edatoakrun
Well-known member
Not clear if this BEV will be the Gen 2 or Gen 3 LEAF at this point (maybe we'll know more after CES) but since it is a major development in BEV strategy from all three companies, to consolidate production in one platform to reduce costs for all three versions of the same design, I think it this new BEV deserves it's own thread.
Great news, IMO, that NRM may be the first manufacturer of BEVs to accomplish what is necessary to end the market dominance of the ICEV.
In a more wide-ranging interview of CG, it also sounds like Mitsubishi will be allowed to lead development of PHEV technology, which will be available in M, N (and R ?) vehicles
Great news, IMO, that NRM may be the first manufacturer of BEVs to accomplish what is necessary to end the market dominance of the ICEV.
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Nissan-eyes-mass-producing-17-000-electric-car?page=1Nissan eyes mass-producing $17,000 electric car
Big savings seen by sharing platform with Renault, Mitsubishi Motors
TOKYO -- Nissan Motor will share a common electric vehicle platform with its partners Renault and Mitsubishi Motors..
By using a common platform, Nissan hopes to come out with a plug-in priced at about 2 million yen ($17,000), around 20% lower than today's starting price.
That would make an electric Nissan as cheap as the company's gasoline counterparts, something Nissan hopes will set it apart from rival auto groups...
Under the new strategy, Renault and Mitsubishi, new to the Nissan alliance, in 2018 will no longer develop their own electric car platforms and instead exclusively use the Leaf platform.
The companies also plan to share other parts in their respective electric vehicles, including batteries, which represent about 40% of the overall weight of an electric car, motors and inverters so that the companies can lower costs by making joint purchases from common suppliers...
While they will use the same platforms, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors will come up with their own designs and do their own branding...
In a more wide-ranging interview of CG, it also sounds like Mitsubishi will be allowed to lead development of PHEV technology, which will be available in M, N (and R ?) vehicles
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Mitsubishi-Motors-Nissan-to-share-all-EV-tech-Ghosn?page=1Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan to share all EV tech: Ghosn
...Q: What are Mitsubishi Motors' strengths in terms of electric cars?
A: I think the main strength is that they have a plug-in hybrid ready. This is an asset. We were planning to have a plug-in hybrid, but I stopped the plug-in hybrid inside the alliance and asked our engineers to use the plug-in hybrid technology of Mitsubishi, which is a win-win -- so we don't duplicate the work. And on top of this, the plug-in hybrid technology of Mitsubishi will have a bigger scale, which should make it more competitive...
Q: Will we see a plug-in hybrid from Nissan in the near future?
A: Yes. But obviously you take the technology, then ... the evolutions will be shared among the different companies. You know, [engineers] are very expensive. [Without sharing], you would have Mitsubishi engineering doing its own solution and Nissan engineering doing its own solution. And this is not in the best interest of the consumer. The best [thing for] the consumer is that companies pool their efforts.
This is the most efficient way, but this requires a lot of discipline inside the alliance. And that's what we want to do -- to allow the company to have lots of products and lots of technology, and [to] concentrate their efforts on selling and developing their business...