Nissan Says It Has No Competition in the Electric Vehicle Market

Carlos Ghosn the head of the Renault-Nissan Alliance says no other car manufacturer is better prepared to tap the electric car market than Nissan (OTC:NSANY).

While other car-makers are displaying concept vehicles, Nissan has the Leaf, a full-scale EV which is almost ready for production.  The company will begin to mass produce the Leaf starting in 2012.  Nissan plans to initially build 500,000 Leafs and sell them in Europe, Japan, and the United States.  According to Ghosn, the company already has 56,000 orders for the Leaf from the U.S. alone.  The company has yet to begin taking orders in Japan and Europe.

There are some companies that are beyond concept cars, like Tesla Motors and Coda Automotive.  But, while Tesla is planning to release a family sedan, the Model S in 2013, and Coda Automotive is releasing its all-electric sedan in California later this year, neither company has the capacity to meet large-scale demand, says Ghosn. 

Nissan, on the other hand, has such capabilities, which are especially improved by the fact that it does not have to rely on a distributor to supply its lithium-ion batteries.  Nissan produces its own batteries through a joint venture; this means the company can increase production very quickly.

Ghosn knows the potential of the electric car market is immense.  Nissan figures electric cars will represent 10% of all vehicles within the next ten years.  To put that number into perspective, currently there are only 3,000 electric cars out of 200 million in the United States. 

Nissan's leader believes his company will eat this market up:  "Frankly, so far there is no competition.  What I am sure is that in 2011, I am going to be the only one on the market."

Read the full story at Business Week:  Nissan ready for electric vehicle offensive

Image courtesy of arpem.com