Nissan puts a lot of faith on its electric vehicle, EV program and much rests on the shoulder of the prototype EV-02. But what is behind it, or more technically, under the hood?
The gist is that Nissan is one of the very rare auto makers that have completely embraced and putting all its hope on the electric drive. It stands not only to be one of the biggest player in the EV market but also one that would help further the technology to everyone’s benefit, with a reasonable entry level price.
The EV-02. The EV-02 came to the public via a converted Cube to electricity about a year ago. But a Cube it won’t last and the actual car will be designed from the grounds up as an EV. Why is that important? Designing an EV leaves you plenty of room to re-arrange the habitat and trunk space. Since the electric motor is smaller, batteries can also be neatly placed wherever to give the car some added advantages, such as lowering the center of gravity and balancing the front and back more precisely.
Technically Speaking. Nissan is working closely with Automotive Energy Supply Corp, which is partnered with NEC and Tokin. NEC and Nissan are planning to spend close to $1.1 billion on battery technology. The only thing known so far is that the EV will use a lithium-manganese type of battery pack. The AC motor powered by a 35 kWh battery pack will drive the front wheels with an estimated range is of 100 miles. It will seat 5, making it a perfect family size car. The twist here is that Nissan is shooting for a car made from 99% recycled material. Not only electric but green? This is partly why we think this car will be an instant winner for many.
Electricity In The Air. The charge time, as we mentioned before is 3 to 4 hours on 240V charger but will be able to do a quick 80% charge from a high current charger in 25 minutes. A 110V systems would double those times. It is supposed to used a standardized SAE cable, which we are happy to report. The gas equivalence of the EV-02 is estimated at 367mpg, using the EPA model.
All of this at $20,000 after rebates puts this car in a unique position to attract many first time EV buyers. Who is the competition? Short of Mitsubishi’s iMiEV, we don’t see anyone in that price range. Nissan is doing the math and making all the right moves so far. Let’s keep an eye on them.