Nissan Leaf EV Enters Production at Oppama, Japan

Japanese automaker Nissan announced today it has started production of the new zero-emission Nissan LEAF electric vehicle, at its Oppama facility in Japan. The EV is set to go on sale in its home market and in the US this December, while select European markets will receive it from early 2011.

In November, the company will begin exports to the United States, followed by shipments to Europe in December.

“Oppama will serve as the ‘Mother Plant’ for the production of Nissan LEAF.  We will use all of the know-how and learnings from Oppama to ensure the highest quality at all sites that manufacture Nissan EVs,” stated Hidetoshi Imazu, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing at Oppama.

The Oppama plant is also responsible with the production of the Nissan Juke and the Nissan Cube. Part of the assembly line has been modified to mount battery modules at the stage of production where fuel tanks are traditionally installed, and motors and inverters are mounted at the point where engines are installed in gasoline-powered vehicles.

The lithium-ion battery module, which contains 4 battery cells, are assembled at Zama and then shipped to the Nissan Oppama facility, where 48 of them are assembled into the electric car’s battery pack.

“Consumers are clear. They want sustainable and affordable mobility... and the Alliance is leading the way with cars that deliver exactly that, with the reliability, excitement and performance that consumers demand. The high-quality, innovative Nissan LEAF will radically transform what consumers expect from automobile manufacturers worldwide,” said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn at the Nissan LEAF production launch ceremony.

Other sites for future production of Nissan EVs include Smyrna, Tennessee, in the United States and Sunderland, England, in the UK. Nissan will start production of the LEAF at Smyrna in late 2012 and at Sunderland in early 2013.