First look: Nissan’s electric commercial

NOT content with producing the world’s first affordable mass-market electric vehicle for Japan and the US by late 2010 (2012 in Australia), Nissan has announced its intention to follow the zero-emissions Leaf hatchback model with a light commercial EV.

Based on the Japanese maker’s new NV200 small van and shown here in concept sketch form for the first time, Nissan says its newest EV will be a low-cost multi-purpose vehicle that would “allow ambulance drivers to drive directly into the hospital or van and taxi drivers to enter urban areas where CO2 emissions are restricted”.

The NV200-based EV is the fourth all-electric vehicle Nissan has committed to producing, including the Leaf, which made its world public debut at last month’s Tokyo show and will go on sale in Europe in 2011 before becoming available globally in 2012.

Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn also used the Tokyo show to announce plans to release a four-seater compact EV from Infiniti, as well as the left-field LandGlider urban commuter vehicle.