Nissan has always been unsure about the success its alternative-fuel car in the US but it has in store is bound to change the trend next year. And, the confidence oozes from the fact that the Nissan Leaf (its first pure-electric car) will be a US only model. The design form belongs to the category of a front-drive C-segment Hatch which can seat four to five people. The company has great emphasis on the ability of this car which can behave an as everyday option rather than some specialty with its 100-mile range. Nissan believes that this range should be ample given the number of people who drive less than those 100 miles in s day (the figure stands at 80%).

A lot of emphasis has been laid on the design to ensure that the appearance is unique but not something bizarre or strange. The rarity of the car also lies in its powertrain as it churns out 90 kW of power using a array of thin, laminated lithium ion cells, while it’s front-mounted electric motor delivers 80 kW with 208Nm of torque. This helps the car clock 140km/h when the throttle is choked to the floor.

There isn’t mush left to think with the automakers around the globe going green, thus seemingly, Nissan has also followed the trend. Its latest EV prototype (zero-emission car) based on the Tida has an impressive set of specs. To begin with, it houses a 24kWh laminated compact lithium-ion battery that delivers high power output and energy capacity. Placed under the floor, this battery makes 80kW with 280Nm of Torque.

The prototype uses seamless acceleration which is being touted as very responsive. It is the braking that recharges the battery during deceleration-something we’ve heard of before. If the driver uses to a good affect, he can add another 160km from a full charge. The rigid body structure and platform minimizes the vibration and external sounds. Also, the EV-IT system ensures that full-electric driving can be managed 24 hours a day; thanks to a global data center supporting the function. There a display monitor that reflects the battery time left and whether the pre-set destinations or the available recharging stations on the Sat-Nav can be reached or not. For the production version there will be a totally different car design and it should hit the floors next year. [via Autoblog]

Geneva has been great this year. With accents on green vehicles and luxurious rides, we’re know you’d have badmouth us for not telling you more about the Protoscar Lampo. Announced in February, the Swiss went live with it a few days ago, and we managed to find more details. Powered by two special BRUSA getting their juice from a lightweight li-ion battery capable of storing 32 kW, the electric vehicle accounts for a good 268 hp and 440 Nm torque, and offers a 193 km range. There’s no release date or a price for that one, but if anyone from Protoscar cares we’re available for a test drive. Call us! [via WCF]

Now if those 1,100 guys waiting in line for a Roadster are not mad enough and can wait a few more months, our advice is to save more money and wait for the new sports version. Dubbed Tesla Roadster Sport, the two-seater electric vehicle is now 15-percent more powerful thanks to a hand-wound stator that increases winding density and helps eliminate resistance. The car also sports better handling, a unique paint job with carbon accents and a set of ultra high performance tires. Doing naught to 100km/h in only 3.7 seconds – unlike the base model that takes 3.9seconds – the car is expected to be deliver starting from June and the price is expected to start from $128,500 in the US. [via Jalopnik]

It’s not a surprise anymore that the world economy is facing recession, and the market evolutions all over the world are not favorable to those that buy. That’s the same idea with oil. For the last 8 to 12 months oil managed to reach up to $145 (and more) which brought higher prices for the fuel we put in our cars.

Therefore, car manufacturers are trying to keep up with the trend and come up with modern hybrid technologies that will increase the mpg, or with electric vehicles that became fashionable lately. Knowing that Audi already tried the market with their A2 (back in the days), that makes me thing they will probably be into this electric vehicle thing with a strong position.

Our friends at WCF managed to come up with a rendered design of what it may look like. With an elevated floor, some chrome and lacquer finishes, LEDs and fiber optics in the lights and some fancy wheels, the new to come Audi EV could be a real success.

I’ve just managed to get some pictures with the newest leaked car from Nissan. It’s an electric vehicle dubbed Nissan Denki Cube, still a concept, that we will probably see on the floor at the New York International Show tomorrow. Aside from its design it has great specs. The car is able to run at 75 mph (top speed) for about 100 miles without the need to charge the battery. The 2009 Nissan Denki Cube is built in partnership with NEC and takes 8 hours to charge the lithium-ion battery.Do you like it?