Kanagawa Electric Vehicle Festa 2009 Stars Nissan EV

Nissan's first electric vehicle will be the main star at the Kanagawa Electric Vehicle Festa 2009, to be held this weekend in Yokohama Akarenga Park. The event, set in motion by Kanagawa EV Promotion Council, will allow all who are interested in EV technology to see and even test (don't gloat, the test is a passenger ride) the experimental vehicle Nissan developed as part of its EV program.

Nissan's EV is a front wheel drive platform that uses a new 80 kw motor and inverter. The motor draws its power from laminated lithium ion batteries, placed under the floor so they do not sacrifice any of the cabin or cargo space.

The Japanese manufacturer intends on releasing an all-electric vehicle on the North American and Japanese markets by the end of the 2010 fiscal year. Nissan says the vehicle will have a unique body style that will not be based on any of the current Nissan range, so we are left to wonder wheter the car seen in the photo is the one that will see production.

The Kanagawa EV Promotion Council, of which Nissan is part, is an entity that has been having consultation about EV promotional and educational activities, building battery charging infrastructure.

The company is also part of the Renault Nissan Zero Emission (ZEV) partnership, a program designed to advance zero-emission mobility by promoting the development of an electric vehicle charging network.

So far, ZEV established partnerships with local authorities in Israel, Denmark, Portugal, the Principality of Monaco, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama and four regions of the United States (Tennessee, Oregon, Sonoma County and Tucson).