People and Companies Shaping a New Era: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Part 2
Pioneers and Companies Building a New Era: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Part 2
Batteries are crucial for electric vehicles to be widely accepted by society. How will electric vehicles evolve from here? We interviewed a Nissan Motor engineer who adopted a new generation of lithium-ion batteries in the Leaf, asking about the possibilities for the future.
By Fumio OgawaPhotos by Kenta Yoshizawa (portraits)
Electric vehicles (EVs) consist of three main components: the electric motor, the inverter (transformer), and the battery. While the Nissan Leaf, representing current EVs, is becoming more visible on the streets, some experts believe it has yet to be widely accepted by society. The reasons cited are driving range and cost.
EVs must aim for the convenience and price of gasoline-powered cars. How should they evolve from this point forward? Exploring possibilities from the field of batteries holds significant meaning. Therefore, we invited Mr. Joji Miyamoto from Nissan Motor's EV Energy Development Department, EV Technology Development Division, which is a step ahead with mass production of full-scale EVs, to discuss the potential of EVs in a Q&A format.
—In 2007, Nissan Motor established Automotive Energy Supply Corporation as a joint venture with NEC to develop batteries. The batteries for the Leaf were also developed by this company, weren't they?