Nissan announced on May 17 that the company's Leaf electric car will be sold in Europe for under 30,000 euros ($37,105 US) after various government incentives.
The Leaf, which stands for Leading Environmentally-Friendly Affordable Family car, will go on sale in Portugal and the Netherlands in December and will arrive at Britain and Ireland in February 2011.
The five-seater hatchback Leaf has a range of 160 kilometers (100 miles), can be charged to 80% of its battery capacity in 30 minutes and travels at a top speed of more than 140 kilometers (90 miles) per hour.
Nissan added that its electric car will cost around the same as a diesel or hybrid vehicle, like Toyota's Prius.
"It's a pure electric vehicle with no tailpipe emissions and very low running costs,"
said Simon Thomas, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, adding that the price will include the cost of a lithium battery.
The company, which is 43.4% owned by Renault, forecasts that electric vehicles will account for 10% of worldwide car sales by 2020.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
