The electric car is looking more real all the time. In fact, we got plugged-in to Nissan’s electric vehicle plans and drove a previous-generation electric Nissan Cube at a media event this week. (Learn more about the new Nissan Cube.)

The company says the batteries and drivetrain in the Cube we drove are similar to what will be in its new electric model. The car will be a unique model, not an electric version of an existing gasoline-fueled car. It will be a five-passenger hatchback, initially produced in Japan, but possibly later in Tennessee if Nissan receives government grants to retool its factory there to build the batteries.

Packing batteries
The batteries in its production electric car will use lithium-ion-manganese technology packaged in flat-laminate cell that will fit under the floor of the car. (Trivia: Nissan was the first automaker to test and begin developing lithium-ion batteries in the mid 1990s.) According to Nissan’s charging specs, it will likely have a capacity of 24 to about 26 kilowatt-hours.

The car will be able to charge fully on a standard 110-volt household electrical outlet which will take about 14 hours. With a special 220-volt circuit, it will take four hours for a full charge. Along with other automakers, Nissan is developing a 480-volt fast charger that will give the car an 80-percent charge in 26 minutes. Nissan claims that will give its EV a 100-mile range between charges.

Nissan expects the battery to last about five years in typical service, after which it is looking at ways that utility companies could reuse the batteries. A planned, secondary use could lead to leasing the batteries or even the cars to consumers.

Electric infrastructure
Like other car companies, Nissan is working with cities, electric utilities, and businesses to build public charging stations. Prime candidates are fast-food restaurants, where Nissan’s research shows the average customer visit takes 20 minutes. An interesting prospect, fast-food restaurants along an Interstate highway could enable a long-distance road trip without much inconvenience for recharging.

Initially, the car will be available only for fleet sales in select cities: Seattle; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Tucson; Raleigh, N.C.; and Washington, D.C. to name a few. The company is open to selling the car to consumers in select markets if it believes enough charging infrastructure is in place to satisfy customer needs.

Nissan’s internal target is to have 10 percent of its sales be electric cars by 2015. 

—Eric Evarts

Learn about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section.