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Renault, Nissan, Mitsubishi announce 35 new EVs by 2030

Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi are going all-in on EVs. The trio announced plans to release 35 new electric models globally by 2030, ranging from Japan-only kei cars to commercial vehicles, and they sketched out plans to develop next-generation solid-state batteries. The three carmakers will leverage the benefits of economies of scale to keep development and production costs in check. Many of the Alliance's models already ride on a common platform; the Nissan Sentra shares its bones with the third-generation Renault Scenic. Looking ahead, the plan is to build 80% of the cars in the group's global portfolio on common architectures. Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi are massive companies with a wide lineup of models, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, the strategy focuses on five basic modular platforms. CMF-AEV will be for so-called affordable electric cars. KEI-EV will be primarily for kei cars, LCV will underpin commercial vehicles, and CMF-EV was designed to underpin mainstream models including the Ariya. Finally, the CMF-BEV platform will underpin about 250,000 electric cars annually starting in 2024. These include the production version of the retro-styled 5 Prototype introduced in January 2021, at least one car assigned to the Alpine brand, and a replacement for the Micra (previewed above) that will be engineered and built by Renault. Most of these cars will be equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack; that's likely going to remain the best way to power an electric car in the coming years. However, Nissan has been tasked with developing solid-state battery technology that promises to greatly reduce charging times. A solid state battery is tentatively scheduled to enter production by the middle of 2028, though it's too early to tell which model(s) will inaugurate it. Digital services will play a significant role in the Alliance's future lineup as well. By 2026, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi plan to connect 25 million cars to their cloud and over 10 million vehicles fitted with "autonomous driving systems" (a vague term that wasn't defined). All told, these investments will cost the group at least ˆ23 billion (around $26 billion at the current conversion rate) in the next five years. What does this mean for America?

Nissan Leaf sets new November sales record, Chevy Volt drops again

When you talk to people in the plug-in vehicle industry, one theme you hear repeatedly is that the more plug-in cars that are out there, the better things are for everyone. One reason is that more EVs build a need for more public chargers, and more chargers mean more people see that plugging in is feasible. But there's still something to be said for old-fashioned competition, and in the sales race between the two long-running plug-in vehicles in the US, the Nissan Leaf is resoundingly beating the Chevy Volt for 2014. In fact, it won't be long before the EV's cumulative sales top the PHEV's. But that's a topic for another month. For now, we have the sales results from November. Unsurprisingly, Nissan set another monthly record (that is, the best Leaf sales in any November, the 22nd time in a row we've seen a monthly record) with 2,687 sales last month. That's up 34 percent over last November and up 35 percent year-to-date. Toby Perry, Nissan's director of electric vehicle marketing, said in a statement that, "Our 'Kick Gas' ad campaign and 'No Charge to Charge' launch in Chicago and Atlanta drove an increase in November Leaf sales. Even with gas prices falling across the country, consumers appreciate that the cost of driving a Nissan Leaf is still a fraction of that of a gas-powered car." Over on the Chevy side of the ledger, there were 1,336 Volt sales last month, down 30.4 percent from the 1,920 sold in November 2013. So far this year, Volt sales are down 16.4 percent and Chevy has sold 17,315 Volts in 2014. As we said last month, the Volt slump might be due to people waiting on the new version to make an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show next month before going on sale in the second half of 2015. So far in 2014, Nissan has sold 27,098 Leafs. Look for our detailed post of US green car sales in the near future. Until then, please discuss last month's Leaf and Volt sale in the comments, below. News Source: Nissan, General Motors Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales hybrid sales

Ghosn: 'While I'm proud of our EV leadership, I know it's not enough.'

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has written something like a State of the Union on electric vehicles and the carbon economy. We'd sum it up as, 'we're working on it but we all need to work harder.' Ghosn believes all of the commitments made at the Paris COP21 climate change conference are a start, but "the support of the business community is imperative," in coordination with the public sector. He stresses that he's after an "orderly transition," one that uses what we have now in order to go where many believe we need to go. That means no threats or revolution, no "aggressive government intervention and centralized demand and control," but rather a "practical, affordable way to begin reducing dependence" on the fuel that turns the skies brown. Ghosn wraps up his manifesto this way: "The UN Secretary General recently said that we are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and the last to be able to do anything to stop it. This is a call to action, and the auto industry is committed to doing its part." Based on the undeniable shift toward the electrification of the automobile, we know that the call is being answered. Given the limited market share EVs have today, it could still use some more people and companies picking up the phone. With vehicle numbers expected to grow from 800 million to more than two billion by 2050, "transition will occur one way or another," Ghosn writes. Head over to Forbes to read Ghosn's thoughts.