Nissan Motor Co. announced on Monday that it is releasing its second all-electric vehicle this month.
The Japanese automotive manufacturer will continue to use eco-friendly technology despite disappointing sales, according to ABS CBN News.
The vehicle is called the e-NV200, and is a zero-emission commercial van. Nissan said it can drive 190 kilometers when fully charged, and that it also works as an onboard power source to supply emergency lighting or power to an outside unit.
Japan's second-biggest automaker said the e-NV200 will go on sale in Europe this month and in Japan in October, Reuters reported.
Andy Palmer, chief planning officer for Nissan, said the company is planning to launch four zero-emission electric vehicles by March 2017, with the e-NV200 being the second. Palmer declined to provide a sales target for the new vehicle.
The automaker said the vehicle will be available for 3.88 million yen ($37,900) in Japan, ABS CBN News reported.
The new van comes in either five or seven seats. It can be fully recharged in eight hours, and a separate quick-charging system could be used to charge the vehicle to 80 percent of its battery capacity in half an hour.
Hideyuki Tateno, an engineer for Nissan, said the company will build the e-NV200 at its plant in Barcelona, and that the vehicle will have an annual manufacturing capacity of at least 20,000 of the vans, Reuters reported.
Takao Katagiri, executive vice president for Nissan, said the company chose to make an electric commercial van since the vehicle is usually used for deliveries and businesses that run on set routes and limited distances, which takes away any concerns about driving range.
Nissan said it is looking to log monthly sales of 200 units in Japan for the van. Leaf, the automaker's electric compact car, sold 115,000 units globally since it was launched in 2010, ABS CBN News reported.
The company is also hoping to launch an electric vehicle in China.
