HMT-Roger

Nissan Motor Co., the world’s largest maker of battery-powered cars, expects to sell 1.5 million zero-emission models with partner Renault SA in five years, betting consumers will accept cars that need charging.

“We want to take leadership in these technologies,” CEO Carlos Ghosn told reporters here today. The automaker plans to invest more than 300 billion yen ($3.9 billion) in environmentally friendly technologies by March 31, 2017, he said.

Nissan sold about 15,000 of its Leaf compacts as of this month and is banking on battery-powered cars to help compete with Toyota Motor Corp., maker of the best-selling hybrid Prius since 1997. Toyota plans in January to start selling a plug-in hybrid that can run on batteries charged from an electrical outlet or on the gasoline-fueled engine.

“I understand we were not the first in developing hybrid cars,” Ghosn said. “That’s completely fine, as long as we are the leading company in developing all-electric cars.”

Nissan plans to add three all-electric models to the Leaf by 2016 and a plug-in hybrid by 2015.

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