Overseas Production of Lithium-Ion Batteries
In Japan, Nissan and NEC Corporation’s joint-venture company Automotive
Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) produces lithium-ion batteries for Nissan
LEAF at its Zama facility. The facility assembles modules made up of four
cells, which are put together into battery packs made up of 48 modules at
Nissan’s Oppama Plant and then fitted into vehicles.
Nissan also manufactures Nissan LEAF and EV batteries overseas. In
the United States, the company has produced lithium-ion batteries at its
Battery Plant and EVs at its Vehicle Assembly Plant in Smyrna, and in
Europe, at its Sunderland Plant in the United Kingdom.
The Nissan New Mobility Concept
The Nissan New Mobility Concept is an ultracompact 100% electric vehicle
that was developed in response to rising numbers of senior citizens and
single-member households, along with increasing use of automobiles for
short-distance trips by up to two people. Even smaller than a “kei” minicar, it
gives the driver excellent visibility and a good feel for the dimensions of the
vehicle, making it an ideal choice for residential neighborhoods and other
areas with narrow streets and poor visibility.
In fiscal 2011, with cooperation from Japan’s Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Nissan began driving trials
together with the city of Yokohama and other local bodies to conduct tests
and surveys. Following MLIT’s January 2013 announcement of an
authorization system for use of ultracompact vehicles on public roads,
Nissan is currently testing vehicles in 11 areas. For example, from July
2013 to March 2014 the company implemented a rental car service on the
island of Teshima in Tonosho, Kagawa Prefecture, using six Nissan New
Mobility Concept vehicles. By supplying vehicles with no exhaust emissions