Nissan Starts US Battery Plant, LEAF Electric Car

Category Autos | Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

May 26 (Bloomberg) — Nissan Motor Co. began building a battery factory next to its main North American auto-assembly plant to support Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn’s expectation of surging U.S. demand for electric vehicles.

By the time it opens in 2012, the Smyrna, Tennessee, factory will be able to supply lithium-ion battery packs for 200,000 electric cars annually, topping Nissan’s plan to build as many as 150,000 rechargeable Leaf hatchbacks a year in Smyrna. Japan’s third-largest carmaker said today its $1.7 billion investment in battery and Leaf assembly capacity in Smyrna, funded mainly by a $1.4 billion U.S. government loan, will add as many as 1,300 jobs in Tennessee.

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