Nissan motors has fallen behind Toyota and Honda in the green category.  Both rivals have very fuel efficient cars and hybrids to help them with sales and their environmental image.  Nissan is hoping to jump past both competitors with an electric drive vehicle.

This first offering is likely to be a small economy car and Carlos Ghosn, head of Renault-Nissan, has said that Nissan will unveil a whole range of electric vehicles by 2012.  While details are sparse about this first car, sources inside Nissan have said that it will be all electric.

Unlike the Volt, the new electric Nissan won’t employ an ICE to extend it’s range.  It’ll use a battery pack that sits along the floor of the car to power it.  Sources say it’ll have a range of 125 miles.  That’s not very far, but it’s far enough for most people on most days.

The price for the small car will be a concern for Nissan as well.  They aren’t giving out any details, but they are stressing that it’ll cost comparably to other small economy cars and that it’ll cost considerably less than the Volt.