Posted on 05/15/2008 10:17:52 AM PDT by Red Badger
The motor of Renault-Nissan's electrically-powered vehicle, built on the Megane model, is shown to the media in Tel Aviv, 11 May 2008
Record high oil prices and sluggish sales are forcing the world's biggest automakers to turn to electricity to power their vehicles.
Nissan Motor Company is the latest automaker to move in that direction, officially announcing Tuesday it plans to introduce an all-electric vehicle for sale in the United States and Japan by 2010.
Nissan's chief executive officer says the company will mass-market electric cars globally by 2012.
Nissan also forecast its profits will decline by 30 percent this year to $3.4 billion compared to $4.6 billion last year.
Nissan, Japan's number three automaker, joins Toyota and Honda in predicting smaller profits, as car buyers shun fuel-thirsty vehicles.
The senior editor of the Web site GreenCarAdvisor.com, John O'Dell, tells VOA many auto industry executives will be watching Nissan to see if its electric car venture succeeds. He says Nissan is trying to become the market leader by being the first major automaker to promise - and deliver - an all-electric vehicle for sale in a large market by a certain date.
The associate editor of the Web site WardsAuto.com, Mike Sutton, says the announcement is "fairly significant," but Nissan's move is mostly about market positioning.
Sutton tells VOA that other major automakers are also planning to introduce electric-powered vehicles in 2010.
American car company Chevrolet plans to introduce the Volt, a plug-in hybrid, in 2010. And Toyota says it will unveil the next generation of Prius hybrid vehicles the same year.
Hybrids use less fuel than conventional vehicles because they combine a gasoline engine with high-tech batteries and electric motors.
Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Subaru are also working on electric cars.
Fuel-efficient vehicles have recently been the lone bright spot for the auto industry. Toyota says sales of its hybrid cars have jumped 42 percent in the past year. Some dealerships in the United States say they have waiting lists for would-be buyers.
Ping!.............
Looks good, but they have to make the cost comparable to existing cars.
I drive about 20 miles a day. A plug-in electric would be perfect for me, with a 2nd gas car for road trips.
The participation of Renault in this project automatically dooms it to failure!
Next the power companies will quadruple their rates telling us demand has exceeded production. Between cooling your home in the summer, and charging your car, it’ll now cost ya $1900 per month.
If the price of oil, and therefore gasoline/diesel, keeps going up like it has, by 2010 (just 2 years!) there won't BE any "existing cars"!.............
Notnecessarilyso......
Let's start getting those nuke plants built.
We are sending $300 billion a year to saudi to buy oil. Is there anything less preferable than that?
So an electric car will save gas but what about the costs of the extra energy it will take to charge them up?
You pays your dollar you takes your chance.......either to the Saudi extortionist-terrorist or to the local power company......
What’s the price per KWh and mileage per KWh?
Don’t forget that your annual license for the car will have to include enough fees to cover the lost gas tax revenue.
Don’t forget the rise in domestic electric bills unless we are suddenly going to build a lot more power plants.
Please Freep Mail me if you'd like on/off
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