Japanese car maker Nissan will offer electrified versions of all its cars in Japan from mid-2020, it has been revealed.
Joining its popular and longstanding electric Nissan Leaf will be a range of all-electric models including an electric SUV – likely the crossover dubbed “Ariya” based on the IMx concept – and an electric version of its Dayz city car.
Hybrids will also be on the menu, including hybrid Kicks and X-Trail SUVs as well as hybrid Note small people mover.
The move – first reported by Nikkei Asian Review – Â echoes the wider shift to electrification that is happening in global markets.
Much of this shift is guided by tightening vehicle emissions regulations, as countries work to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) being released into the atmosphere by transport.
In 2019, the Japanese government set out new standards for car makers stipulating a 32% reduction in fuel consumption and thereby CO2 emissions from 2016 levels, by 2030.
To achieve this, car makers must increase electrification of fleets, and reduce sales of pure internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
According to Nikkei Asian Review, the Japanese ministry of industry says there were only 24,000 electric cars registered in Japan in 2017, with most of these being Nissan Leafs and Mitsuibishi i-MiEVs.
Although Nissan has proven itself an EV pioneer with the introduction of the Leaf electric hatch in 2010, it has not to date brought another all-electric vehicle to market.
It does, however, have numerous concepts which give an inkling of what will be on offer.
As mentioned above, the Ariya electric SUV will likely be the next electric car from Nissan. Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2019, Nissan said at the time it was “near production“.
Nissan has also revealed other electric concept models including the cute and chic IMk which resembles the Dayz city car closely.
Nissan’s Leaf has also gained it a strong foothold in the Japanese vehicle-to-home (V2H) market, where it is approved for use with bidirectional charging to provide an alternative power source for homes.
The Leaf was reintroduced to the Australian market in July 2019 after a long hiatus, and although there are no definite plans for the Ariya to be brought here, Nissan Australia has indicated it could be considered in the future.
Vehicle-to-home capabilities for the Nissan Leaf are also expected to become available in Australia in late 2020 once home charging units to enable the feature gain certification for use locally.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.