Other renewables

Nissan tests electric vehicles in New York

The battle in fast-charging stations, the equivalent of gasoline stands for electric vehicles, is threatening to turn into a futuristic replay of other major platform wars like VHS of Panasonic Corp. vs. Sony Corp.’s Beta in video.

Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer said the debate was still going on, and it was unknown whether nations will adopt the CHAdeMo used by Nissan, or the competing one called Combo backed by General Motors Co. and European automakers. The standards use different plugs and aren’t compatible.

Palmer said Nissan as a leader in electric vehicles must persuade others that its standard is the best.

“The disadvantage is that we are setting the standard,” he said, adding that Nissan was “engaged in that debate” over charging standards.

CHAdeMo, which comes from the words “charge” and “move,” and sounds like Japanese for, “Care for some tea?” is also backed by Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Nissan said its gas-engine NV200 vehicle, painted yellow, is set to start running as New York taxis in October 2013, and six Leaf electric vehicles will be part of a pilot program this year. But it is still unclear whether New York will opt for CHAdeMo.

www.nissan-global.com/