• The New York Times, Tuesday, May 13, 2008 10:30 AM

A prototype of an electric car that Nissan showed Sunday in Tel Aviv will be developed and on the market in the U.S. and Japan by 2010. The commitment--which is expected to be announced today by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn--will be the first by a major automaker to bring a zero-emission vehicle to the American market.

Ghosn says Nissan decided to accelerate development of battery-powered vehicles because of high gasoline prices and environmental concerns, not just because of the need to meet stricter fuel-economy standards. "What we are seeing is that the shifts coming from the markets are more powerful than what regulators are doing," he says.

Ghosn, who has not always enthusiastic about alternative-fuel technology, says Nissan envisions a broad range of electric vehicles, starting with small cars. In a 2005 speech, however, he called gas-electric hybrids "niche products" useful only to meet strict fuel and emission standards in states like California.

Read the whole story at The New York Times »