It’s becoming more evident that car manufacturers are setting their sights on shifting to electric vehicle (EV) development. This is after several countries have already released policies that ban the sales of cars powered by internal combustion engines (ICE).
Nissan Chill-Out crossover EV concept
Nissan is among the many car brands that have acknowledged that the future of mobility is electric. Recently, the Japanese automaker reportedly said that it will end the development of new ICE power units in all its major markets except the United States. Nissan will then shift its resources to EVs, which is the current global trend among car manufacturers.
Nikkei Asia reports that Nissan will continue limited development of its gasoline engines for its U.S. market, mainly for pickup trucks since the car brand expects a certain level of demand.
As of this writing, Nissan has yet to announce its plans when it comes to producing an electric pickup truck. Electric trucks are sort of gaining traction specifically in the US market as it now has the Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV, Tesla Cybertruck, among others. Although, Nissan did reveal the Surf-Out electric pickup truck concept last year.
Nissan Surf-Out electric pickup truck concept
In other markets, such as in Europe, Nissan has already ended developing gasoline engines due to the stricter Euro 7 emissions standards that could be implemented as early as 2025. It has focused its resources on EV development for obvious reasons.
In fact, Nissan will invest around Php 888 billion over the next five years to fast-track its EV push. It then expects to increase its EV sales across major markets by 2026, with Europe accounting for 75 percent of sales.
Meanwhile, Nissan is reportedly set to bid sayonara to gasoline engine development in Japan and China. It will instead continue to develop hybrid engines.
While the world waits for the full transition to EVs, Nissan’s game plan is to improve its existing engines rather than allocate resources to develop a new one. Nikkei Asia added that Nissan does not plan to lay off personnel at its engine production plants as of the moment. It will instead transfer personnel gradually to EV-related divisions.
Nissan Philippines Blue Switch campaign launch
In terms of the local market, Nissan Philippines has been continuously anticipating the shift to EVs, with the launch of the LEAF as a testament to its intention to capitalize on the electric market. This year, Nissan PH launched the Blue Switch campaign that aims to promote EV awareness.
Jumping into the EV trend might not be that popular yet in the Philippines due to a number of reasons. One of which is the local market’s lack of awareness when it comes to EVs as well as the lack of accessible charging stations. Despite the said reasons, Frost & Sullivan Senior Vice President Vivek Vaidya shared that 45-percent of Filipinos are considering the possibility of purchasing an EV.
The EV trend may soon be kickstarted in the Philippines once the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) is signed into law. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that the EVIDA, which is a reconciled version of Senate Bill 1382 and House Bill 10213, is already approved and just needs the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.
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