Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi will share electric vehicle architecture in order to reduce development costs of future models, according to reports in Japanese newspaper Nikkei.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance is already working on shared vehicle architecture for the next-generation Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe models, but this is the first time Mitsubishi – which was recently bought by Nissan following a fuel economy scandal – has been listed as a beneficiary of co-developed electric platforms.
Nikkei said the engineering and development departments of the brands would work together to streamline production of parts including motors, inverters (which convert direct electric currents to alternating) and batteries.
The results would drive down costs and therefore reduce the purchase price of each model. This has long been an aim for CEO of all three brands Carlos Ghosn, who wants to produce electric vehicles that cost no more than their conventional combustion-engined equivalents.
In response to the reports in Nikkei, Nissan said no announcement has been made. The other two brands haven’t commented at this stage.
Read more:
Join the debate
Add your comment
A new kind of electricity?
Theyre all part of the same
Cost Parity
Renault's battery leasing