Nissan developing further plug-in hybrid

The Nissan Motor Company has announced that it is currently developing a new plug-in hybrid vehicle, with a commercial release scheduled for 2015.

Speaking at an event in Yokohama, Japan on Monday, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn confirmed the news as the Japanese firm continues to invest in environmental technologies.

By March 2017, Nissan hopes to achieve global cumulative sales of 1.5 million battery-powered vehicles, and in this time plans to invest a further $3.9 billion into the development and research of emission free autos.

As of this month, Japan’s No. 2 automaker has sold around 15,000 of its all-electric Nissan Leaf, with the company banking on the development of its emission free vehicles to help compete with rival Toyota. However, Toyota has plans of its own, with a January release scheduled for a plug-in hybrid able to run on batteries charged from an electrical outlet or on the gasoline-fueled engine. Toyota’s 1997 Prius remains the biggest-selling hybrid of all time.

“We want to take leadership in these technologies,” Ghosn told reporters. “I understand we were not the first in developing hybrid cars, that’s completely fine, as long as we are the leading company in developing all-electric cars,” he explained. “When you combine the research and development budgets and the investments of these three companies you have the largest one in the industry. Nobody matches us.”

In 2014, Nissan is due to release its Altima Hybrid, which, according to Green Car, “will be based on the new Xtronic CVT hybrid system found in the 2012 infiniti M35h.” Green Car adds that the more likely scenario for the 2015 model is a combination of its new high-mileage hybrid-CVT system and the technology used for the Leaf.

Lat month, Nissan also announced that it had developed a new rapid charger for its electric vehicle range, that it says is smaller, half the price and easier to install than existing models. The charger is compatible with all of Nissan’s electric cars as well as EV models from other manufacturers including those of Honda and Toyota. Nissan plans to have the charger on the Japanese market next month, with an announcement for a future European and U.S release expected soon.

Additionally, Nissan and Renault are continuing to work on the development of fuel-cell vehicles alongside electric vehicle research with equity partner Daimler AG.