Nissan

Nissan announced it will begin taking preorders for a new quick-charging unit to be shipped beginning in January 2012. The DC quick charger is being launched with partner Sumitomo Corp. and will retail for $9,900.

In just 30 minutes, the charger, which operates on a 480v current, can bring a Nissan Leaf from "a fully depleted state to 80 percent charged," Nissan said in a press release.

Two types of quick chargers will be available. One version is for indoor use--for fleet vehicles such as rental cars. Another model is for outdoor use--such as schools, public spaces, … Read more

Nissan's Pivo 3 EV concept is a futuristic three-seater that expands on the Pivo and Pivo 2. The driver sits in the center position of the Pivo 3 EV, which allows for better visibility. However, the concept car has some rather innovative features to make driving and charging easier.

According to Nissan, the Pivo 3 EV features technology called Automated Valet Parking (AVP), which allows the driver to find a parking spot without driving around and around a parking garage. With AVP, the Pivo 3 EV can also charge itself and return to its driver when called by smartphone.… Read more

The Yokohama Marine Tower was lit up Wednesday night courtesy of electricity from the batteries in a Nissan Leaf.

Nissan is lending some battery power to the local 106-meter-tall Japanese landmark in Yokohama, the capital city of the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, which is located about 27 miles south of Tokyo.

In fact, the tower's night twinkle will be powered by a Nissan Leaf channeling electricity to the tower from its batteries via a connected power control system until November 6.

The publicity stunt is part of the Yokohama Marine Tower's 50th Anniversary celebration and Yokohama Port's … Read more

Consumer Reports released the results of its annual car reliability survey today, and Scion came out as the top brand, with the fewest reported problems.

Scion cars proved the most reliable, according to owners contributing their experiences in the latest survey by Consumer Reports used to predict car reliability. The report, released today, compiles survey results for 28 brands. The least reliable cars, according to the survey, bear the Jaguar badge.

Along the Scion range, the xD scored the best, while the xB model was the worst, although all were well above most other brands. Lexus, another brand from Toyota, grabbed the No. 2 spot, and its CT200h model proved the most reliable, even more so than the Scion xD. Toyota-branded cars showed up at No. 6 in the survey.… Read more

A few years ago, in 2007 to be exact, New York City officials set about reimagining the NYC taxi system from the ground up. The Taxi of Tomorrow project would eventually include new infrastructure and a new vehicle: the Nissan NV200 light commercial vehicle, which will be the next New York City taxicab for 10 years, beginning in 2013.

Taxi owners, drivers, passengers, and NYC residents will be able to kick the tires of the NV200 and smell (or, rather, not smell) the odor- and germ-reducing interior materials. Passengers may dig the rear seat's charging station that includes a … Read more

Nissan said today it will make a new plug-in hybrid vehicle as part of a plan to improve product fuel efficiency and lower its environmental footprint.

At a press event in Yokohama, Japan, CEO Carlos Ghosn said Nissan will invest 70 percent of its annual research and development budget on environmental technologies in the next five years.

Its product road map calls for the introduction of a plug-in hybrid based on in-house technology and a new front-wheel hybrid model by 2015. Nissan's goal is to be the leading provider of all-electric vehicles, such as the Leaf, by selling 1.… Read more

Driving around in a minivan, we should have been shamed by this example of suburban utility transportation, completely devoid of the kind of fun driving character we crave. Yet the 2011 Nissan Quest's exterior design helped distract onlookers from its essential minivan-ness.

With its angular headlights that fit into the grille structure like jigsaw puzzle pieces, contoured sides, and vertical, squared-off rear hatch, people were more apt to call the World Weekly News and report the presence of time travelers from the year 2078 than jeer and laugh at the automotive journalists forced to trundle around in a family car.… Read more

DEARBORN, Mich.--Electrification is the biggest change to hit the auto industry in decades. But with little clarity on how the technology will play out in the future, automakers are laying down multiple billion-dollar bets.

After years of talking about plug-in electric vehicles, automakers can finally point to actual products, actual customers, and the beginnings of a charging infrastructure.

Yet automakers still don't know which products will resonate with consumers. The result is a spate of all-electric cars and a spectrum of hybrids built around different-size batteries.

What combination of battery and gas engine will be most popular with … Read more

DEARBORN, MI--It doesn't take long to realize that the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt drive at least as well as their gasoline counterparts.

I had the chance yesterday to take a few electric cars out for a ride as part of the Business of Plugging In conference here. Electric cars certainly aren't for everyone, but one walks away from driving a few EVs feeling that they're greener, high-tech, and very comfortable to drive.

In years past, there were wacky three-wheeled vehicles and custom electric scooters available for rides at this conference, but this year it was all … Read more