Nissan's electric future explained - Introduction

Nissan will unveil its all-new electric car at its new technology centre in Yokohama, Japan, on August 2.

The car will go on sale in 2011 and will be the first of a family of electric vehicles from Nissan. By 2020, the company expects that one car in every 10 it sells will be powered by electricity.

Unlike partner company Renault, which will make electric-powered versions of its existing range, Nissan will offer a unique battery-powered line-up (perhaps fitted with batteries manufactured at its Sunderland factory) to run in parallel with its petrol and diesel models.

Ahead of the August launch, Nissan has revealed details of the technology behind its electric cars – and the steps it's taking to make them more practical.

Nissan electric car Q&A
We look at how Nissan is approaching the wide-scale introduction of electric cars (EVs). Just click on the questions, here.

What sort of car will it be?
What's it likely to cost?
What about performance and range?
What about recharging?
How about battery life?
Electric vehicles are for cranks, aren't they?
So what's Nissan doing about it?