Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told the press that the group aims to sell 1.5 million electric cars by 2016 in a bid to become the world’s leading manufacturer in the zero-emissions market. Automotive News reports that Ghosn’s vision on the future of the automotive industry is quite different from what other leading groups expect, announcing a 4 billion dollars investment in the eco-friendly cars sector by 2017. “I understand we were not the first in developing hybrid cars - Ghosn said - and that is completely fine, as long as we are the leading company in developing all-electric cars.”

So far Nissan sold 15,000 units of its electric model Leaf (pictured), and is planning to add another 3 all-electric models and 1 hybrid plug-in car in its green range by 2016. Besides, the group is planning to extend the production of batteries to its American, English, Portuguese and French facilities in an attempt to achieve an output of 500,000 units per year in 2015. This way, the automaker expects to cut its carbon footprint by 20 % and improve overall fuel economy by 35 %. Ghosn is convinced that consumers will soon get used to electric cars, even though analysts say that range autonomy and battery charging time are elements that will slow down the evolution of this market until technology will find a way around them.

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