Nissan co-founds electric car consortium
Posted on November 17, 2009 at 7:44 am
A baker’s dozen of big names have come together to launch the Electrification Coalition, a vehicle that will bundle their power to shape government energy policy. Nissan is in the mix, as is FedEx.
But the group also digs deeper into the EV ecosystem, arguing that in order to support a rapid scale-up in production of advanced batteries, the feds should provide tax credits for installation of automotive-grade batteries in stationary applications. To help convince consumers that plug-in vehicles will perform as well or better, at lower cost, than conventional vehicles, the coalition urges regulators to review vehicle warranties and establish a minimum residual value for large-format automotive batteries (potentially smoothing the way for battery leasing and recycling).
SEE ALSO: Electric Avenue: Or, How to Rev Up the Electric-Car Revolution from the Journal.
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Big utility joins Nissan’s electric car push
Posted on November 13, 2009 at 2:52 pm
In Los Angeles for the U.S. unveiling of his LEAF electric car, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced his company has enlisted Houston-based electric utility Reliant Energy to help flesh out the infrastruture that will be needed to charge electric vehicles.
MTSU economist: Nissan electric job projections optimistic
Posted on November 12, 2009 at 1:32 pmDavid Penn at MTSU’s Business & Economic Research Center says the study prepared to help Rutherford County officials justify $62 million in tax breaks for Nissan was a tad too upbeat.
“The analysis done on the multiplier assumes that other jobs that Nissan has stays the same,” said Penn, who is also an economics associate professor for MTSU. “These models they use assume that all sources are fully employed to begin with, but we clearly know that’s not the case right now. So that brings down the multiplier a lot.”
For its part, the accused at Younger Associates say they’ve got the government backing them up.
“The analysis is based on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis multipliers. They are specific to Rutherford County and they are specific to the automotive industry. They are reflective of the past performance of automotive operations in Rutherford County.”
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Nissan’s electric project getting tax breaks
Posted on October 29, 2009 at 10:56 am
The Rutherford County Industrial Development Board will cut the auto maker $62 million worth of slack over 20 years in return for the more than 1,700 jobs expected to be created at its electric car and battery operations.
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Ghosn: Electric cars need regulatory help
Posted on at 8:12 am
Speaking at UPenn’s Wharton School of Business, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that — between public perception and emerging-market growth — the auto industry has no choice but to dive headlong into the production of cars that don’t need fossil fuels. That said, he does say car makers need a good bit of government help to build a mass market.
The equipment isn’t cheap: A quick-charge device, Ghosn said, costs $30,000 — an investment that might make sense once there is a critical mass of electric-car drivers already on the road, but something that could seem expensive for service station owners in a market where electric cars remain rare. He called for governments to step in and spur the market via regulation. One idea: Make quick-charge facilities mandatory for anyone operating a gas station starting in 2012.
Which begs the question: Why not Spring Hill?
Posted on October 26, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Hybrid electric-car maker Henrik Fisker plans to convert a 52-year-old former GM plant in Delaware with the help of a massive credit line from the Department of Energy. (For more on Fisker, check out this Forbes story.)
I already have two possible answers to my question, one practical, the other political. The first: The Wilmington plant already has closed, while Spring Hill will crank out cars for a few more weeks. The second: This gentleman is from Delaware.
Got any other good answers?
230 mpg
Posted on August 11, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Nice headline number, huh? GM says its Volt electric car will get monstrous mileage, but ZDNet’s Larry Dignan’s eye landed on the fine print instead.
What happens when it’s summer, 90 degrees and humid and you have a car pool going? When the battery hits a minimum level, the Volt will switch to extended-range mode. In this mode, the Volt’s fuel engine produces electricity.
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Investors charged up by Nissan’s e-car
Posted on August 3, 2009 at 6:42 am
Shares of Nissan jumped more than 6 percent in Tokyo Monday after the company unveiled its first electric car over the weekend.
“Investors are jumping to Nissan after it actually unveiled the much-awaited car,” said Koichi Nishi, an equity strategist at Nikko Cordial Securities Inc. “Products that fulfill the promise of environmental-friendliness are encouraging.”
SEE ALSO: More pics of the car, which will be made in Japan.
Nissan teases its technology
Posted on July 27, 2009 at 11:51 amThe automaker has unveiled its zero-emissions technology, which is so quiet company officials are studying how to add some noise so that other users of the road will know the car’s around.
Nissan’s electric vehicle shows the driving radius within range of the car’s charge on a dashboard navigation map, so drivers won’t get stranded on the highway. It can also calculate if the vehicle is within range of a destination. A handheld remote control allows a user to preset room temperature, set a timer for nighttime battery recharging, and to receive a message when the vehicle is fully recharged.
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Report: Nissan to unveil e-cars in a week
Posted on July 24, 2009 at 11:01 am
A Japanese automotive magazine says Nissan will roll out three electric car designs next week, including the crossover that will be built in Smyrna.
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A few details on Nissan’s electric car
Posted on June 26, 2009 at 12:56 am
We may see the electric car that Nissan workers in Smyrna will build as soon as early August, says one industry pub. For now, the vehicle (that’s a prototype at left) looks like it will be a midsized, five-door hatchback.
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Nissan CEO confirms Smyrna electric plans
Posted on June 23, 2009 at 12:56 am
Speaking to reporters after his company shareholders’ meeting in Tokyo, Carlos Ghosn said Nissan will build electric cars and the batteries that will power them in Tennessee. The initial production capacity of 100,000 suggests the auto maker’s investment could reach $1 billion based on numbers Nikkei first reported a few days ago.
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Report: Smyrna to build electric Nissans
Posted on June 20, 2009 at 12:05 pm
A Japanese paper says Nissan plans to invest at least $500 million into electric-car production lines at its Smyrna plant. The company, which is on track to begin building electric cars in Japan in the fall of 2010, early this year applied for a Department of Energy loan to help it make more energy-efficient cars.
Hybrid buses for MTA
Posted on June 8, 2009 at 2:40 pm
The Metropolitan Transit Authority has ordered two hybrid electric buses from a Michigan-based company that promises a 40 percent drop in emissions.
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Nissan, rental company team on electric cars
Posted on May 27, 2009 at 8:28 amThe auto maker will supply its electric vehicles to Europcar’s network in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
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