ATSUGI, Japan -- Nissan Motor Co. is barreling ahead with development of a next-generation zero-emission car for the mass market -- despite its Leaf electric vehicle's low sales volume.
Based on glimpses of work being done here at Nissan's technical center, the next Leaf could carry far more battery power, allowing for a full-charge driving range of close to 300 miles, instead of its current EPA-rated range of 107 miles.
The envisioned car will be lighter, using carbon fiber. It will permit hands-free recharging, allowing owners to park over an inductive system floor mat that does the charging automatically.
And although autonomous driving faces a gantlet of government regulation and approvals, the future Leaf is being readied to lead Nissan's plunge into mass-market use of that technology. The company's reasoning is that the new age of electronic safety controls needed for autonomous driving works hand-in-hand with the electric power systems of EVs.
Prototype vehicles with Nissan's most advanced autonomous-drive technologies prowl the public streets of Japan, and one will soon begin testing on U.S. streets. The prototypes are all Leafs.