In a few short months, construction will be complete on Nissan’s newest facility – a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant.
Construction is about 75 percent complete, and the new building is scheduled to be finished by late summer, according to a company news release.
Nissan then will start installing the battery manufacturing equipment inside the plant and will be capable of producing lithium-ion batteries beginning in late 2012.
At full capacity, it will be able to produce 200,000 batteries annually.
The plant, which will be the largest in the country capable of manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications, will produce the battery packs powering the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable, mass-market, all-electric vehicle.
The 475,000 square-foot battery facility will be a U.S. manufacturing center of excellence for clean transportation solutions, providing the power source for 150,000 all-electric Nissan LEAFs annually, the release continued.
Nissan LEAF is the world’s first and only affordable, all-electric vehicle designed for the mass market and was recently named “World Car of the Year” by a panel of automotive journalists from Asia, Europe and North America.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood toured the construction site where Nissan is building a state-of-the-art facility.
He pointed to the great strides Nissan is making towards easing the country’s demand for oil.
“With gas prices at record highs, the Obama Administration has taken aggressive action to make sure families have access to fuel efficient vehicles that can help reduce their transportation costs,” LaHood said.
“That’s why I’m so thrilled to see the progress Nissan is making at its new manufacturing facility, where American workers will soon be building cutting-edge batteries for a new generation of electric vehicles that are good for the environment, good for the economy, and good for American consumers.”
LaHood admitted that there are no quick fixes to the problem, but said that Obama has a long-term plan – one in which the Department of Transportation plays a big role.
“We’re helping to make sure that conventional cars become more efficient,” he said. “That’s why we put in place historic, 35.5 mile-per-gallon fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks by 2015.”
He went on to say that the department is supporting research and development across the electronic vehicle value chain – from batteries, to charging stations, to technology for hybrid and electric cars, trucks and buses.
“The president set a goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on our roads by 2015. And to help meet this objective we’re funding the work that so-often leads to breakthroughs and new products,” LaHood said.
Additionally, he said the government is creating a market that will push manufacturers like Nissan to design more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.
“We’re using the government’s purchasing power – and encouraging private companies – to buy hybrid and electric vehicles. We’re also proposing a $7,500 tax rebate – available directly at the dealership – for customers who choose hybrid or electric cars like the Leaf,” he said.
“Taken together, these actions mean that auto companies will have an incentive to manufacture more of the clean, efficient vehicles of tomorrow.”
And by putting Americans to work building a less oil-dependent transportation system, the government is making historic investments in high-speed rail, transit, and walk-able, bike-able streets so people have the option to drive less, LaHood continued.
“This is good for their health, wallets, and environment,” he said. “We’re accelerating aviation’s transition from the radar-based navigation system of the last century to the satellite-based system of the next century. This will dramatically boost fuel economy by allowing aircraft to fly more directly from origin to destination.”
His ultimate goal?
To build a 21st century transportation system that uses less petroleum, sends fewer of our hard-earned dollars overseas, emits less of the carbon pollution that threatens our environment, and spurs job-creation and economic growth – something he says is slowly becoming a reality.
Nissan goes green(er)
Nissan North America, Inc. has begun installation of 30 solar-assisted charging stations at the Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant and the Nissan Americas headquarters in Franklin.
The 30 chargers at the two Tennessee facilities mark the latest in a long line of dedicated investments totaling $3.5 billion over the course of Nissan’s statewide, 30-year presence.
The advanced solar chargers, which will be operational for use by Nissan employees and visitors by July 1, are designed to charge the Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable, all-electric zero-emission vehicle designed for the mass market.
The Nissan LEAF debuted globally in December 2010, with Tennessee as a key launch market.
Nissan soon will build the Nissan LEAF and the batteries that power it at its Smyrna manufacturing complex. The advanced, lithium-ion battery plant is 75-percent complete with an expected operational date of late next year. Photo from Nissan North American. |
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