The Tesla effect on electric car prices continues. After the American giant Ford and the Chinese groups Xpeng and Seres, which lowered the sales price lists of some battery-powered models in the wake of the cut decided by Elon Musk, it is the turn of the Japanese Nissan to intervene on the development and production costs of its vehicles with zero emissions.
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An operation that will inevitably have an impact on the selling prices of the brand’s electric cars, even if not immediately: according to senior vice president, Toshihiro Hirai, by 2030 Nissan’s electric vehicles will cost more or less at dealerships as equivalent models with petrol engine, precisely as a result of this strategy. And the price reduction will not be small if we consider that currently the cheapest electric vehicle of the Japanese company, the Leaf, is sold in the US for around 30,000 dollars, while a small internal combustion engine like the Sentra costs about 21,000 dollars.
Nissan’s move is based on its “X-in-1” development strategy, where the X stands for various powertrain components, such as the electric motor and inverter, which can be used across all models. The Yokohama company has declared that development and production costs will be reduced by 30% in 2026 compared to 2019 levels. And this objective will be achieved by reducing the use of rare earths. Hirai said their prices and those of other materials needed to produce electric vehicle batteries and other parts are expected to rise in the coming years. This means that automakers must have a robust strategy for obtaining raw materials if they are to be successful in electrification.
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“We make the most of our experience and know-how from more than a decade of developing and manufacturing electrified technologies,” said the senior vice president. Compared to the first generation Leaf, rare materials account for 25% of the weight of the 2019 Nissan Note EV. And the aim is to reduce them to 1% or less. At the same time, Nissan is working on solid-state battery technology for electric vehicles, an initiative that, if successful, should radically reduce costs.
Finally, the Japanese company has promised 27 new electrified models, including eight “series hybrid” e-Power models, equipped with a gas engine and an electric motor, by the 2030 fiscal year.