As more and more automakers have turned their attention to electric vehicles, one-time leader Nissan finds itself playing a game of catch-up.
In an attempt to make up for lost time, the company announced on Monday that it will invest $17.6 billion over the next five years “to accelerate the electrification of its vehicle lineup and rate of technology innovation.”
The plan, called “Nissan Ambition 2030,” is notable for its lack of ambition.
The company says it will introduce 15 new EVs, though it gave itself a generous deadline of 2030. Nissan also said that, by the end of the decade, 50 percent of Nissan and Infiniti sales will be “electrified,” which is industry-speak for adding electric motors, not necessarily supplanting internal combustion engines. Much of Nissan’s strategy relies on series hybrids, where a range-extending gas engine will recharge a small battery. It’s a strategy that looks good on paper but has largely been abandoned by other automakers either because of mediocre sales (Chevy Volt) or looming government regulations.
Nissan is also betting big on all-solid-state batteries, an encouraging but unproven technology. Solid-state batteries promise to bring down the cost and weight of EV batteries packs while also making them safer. Pretty much every major automaker has a plan to bring solid-state batteries to its lineup.
Nissan says it is spending $1 billion toward developing its own solid-state chemistry, with a pilot factory planned for 2024 followed by a commercial introduction in 2028. Given the state of other companies’ solid-state efforts, those are both realistic timelines. ars - link - Tim De Chant - link - more like this - link
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