In the test car sockets for both home charging and quick charging are hidden under the Nissan badge at the front of the car.

The company is also experimenting with a contactless charging system that uses induction between a charging plate on the street and one on the bottom of the car. The prototype EV doesn't have this system but Nissan demonstrated it on another car. The system charges the battery when the two plates are aligned so Nissan envisages these to be installed in parking bays.

When it comes to Lithium Ion batteries Nissan might need to convince some potential owners of their safety. The well publicized problems with laptop batteries of a few years ago raise obvious safety questions although Nissan contends drivers need not worry. The laminated batteries run much cooler than conventional cylindrical cells of the type used in laptops thanks in part to a manganese electrode.

"For a decade, about 80 percent of the [research] activity was dedicated to reliability," said Hideaki Horie, Nissan's top lithium ion battery researcher. He said the car maker has conducted hundreds of stress tests to ensure the batteries don't cause a problem during a crash.

"We are very confident," said Horie.