Infiniti Releases Sketch of Upcoming Electric Vehicle

It’s hard to tell much from the blurred sketch, but the vehicle looks to be a compact hatchback. The only styling cues we can make out from this rendering is the EV’s face, which resembles the Essence Concept we saw at last year’s Geneva International Motor Show.

As logic would dictate, Infiniti’s EV will most likely be based off the Nissan Leaf, which will be able to achieve a range of 100 miles per charge.

Given Infiniti’s timetable, it would be one of the first luxury EVs after the Tesla Roadster and planned Fisker Karma.

If you can’t wait until 2013 for a green Infiniti, the brand will launch its first hybrid vehicle soon. The 2012 Infiniti M35h, which will debut at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, is based off the Infiniti M and will feature that model’s base V-6 coupled to a hybrid powertrain with lithium-ion batteries. The system should be able to propel the vehicle up to 50 mph on electric power alone. The M35h will reach dealerships by spring 2011.