2011 Geneva Motor Show: Honda, Nissan heat up the international electric car race

The electric-car wave isn't just sweeping America, it's a worldwide phenomenon. There are at least three notable electric vehicle introductions coming to the Geneva Motor Show, which starts March 1st, as automakers charge into this fast-developing segment.

Honda and Nissan have announced European debuts for their latest electric concepts, as both automakers look to expand their future alternative-fuel portfolios.

While Honda has approached battery electric cars with skepticism, the company known for powertrain efficiency seems to have embraced battery vehicles, as evidenced by the electric Fit seen at the LA Auto Show. Honda's entry into the electric car and plug-in hybrid markets is an attempt to line-up with Toyota and Nissan on the EV front.

Nissan is sprouting new Leafs across globe, and the Japanese automaker is looking to propagate its electric and hybrid technology across other vehicle segments.

Here's what Honda and Nissan will be showing in Geneva:

• An all-electric Honda Fit concept car will reportedly use lithium-ion batteries and have a range of 70 to 100 miles on a charge. The car will apparently have three driving modes like the CR-Z: Econ, Normal, and Sport. Honda says the Sport setting will give the Fit EV the power of a 2.0-liter engine.  Honda will reportedly produce a Fit EV is in 2012.
• The other Honda is more of a schematic than a concept car. It is a design for Honda's first plug-in hybrid, which the company says uses two electric motors, rather than the single unit in its current Integrated Motor Assist hybrids. Two electric motors would allow the car to be a full hybrid driving on electric power alone at lower speeds, which current Honda hybrids are incapable of. This car will also use lithium-ion batteries. Honda says it will be a parallel hybrid, using the gasoline engine whenever it's advantageous, rather than only after the batteries are depleted, as the Chevrolet Volt does in most situations.
• Nissan holds the current sales lead as the only volume automaker with an electric car currently on the market with the hatchback Nissan Leaf. The Esflow concept the company is revealing in Geneva is a sporty, rear-wheel-drive coupe based on the Leaf. With electric motors, it's relatively easy to reconfigure a front-wheel-drive car into rear-wheel-drive or vice versa. The lithium-ion batteries and the car's lightweight aluminum structure are said to give it a range of 150 miles--50 more than the Leaf. Sports cars are a good fit for electric powertrains, because the abundant torque from the electric motors gives the cars a quick initial launch, the performance is worth the extra cost to some consumers, and people don't tend to drive them as far or as often as more common car types.

There will be other green machines shown at the Geneva show, with new ones being announced daily, such as Porsche Panamera Hybrid and Toyota IQ EV. Rest assured, we'll cover the most significant models here in the Cars blog.

—Eric Evarts

See our guide to fuel economy for advice on saving gasoline. Learn about future technologies in our guide to alternative fuels.