Nissan pushes to become a leader in the electric-car segment

Nissan and Renault announced today that they have partnered up with the government of Portugal to sell electric cars in the country by 2011. Nissan plans to start mass production of lithium-ion batteries next year initially producing 13,000 units a year. Nissan says output could climb to 65,000 by 2011. It hopes to sell electric cars worldwide by 2012.

Nissan – Renault and the government of Portugal have agreed to create a national network of charging stations and raise awareness about electric-vehicles.

Nissan said that instead of concentrating on fuel-cells and hybrids like other automakers, the Japanese automaker will go all out on electric cars. The first models are set to arrive in Japan and the U.S. by 2010.

“We are feeling more strongly than ever that we must speed up our development of electric vehicles,” said Minoru Shinohara, Nissan Senior Vice President. He said that Nissan is talks with railway and parking lot companies to setup recharging stations for electric-cars.

Nissan has previously said that it will offer a range of electric cars rather than just one model.

Source: MSNBC