Car ad Nissan unfazed by EV delays, dismisses rivals fuel cell targets

TOKYO, Nov 20 Reuters) - Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co., said he was unimpressed by delays in its sales targets electric, forecast that competitors in their plans to launch fuel car sales in the next few years would even greater obstacles.

Ghosn again on Wednesday that Renault and Nissan would push back an intitial aim to sell a combined 1.5 million electric by end of March 2017 to two to three years.

While Nissan EV target moved back, it also said that it US production cut the all-electric leaf, which world's best-selling electric vehicle would lift, after a price increased sales in this market.

"I regret my investment in electric cars? No, of course, "Carlos Ghosn told reporters at the Tokyo Motor Show."

Nissan and Renault combined have sold only 120,000 electric vehicles, because she was only on the market three years ago.

But he said the difficulties with infrastructure that limp popularity as technical problems, blaming recharge Ghosn electric vehicles such as the main reason forecasts an even more daunting challenge for fuel cell vehicles.

Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co plan 2015 to begin selling fuel-cell vehicles.

"Frankly, I do not know how they want to do it, because all the problems to know we, a loading system with power, where the hydrogen infrastructure is?" Carlos Ghosn said.

"That is why we are moved in a certain way, some of our ambitions in relation to fuel."

Fuel cell cars to chemically convert hydrogen into electricity to the vehicle spend just makes water vapour as waste product. In contrast to electric vehicles and charging stations can be charged from home, fuel cell cars must stop at refilling stations.

FUEL CELL RACE HOTS UP

Battery-powered electric cars, but also have a relatively limited area - the blade goes more than 230 km (143 miles) on a single charge - and can recharge hours. Fuel cell cars can fill up within minutes and travel more than double this distance, roughly on par with conventional gasoline-powered cars.

But the high cost of hydrogen stations, at $6 million per piece, presents a big hurdle for fuel cell vehicles.

Toyota unveiled a fuel cell concept sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday with two hydrogen tanks and a range of 500 km.

The car for 5 million, will sell 10 million yen ($50,000 100,000), when it goes on sale in 2015, said Satoshi Ogiso, a Toyota managing officer, was involved in the development of the Prius hybrid.

Honda shows a fuel cell concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week.

Nissan is not the fuel cell technology--it is planning to bring one in 2017 on the market. But it lags Toyota and Honda for two years.

Major automakers around the world are billions of dollars, to develop fuel cell technology, and to limit the load on some alliances have formed.

Toyota and BMW AG are planning, roll-out of a jointly developed fuel cell vehicle system up to the year 2020. Honda and General Motors co develop together to launch a hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the next seven years, while Daimler, Ford and Nissan plan to develop and affordable fuel cell vehicles within five years.