According to the Nikkei business daily, Nissan will build an electric vehicle assembly plant in Smyma, Tennessee, the same place where Nissan America is based. The projected costs of the investment is at around 50 billion yen ($516.4 million), but it may very well double, the source says.
The production capacity of the new factory is in between 50,000 and 100,000 units a year by 2012. At first, the plant is said to produce a small passenger car. At the same facility, Nissan will build high-capacity lithium-ion batteries, in cooperation with NEC.
The first steps towards the new facility have already been made, as Nissan applied for funding from the US government, under the low-interest program we mentioned above. If approved, Nissan will receive more than 100 billion yen, a source close to the matter was quoted as saying by the source.
The news comes after Nissan already announced its plans for the future, as far as eco-friendly vehicles are concerned. The company said it will launch a clean diesel engine in 2010. The same year will witness the beginning of a large scale EV assembly in Japan, as Nissan plans to roll out 50,000 such vehicles a year in its native country. Of course, its Zero-Emission Mobility Partnerships with Renault will continue to expand, after securing, thus far, 27 partnerships across the world.
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