Nissan promised that they can come up with their first electric vehicle by 2010 and will initially service fleets for commercial use. Recently, the Japanese car maker reveals that they aim to mass produce EVs with zero emission by 2012.

During the shareholders meeting this month, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn declared the company will unveil its first EV by 2 August. The EV will go on limited sale in their Japanese and U.S. market by April of 2010. Mass production of this EV due for released to the global market will be by 2012.

The EV for mass production will make use of the Nissan plants in Smyrna, Tennessee and an undisclosed factory in Japan. The Smyrna plant can produce about 100,000 units on a yearly basis.

The Nissan executive also revealed that the pricing for their EV will be very reasonable, with the company believing that the plans will not work if consumers cannot afford their new green cars.

The Japanese car maker did not release the specifics about the electric vehicle but car industry experts assume that the package will include a 35kW/hr battery that will be leased to the consumer so prices can be trimmed down and make replacement of the battery pack easier.

The battery will supply power to the electric motor that will move the front wheels using a single gear. The car is expected to have a 367mpg-e.

If you look at the electric car’s exterior profile, you would think that the NuVu is a front drive platform. But what it actually has is a drive motor located on the back which powers the rear wheels. The automaking company is still a bit tight-lipped about the exact specifications of the NuVu, but word has it that the drivetrain is a fully functional mobile test bed of the new technology that Nissan plans using in the production of the electric vehicle slated for launching in 2010. What consumers can expect, however, is that the NuVu will be able to run at the top speed of around 75 mph and has a 77-mile range. The NuVu will use a lithium-ion battery pack that is capable of 140 watt hours per kilogram.

The production of the electric car will be a collaborative venture between Nissan and NEC Group, with the Automotive Energy Supply Corp. producing the battery pack to be used. The NuVu’s roof is made entirely of glass and will have photo voltaic solar panels in the shape of leaves. The energy tree located on the driver’s rear cargo floor reaches through the roof and is responsible for gathering energy that can be used to recharge the car.

According to Automotive News, Carlos Tavares, Nissan Motor Co.’s executive vice president for product planning and design, revealed during an event in Detriot that Nissan plans to sell the vehicles and the batteries separately. He also said that the EV model production is cheaper than the gas models in theory. The cost shoots up when you add the cost of the batteries.

While some would immediately think that it would be another stop in the purchasing process, Tavares said that it will not be an unnecessary inconvenience for the consumer and that the cost of ownership will still be the same as that of an internal combustion model, even though the batteries for the EV models are sold separately, because unlike the gas models, there is no need to replenish the pump.

The first Nissan EV model will hit U.S. and Japan in 2010. Brian Brockman, spokesperson for Nissan added that they are currently test driving the EV models on the ground and building their data base about them to be used as a basis for the production of new models.

The Nissan EV models will hit the market in 2010. The first cars will probably be based on the Nissan Mixim concept — a car I liked a lot!