Nissan accelerates EV plan for Europe and Japan, but not US

Nissan announced Monday that as part of an accelerated shift to electrified and fully electric vehicles it sees 55% of global mix made up by “electrified” vehicles by 2030—up from its previous 50% forecast. But after the solidification of various pieces of Biden administration EV policy, it hasn’t set any higher target for the U.S. market.  

Under the stronger embrace of EVs and hybrids, Nissan now sees 98% of models in Europe electrified, up from 75% as projected in its original Nissan Ambition 2030 plan presented in November 2021.

Nissan Surf-Out, Max-Out and Hang-Out concepts

Nissan Surf-Out, Max-Out and Hang-Out concepts

The target for Japan has been nudged up to 58%, from 55%, while China’s has been dropped to 35%, from the previous 40%—overall shifting the portion of electrified vehicles in its global sales mix up to 44% by 2026, from the previous 40%.

That includes markets like South America, which are anticipated to be somewhat slower with EV adoption. Meanwhile, the company’s U.S. projection remains the same—at 40% fully electric vehicles by 2030. 

Nissan Note e-Power hybrid

Nissan Note e-Power hybrid

Nissan emphasizes that its e-Power series hybrid system, which it has positioned since 2016 as building on its electric-car expertise, is an important part of that. While the automaker has suggested in recent years that it’s preparing U.S. models that will use e-Power—at last check, in a hybrid system that prioritizes performance—there’s been no recent update on when it’s arriving for the market.

Last February, the company announced plans to build two fully electric models in Mississippi, starting in 2025. One of those will be a Nissan-brand vehicle expected to replace the gasoline Maxima, while the other will be the first U.S.-market EV for Infiniti. 

Nissan’s Infiniti luxury brand had seen a version of e-Power as the core tech for its transition for EVs, allowing a quicker embrace of EVs. But all of those Q Inspiration models have been canceled, along with the brand’s rapid electrification. 

Infiniti Q Inspiration and QX Inspiration concepts

Infiniti Q Inspiration and QX Inspiration concepts

Last year a report also suggested that Nissan may be the first major Japanese automaker to announce the end of internal combustion engine development, but the automaker called it speculation and hasn’t yet made that move official. 

On the other hand, Nissan sees solid-state battery tech as a key piece for cutting EV battery pack costs in the future, and it’s one of few automakers to invest in its own development of the tech, including a pilot battery plant. 

Author: EVAI