range at a rate of 12 -- 25 miles per hour. Most sites are available 24/7 and are positioned near retail stores as well as restaurants to provide the option to shop or eat while charging.

Nissan will offer "No Charge to Charge" with acquisitions of the Nissan LEAF made between October 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014 at all certified Nissan LEAF dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth and greater Houston area markets.