Ghosn: Renault/Nissan plan on building 500,000 EVs a year by 2013

November 15, 2010June 29, 2011 Omar Rana electric-cars, electric-vehicles, Infiniti EV, Nissan LEAF, Nissan LEAF EV, plug-in hybrids

Renault/Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said today that the two companies he runs plan on building 500,000 electric-vehicles a year by the end of 2013. During a discussion with reports, Ghosn also said that due to strong consumer demand, Nissan will be “capacity constrained” for the LEAF electric car for the next three years. Nissan plans to sell 20,000 LEAF units in the United States over the next year.

Together, Renault/Nissan will have four electric vehicle models by 2013. Nissan plans on introducing a light commercial electric-vehicle along with small city car and an EV model for Infiniti.

Nissan plans to manufacture 200,000 battery packs annually and 150,000 vehicles in the United States by 2013.

Ghosn said he believes that EVs will account for 10 percent of all vehicles sold globally by 2020.

Refresher: Power for the Nissan LEAF comes from a 107-hp electric-motor that runs on power supplied by lithium-ion cells. On a full-charge, the Nissan LEAF allows for a driving range of 100 miles with a top speed of 87 mph. A full charge takes up to 8 hours on a standard 200V outlet. Buyers can opt for the DC 50kW quick-charger, which recharges the battery up to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. Prices for the 2011 Nissan LEAF will start at $32,780 but with a federal tax-credit prices will come in as low as $25,280, or for a lease payment of $349 a month.