Europe's CO2 war has room for electrics, hybrid cars

PARIS (Reuters) – European carmakers are likely to rely on a mix of clean car technologies to achieve big emission cuts even as they gear up for fully electric cars, battling to put infrastructure in place and convince wary drivers.

The auto groups must cut global-warming gases from new vehicles by 18 percent within six years and analysts said that while electric cars would gain prominence, hybrid models would play a big role in the next few years.

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co plans mass commercialization of electric cars from 2012 globally and is set to unveil its first electric model — a five seater vehicle with a range of 160 km on a full charge — in Yokohama on August 2.

Many major manufacturers are also studying plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology, which cuts greenhouse gas emissions and combines an internal combustion engine with a battery that can be recharged by plugging in to a power source. Conventional gasoline-electric hybrid cars have batteries that are only charged when the driver brakes.

Reuters