Nissan is planning to launch its first all-electric vehicle in 2010 in the U.S. and Japan, and the first evidence of this goal was displayed earlier this week. Nissan’s parent company — Renault — along with Silicon Valley startup Project Better Place demonstrated an all-electric Renault Megane in Tel Aviv last Sunday.
Both companies are hopeful that the electric sedan will be on the Israeli market by late 2010, with test fleets hitting Israel’s streets by next year.
The car’s electric motor provides a brisk 0-60 time of 8 seconds, with the batteries allowing for a 125 mile range.
When the car finally does hit the market, it is expected that there will be 150 ‘swap stations’ located throughout the country. The swap stations — as the name implies — will allow motorists to trade in their run-down battery pack for a fully charged one. This would allow for trips longer than 125 miles. According to Haaretz, the battery swap should take just about as long as filling up a tank with fuel.
Buyers will also be able to charge the vehicles’ batteries at home.
If the project stays on track, the car should be available in late 2010 for about the same price as a gas-powered sedan.
