NISSAN WELCOMES DISRUPTION
“There are lots of things happening in the world which are disrupting… the mobility market, the vehicle market, and the energy market — and [adding] pressure on governments and people,” began Nic Thomas, Nissan Motor Corp. director of electric vehicle unit.
During his presentation, the executive revealed an expected intersect by the middle of the next decade of the rising cost of developing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles [which have to keep up with progressively stricter emissions regulations] with the lower prices of battery electric vehicles. “The tipping point is coming very soon,” he said, producing “massive acceleration of market.”
Governments are additionally putting the pinch on ICE vehicles to curb air pollution while granting incentives to EVs such as establishing low-emission zones, designating EV parking and lanes. This is happening in concert with the falling cost of renewable energy.
The company is ready for that. Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility program is intently looking at three aspects of future mobility: intelligent power, intelligent driving, and intelligent integration. On its website, Nissan Motor Corp. says that this is “already a reality in Nissans you can drive today — in cars that park themselves, watch what’s happening around you, and step in to keep you out of trouble. Now imagine a near future with cars that can actually learn from one another and EVs that recharge as they drive along, no strings attached. Nissan Intelligent Mobility is making all this, and more, part of a bold, bright tomorrow.”
Nissan is leading the charge with the Leaf, already the world’s bestselling EV with 350,000 units of the car’s first generation delivered. Mr. Thomas shared that 60,000 orders have now been placed for the new Leaf in Japan, the US and Europe, and he harped on the car’s reliability as well. “There’s no film on YouTube with a Nissan Leaf on fire,” he said, with a laugh. Nissan also holds the title for the most electric kilometers driven (4 billion).
For now, the focus for Nissan is in easing in a fully electric tomorrow with its so- called e- Power, “an ideal bridge between ICE and EV, it’s an EV driven by a petrol range extender,” said Mr. Thomas. But there’s no doubt as to the eventual destination. Nissan will release eight new electric vehicles by 2022 — promising a full range of vehicles both emission- less and exciting.