2012 Nissan Electric NV
Nissan’s electric vehicle efforts aren’t relegated to compact and city cars. In fact, the company is showing a trio of electrified truck concepts at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.
Perhaps the most akin to the Leaf is the battery-powered Atlas e-NT400 concept. Based off Nissan’s light-duty cabover truck, the Atlas is propelled solely by an electric motor, which is, in turn, powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. Full specifications are not yet available, but Nissan claims the truck can run up to 62 miles on a single charge, and carry a 1322-pound load.
Nissan is also showing a refrigerated truck that uses the same lithium-ion power pack, but for a different purpose. Instead of helping propel the vehicle, it instead is tasked with powering the refrigeration unit. This is a nice change from today’s typical refrigerated trucks, which typically require a secondary combustion engine to run at all times. The van is scheduled to be available in Japan in late 2012.
Nissan is also showcasing what it calls the Atlas Power Supply Truck, which acts as an emergency power source. A 72-kWh lithium-ion battery pack reportedly provides enough electricity to operate a 20-person office space for four hours.
All three concepts will appear next to the next-generation taxi of New York City, the NV200 Combi Taxi, which is the base model of NV200. This commercial vehicle was the starting point for Nissan to get into the light commercial vehicle segment, and so far it’s proved to be a success. The NV200 is already being sold in nearly 40 countries.
