EUROPE 2011 - EV Li-ion Battery Forum

Nissan Motor Co., seeking to lead the emerging market for electric cars, said it expects most customers will lease rather than buy lithium ion batteries packs for the electric vehicles.

Nissan to sell electric car for less than $44,300. Nissan’s Leaf will be cheaper than Mitsubishi Motor Corp.’s (7211.TO) i-MiEV electric model, which is priced at around Y4.6 million.

Leases will account for the vast majority of lithium ion batteries for electric cars such as Nissan’s Leaf, Jonathan Dixon, the Yokohama, Japan-based company’s business-development manager, said in an interview.