Nissan Motor Co has increased its electric vehicle (EV) sales goals and is looking at boosting power train production in the United Station. The Japanese automobile manufacturer wants to catch up with Tesla that is dominating the EV space.
Nissan was a pioneer in EVs with its all-battery powered Leaf. But it has struggled like fellow legacy automakers in the face of increasing competition from nimbler new companies.
As such, Nissan aims to have EVs, including its advanced hybrid e-power cars, make up over 55 percent of global sales by fiscal 2030. This would be up from a previous goal of 50 percent. The carmaker stated that the EV mix will increase to 44 percent by fiscal 2026 from an earlier target of 40 percent.
Moreover, Nissan is looking at 27 new EVs by 2026, 19 will be all-battery electrified vehicles. This is compared to its previous plan of 23 EVs, including 15 all-battery ones. Besides EV production at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant, Ashwani Gupta, Nissan’s Chief Operating Officer, said the company wants to build electric power trains at its Decherd plant in the same state to help meet its requirements for the Inflation Reduction Act.
He said they will add a second source of batteries produced in the United States, which would contribute towards existing supply from Envision AESC.
The automobile manufacturer is confident that it will be in compliance with the Act because of the localization of battery production – starting from 2026. Gupta said the IRA is challenging, but it’s an opportunity to accelerate competitive electrification.
