Nissan Plugs Its Efforts Into Electric Cars

August 27, 1991|By Jim Mateja, Auto writer.

Nissan Motor Co. of Japan said it has come up with a prototype electric car powered by nickel-cadmium batteries that can be 40-percent charged in 6 minutes and 100-percent charged in 15 minutes.

While boasting quick charging, Nissan emphasized that its subcompact Nissan FEV (Future Electric Vehicle) is a prototype test bed for battery technology and still hasn`t solved the problem of longer range between recharges.

With an electric car, stopping to charge the batteries is akin to pulling into the filling station to fill the tank of your gasoline-powered machine.

Nissan said the vehicle will be displayed at the Tokyo Auto Show in October, the traditional showcase for coming Japanese technology. But it said there are no immediate plans to build the FEV for the mass market.

The significance of the Nissan FEV is that one more automaker has joined the rush to produce pollution-free cars to meet fast approaching clean-air laws in California, where battery-powered electrics will be mandated by the end of this decade.

By 1998, 2 percent of the cars any automaker sells in California must emit no pollutants, in effect mandating electric-powered vehicles. By 2003 that level rises to 10 percent.

The problem all automakers face is driving range and the ability to travel the same distance as gasoline-powered cars without the need to stop for a prolonged recharging of the battery system.

FEV driving range is slightly less than the Impact concept battery car produced by General Motors Corp., which is being readied for production in the mid-1990s.

The FEV has a range of about 100 miles at 45 m.p.h. before it needs a recharge, Nissan said. GM`s Impact has a range of about 125 miles at 55 m.p.h. before a recharge. But the GM Impact lead acid batteries require from a 2- to 8-hour recharge versus only 6 to 15 minutes for the FEV.

The FEV`s 45 m.p.h. cruising speed to ensure 100 miles of driving would make prolonged interstate or even expressway travel potentially troublesome. Faster speeds or power bursts to pass or merge can reduce range by 50 percent. While each of the Big Three is developing an electric vehicle on its own, GM, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. have joined forces to form the United States Advanced Battery Consortium-a research group aiming at developing technology for electric-powered cars, specifically longer-range batteries

GM greeted Nissan`s battery car news with mild disdain.

``One of the advantages of lead acid batteries is that lead is one of our most easily recyclable materials. Cadmium is highly toxic and difficult to dispose of,`` the automaker said in a statement.

``Nissan says it has no production plans for its car, but the GM electric car is due on the market in the mid-90s,`` the automaker went on to say.

``It`s (Nissan`s) batteries must be considered experimental, and that kind of recharging rate is not uncommon in experimental batteries.``

The four-seater FEV is built on a 96-inch wheelbase and only 157 inches long, which compares with a 95-inch wheelbase and a 163-inch length on the two-seater GM Impact. The FEV is also 216 pounds lighter, with most of the savings coming from the fact the nickel cadium batteries are lighter weight than lead acid.

Nissan said in addition to battery power, the FEV features air conditioning and both driver and front-passenger air bags. The GM Impact features air conditioning, but not an air bag.

Impact is powered by a series of 32 batteries. Nissan didn`t say how many batteries power the FEV. Other than the problem of driving range, the automakers are all trying to come up with the means to extend battery life. It`s been estimated that electric car batteries would have to be replaced after about 25,000 miles, or sooner based on frequent charge-discharge cycles. Battery replacement has been estimated at roughly $3,000.

Most automakers, GM and Ford among them, also have been testing electric hybrids that feature both battery power to reduce pollution and a small gas engine to extend driving range when the batteries need a charge. GM`s hybrid prototype is a mini-van called the HX-3. The Nissan FEV is strictly a battery- powered car.

While Nissan said it has no immediate plans to build the FEV for the retail market, GM is expected to produce the Impact in 1993 or 1994. It already has said it will build the vehicle in a Lansing, Mich., assembly plant that had produced the now discontinued Buick Reatta.


Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.`s announcement of an electric car that recharges in 15 minutes is a major advance over other prototypes. Production plans for the FEV have not been announced. Here are selected examples from recent years.

Year Recharge Miles Top

Manufacturer/model unveiled time between speed Battery type


Nissan FEV 1991 15 minutes 100 45 Nickel cadmium

GM Impact 1990 2-8 hours 125 55 Lead acid

Sweden`s CAT Svenska 1990 6 hours 60-150 70 Lead acid

Fiat Panada Elettra 1990 8 hours 45-65 40 Lead acid

Diahatsu BC-7 1989 N.A. 110 65 Nickel zinc

BMW 1989 4-10 hours 60 50 Sodium sulphur

Taiwan`s Tang Eng Iron Works

1981 5 hours 75 50 N.A.

Gulf & Western 1980 6-8 hours 150 55 Zinc chloride

Source: News reports

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