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Home | Green Cars News | Electric | Nissan to Build Electric Vehicles in Tennessee

Nissan to Build Electric Vehicles in Tennessee

20 June, 2009 09:10:00

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Nissan Motor Co plans to start production of electric vehicles and batteries by 2012 at its automotive factory in Smyrna, Tennessee.

This facility, where Nissan North America Inc is based, will be capable of producing 50,000 to 100,000 green cars a year by 2012. It is expected to first produce a small passenger car, with additional models to be added later.

Nissan intends to construct a production facility for high-capacity lithium ion batteries at the Smyrna site by joining hands with the NEC Corp. group. Although the batteries will initially be supplied only to Nissan, the plant may be expanded to accommodate orders from other firms. The facility may eventually produce enough batteries to equip 200,000 vehicles a year.

The overall investment is estimated at $516.4 million and may rise to double that, Reuters reported from the Nikkei business daily.

Nissan has applied for funding from the U.S. government under a low-interest-loan program to support the automobile industry.

Nissan intends to assemble up to 50,000 electric cars a year at its Oppama Plant in Japan starting in fall 2010.

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