Nissan to Launch Electric Van in 2013

Nissan is planning to launch a brand new van that is powered by electricity that New York City could possibly adopt as the "Taxi of Tomorrow."

The company announced the addition of the environmentally friendly NV200 electric van to its line-up on Wednesday.

This high-top compact vehicle resembles the slim-bodied vans frequently used by families and businesses in Japan. It sports a LEAF-like nose and will feature dual sliding doors.

Nissan also mentioned that it will offer a "similar performance" and range to the LEAF, but will differ in certain areas.

The Nissan LEAF debuted in the U.S. in 2010 and its name is actually an acronym for Leading, Environmentally, friendly, Affordable, Family car.

This new electric van will be another attempt by Nissan to improve the environment and could possibly revolutionize the taxi business in major cities.

The company stated that is has several prototypes of the electric van around Europe, but did not officially confirm that the vehicle will come to the U.S.

Ford has already released a similar automobile with the Transit Connect Electric. It seems that Nissan is preparing to enter into competition with the American car manufacturer.

Nissan's new electric van sports some other exciting features, including a touch-capacitive dash and seats that are mounted high above the floor.

It differs from the LEAF that features a more square-like panel with plastic buttons on the U.S. models of the vehicle.

Nissan did not release any more information regarding the new electric van's specifications, production volumes or future prices.

However, there are some images of the van floating around that display some of its finer features.