Nissan's future models are set to be able to accommodate pure electric powertrains, opening up the possibility of all-electric versions of the likes of the Nissan Juke and Nissan Qashqai.
“We’re leaders in crossovers and a leader with Leaf and we will combine those two in the future,” said Gareth Dunsmore, director of the Nissan’s zero-emission business unit.
2017 Nissan Qashqai facelift revealed
At present, Nissan’s electric models are built on dedicated EV platforms. Dunsmore said this would always be the preferable option, but the “next step is a platform fit for EVs from day one”. These platforms would also be engineered to take internal combustion engines and other drivetrain technology.
Dunsmore added: “I hope EV stands up within that [platform] and people see it as environmentally friendly, fun and cost-efficient.”
He also hinted that Nissan was investigating the launch of smaller electric vehicles. “We have a range of options; some people want smaller vehicles and we’ll look at that.”
Last year Autocar revealed that Nissan was working on developing a family of Nissan Leaf-branded electric vehicles, of which this smaller model could be a part.
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I blame Tesla
Hint, hint, Volkswagen! How is it going to make and sell 3 million electric cars a year by 2025 - confounds me - although the Autocar dutifully copy-pasted the press release a few days ago.
Makes complete sense
The question remains though, can they increase the range and reduce the charging time enough on all of their next gen EV's to make it a realistic option for more drivers.
Personally though I would like to see them produced as plug in hybrids in the same was as Mitsubishi's Outlander, which outsells the Leaf buy some margin in the UK. It would make a lot more sense to a lot more people that way.
Leaf success