Nissan Says Electric Cars Will Be Quickly Profitable

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/business/23auto.html

July 23, 2008

Nissan Says Electric Cars Will Be Quickly Profitable

By NICK BUNKLEY

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The electric cars that http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/nissan-motor-co-ltd/index.html?inline=nyt-org">Nissan Motor plans to start selling by 2010 will have varying capabilities depending on a given country’s driving patterns, but all will be priced competitively and will generate profits, company executives said Tuesday.

Nissan’s chief executive, http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/carlos_ghosn/index.html?inline=nyt-per">Carlos Ghosn, said that any electric car the company sold in the United States would need a range of at least 100 miles between charges to be practical, but that European drivers could make do with about half that range. Tolerance for the time it takes to recharge such a car may vary widely as well, he said.

One aspect that Mr. Ghosn said would remain constant, however, is that the cars would produce zero tailpipe emissions, unlike some vehicles being developed by rivals that have range-extending gasoline engines to power the car after its battery is depleted. Building cars powered by alternative fuels but that still use oil is “unsustainable,” he said.

“I want a pure electric car. I don’t want a range extender. I don’t want another hybrid,” Mr. Ghosn told reporters after a ceremony to dedicate Nissan’s new North American headquarters in Franklin, an affluent suburb in the hills south of Nashville. “It’s not going to be zero emissions in certain conditions. It’s going to be zero emissions.”

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[qb]

1. This is great! Does anyone know if you can stay warm commuting in an electric car

during a Minnesota winter? It seems to me an electric heater would deplete the batteries very quickly.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Electric heaters do take a lot of juice

Heat pumps take less (but will still seriously affect mileage.)

[NMDemDist2]

3. excellent question, A/C too, in my desert home, is a consideration n/t

[kristopher]

5. Isn't that part of the rational behind Prius offering a solar panel?

It provides auxiliary power to run AC when most needed?

[kristopher]

4. Perhaps a small biofuel thermal system in a well insulated car?

Current auto design is built around having lots of waste heat, so the first step will probably be better thermal insulation of the battery and passenger areas. If you have a small area like that, I'd imagine a small alcohol burning heat unit might work until the next generation of much more powerful batteries makes them obsolete.

I'm just speculating...

[Doctor Cynic]

6. But can the power grid keep up with increased demand?

[ElectricGrid]

7. yes....there is a report somewhere that said

it should not be a problem. The number of ele cars before it was a problem was huge. I can't remember how many and don't care enought to find it foryoyu.

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Here's the study

http://www.pnl.gov/news/release.asp?id=204
http://www.pnl.gov/energy/eed/etd/pdfs/phev_feasibility_analysis_combined.pdf