BUSINESS INFORMATION - Nissan Motor Co.., To develop rechargeable batteries for electric cars

BUSINESS INFORMATION - Nissan Motor Co.., To develop rechargeable batteries for electric cars as one of its main businesses, said the company's chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, Monday, which predicted a bright future for zero-emission vehicles.


"Electric car will become a long-term bet, a long-term investment," Ghosn said at a news conference at the Tokyo Motor Show, which begins on Wednesday and is open to the public on Saturday.

"If you want to go with electric cars, or even using a car with a fuel cell, the heart of the existing system is the battery," said Ghosn.

Nissan, the third largest car manufacturer in Japan, plans to launch its first electric car, Leaf, at the end of 2010.

Programmed as "the first to reach the world, a car with no emissions," middle-class vehicles "hatchback" is able to travel more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) with one battery, with a top speed of 140 kilometers per hour, according to the company.

Nissan said it plans to sell the leaves at the same price with similar models of gasoline-powered.

The battery will be leased separately as a monthly fee, together with the cost of electricity, and will be cheaper than gasoline, he said.

"The machine that is environmentally friendly, simple models, there is no reason electric cars become more expensive than regular cars," Ghosn said.

"The only reason we are not so familiar with the electric car technology is that we always produce combustion engine, and we do not have the same scale of production, he said.